Tips to Help a Dog Who Doesn’t Like Having His Nails Cut

In this Omaha dog training session, we shared tips to help 5-year-old Boxer Lab mix Maverick (pictured here with his pal Roxie a Rottweiler mix) manage his aggression when his nails are trimmed, especially since the dog doesn’t like nails trimmed. Many dogs react poorly to nail trimming, but it’s an easy issue to address.

This is a common problem for many dogs. Dogs often object to you touching their paws unless you have established trust and practiced handling exercises when they are puppies, this is why we have a touch and handling lesson built into our Omaha Puppy classes.

How to Build Trust With the Dog

To help a dog stay calm while cutting their nails, take your time. Build trust with the dog.

If your dog is nervous or sensitive to touch, start by touching them while giving them a treat. Once they begin to relax, you can try touching them first and then giving the treat. This process might take days or even weeks, so go slowly and watch for signs of anxiety.

Begin by touching your dog in a spot where they’re not sensitive, and give a treat immediately afterward. Keep practicing this until your dog starts to expect a treat after being touched.

We recommend practicing handling your puppy as soon as possible. Gaining their trust in a positive way will make it easier down the road when you have to start cutting their nails, giving them baths, etc.

Dog Nail Trimming in a Positive Way

You can start the nail trimming process when your dog feels comfortable with you touching their paws. Do not use any nail trimmers at this stage. Unfortunately, most people skip the important step of getting the dog used to nail trimming. Instead, they hold the dog down and cut their nails, even though the dog clearly shows it doesn’t like it.

The free dog training video below shows you how to train a dog to like having its nails cut.

As you can see in the video above, we moved at Maverick’s pace. We used a technique called free shaping. We basically asked Maverick to “shake” or give me his paw. If he lifted his paw or gave it to me, I’d give him a treat.

What to do When a Dog Doesn’t like Nails Trimmed

Teaching a dog to stay calm and relaxed when you cut its nails is easy with this approach. It does take time, practice and a lot of patience. With patience and focus, you can teach your dog to enjoy nail trimming by following the video instructions.

If you and your dog are having trouble keeping their nails at a desired length, we also recommend trying a dermal. This is a device like an emery file on the end of a drill bit.

To get your dog ready, use your other hand to gently squeeze their toe pad. This will help extend the nail away from the pad. Offering treats between each paw can help keep your dog calm during the process.

When positioning the tool, hold it at a 45-degree angle with the paw pad resting on the guard and the nail touching the sanding disc. The guard helps keep your dog’s fur out of the way and provides protection if they move. Turn on the tool, choosing the low setting for shorter nails and the high setting for longer ones.

As you trim, gently apply pressure to the nail and move the tool around the edge to round it out. Start from the bottom of the nail and work your way up, moving side to side.

Avoid pressing too hard and only apply the tool for a few seconds at a time to allow the nail to cool and prevent overheating. If further trimming is needed, you can return to it later.

Be careful not to get too close to the quick, the dark blood vessel in the middle of the nail. You can feel for the quick and listen for a change in texture with the Dremel; it will feel squishier than the rest of the nail.

To help the guardians remember all the dog behavior tips I shared during this in-home training session, we recorded a roadmap to success video.