Animal Welfare Professionals

Two dogs each rescued from a bad environment are very skittish and hyper. They are too nervous to go to grooming, so doing it at home. Problem is need to clean their teeth and clip toenails, which they do not allow now.  Any suggestions to get them use to both?

It's all about taking it slowly and making every step of it a good thing for your dogs. Here's a good article about how to take the stress out of nail trims:   http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/take-the-stress-out-of-trimming-your-dogs-nails. You're basically teaching your dogs to associate nail trims with fabulous things (treats) every step of the way -- when you pull the clippers out, when you touch their paws, when you clip one nail. But the most important thing is to not rush it. Since you say your dogs are skittish and hyper, it may take a couple of days to even be able to trim the first nail. Have patience. Once they're comfortable being around the clippers, then it's time to move on to touching the paws, and so on. Depending on the dog, you may only end up clipping one or two nails a day and that's fine. One of my current dogs can only handle one paw a day. So each time we clip nails on one paw, it's a party! Treats, toys, and playtime follows so she doesn't dread it anymore.  

The same concept applies to teeth brushing. Take it slowly. Reward each step. Be patient. Here's an article that may help: http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/at-home-guide-to-brushing-your-pets-teeth and here's a video, too: http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/video-are-you-brushing-your-dogs-teeth-the-right-way#1_u1e0jqjo .  The only thing I wish they had added to this video is that all of these steps can be over a number of days, not in one session. You've got to go at your dog's pace. 

Good luck!!

thank you so much for taking the time and effort to write. Very much appreciated

Hi, 

You can also train your dogs to trim their own paws in sandpaper! There are a lot of training videos on youtube, but here is one to get you started

Some animals are sensitive or reactive to the actual sound of nail-clipping (as well as to the feeling of having their paws handled, etc.) To help with the auditory aspect, try brief, positive-reinforcement sessions with a piece of dry spaghetti. Clip off a small section of dry spaghetti with your nail clippers (being careful to direct the clipped piece away from the animal), immediately offer praise and a high-value treat, clip off another bit of spaghetti, praise and treat, etc. You'll still have to work on desensitizing the dogs to paw-handling, but minimizing the trauma associated with each aspect of the trimming process should help.