As I sit outside catching the last little bit of sunshine, on the first nice day we’ve seen in a while, I reflect on my weekend. It’s day whatever of quarantine and I’m anxious to get back to what I love, grooming. As of this moment, groomers are closed until May 15th….pending an update to the Stay At Home. I have received a lot of positive words and genuine check ins from my clients and the love and appreciation I receive is not only about the services I provide, but for me as an individual. I can honestly say that I am beyond blessed by these simple gestures.
I’ve also received a lot of questions in regards to how to preform a certain service and the resounding ending to a lot of them is, “ you make it look so easy.” I’m outside trying to think of ways I can help or videos I can make on the fly. Now, I’m not as tech savvy as I would like to be, but when it comes down to it, I haven’t invested the time into learning how to edit videos, or how to use my iPad to it’s fullest potential, being I’ve only had it for a couple weeks. Now, I can explain and demonstrate how to do nail trims all day long. I am having a hard time trying to come up with a way that I can show the best, generic, quick, how-to video.
Every dog is different. From the toes to the behavior. A dogs behavior is very important to watch when you are performing any type of activity that may make them uncomfortable. Their fight or flight will kick in. Sometimes having them on a grooming table helps them cope with the experience and that is something that is not readily available at this time. A lot of my clients are uncomfortable with their dogs black nails, which is understandable. If you aren’t trained to know what to look for in regards to the quick, it can be very difficult to judge where to trim on the nail. In reality, it comes down to how comfortable YOU actually are performing that service. If you are not confident or are scared, your dog will pick up on that and behave accordingly. How can you become more confident and gain the trust of your dog for something as simple as nails? The answer is going to sound easy, but take time to master. The key word being time. It’s going to take time to learn to build trust with your dog and confidence in yourself. On average, I’ve seen roughly, 12 dogs per day, 5 days a week, for the last 7 years of my career. After multiplying those factors, I have done an estimated 21,840 nail trims.
My advice in closing is to take some time to play with your dogs toes, feet, and nails in a way that helps train them to trust when it comes to this. Rub the nail clippers on those areas to familiarize your dog to the sensation of that tool and gradually introduce them to the sound it makes, followed by attempting to trim a tiny bit off. It may take days for you to be successful, but it’s important to be consistent.
 Positive reinforcement and treat motivation are useful tactics. Peanut butter distractions might steer their attention away long enough for you to get the job done, but it’s up to you as the owner/paw-rent to figure out what is best suited to your particular pooch. AS A DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT RECOMMEND PUTTING PEANUT BUTTER ON PLASTIC WRAP ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR FACE OR FOREHEAD. I’ve seen the video and it gives me anxiety, I do respect the creativity though.
Please reach out to me or your personal groomer for any advice when it comes to any particular home grooming topics before trying them at home. The last thing any of us want is for an emergency room visit for you or your pets or for you to spend hundreds of dollars on the wrong equipment.