In our first section on desensitizing dogs to nail trimmers, we helped our dog acclimate to seeing the clippers in your hand. Now we’re going to take this a step farther and actually touch your dog with the clippers.
As a prerequisite for this section, your pup should automatically start searching for treats the moment the clippers come in sight. They should not be even slightly anxious about their presence.
Touching the Shoulder
Now that your dog is completely relaxed and comfortable with the clippers moving toward them, try touching their shoulder lightly with the clippers. Check their reaction. How did they feel about having their shoulder touched? Did they pull away? Get up and leave? Fold their ears back or tighten their muscles?
If they seemed uncomfortable, go back to the half way motion a few times, and then try simply bringing it closer to their shoulder. You may have to build up from 50% of the way to the shoulder to 60%, in smaller steps until you can touch their shoulder with their only reaction the expectation of a treat.
When they’re comfortable with their shoulder being touched, do a few sessions of 1-15 reps to secure their positive association with the clippers touching the leg, and then you can then move on down the leg.
Touching the Elbow
Now that your dog is comfortable being touched no where near their foot, let’s try lowering the clippers to touch them on the elbow. Once again, check their reaction. How did they feel about having their shoulder touched? Did they pull away? Get up and leave? Fold their ears back or tighten their muscles? You get the idea.
How they react will determine how you proceed. If they are fine with having their elbow touched, repeat this 10-15 reps a session for several sessions, and then move lower down the leg.
Legs Down to the Paw
By now, you should have the idea of how to do this. Bring the clippers down an inch or two from the elbow and check your pet’s reaction. If they’re fine with it two inches down from the elbow, repeat this 10-15 sessions, for 3-5 sessions, before moving a little bit more down the leg.
It’s important not to rush this. It’s probably tempting to pick a spot right between the elbow and the middle of the leg, and try there instead in order to jump to those paws. Don’t be tempted! The reason why we’re slowly making our way down the leg is to build layers of positive association with the clippers before we get somewhere that makes your pet uncomfortable.
Of course, two inches down from the elbow on a chihuahua is just about the middle of the leg, but if you can divide the leg up into at least 4 sessions it will help build that positive association.
Repeat all the way down the leg until you reach the paw.
Touching the Clippers to the Paw
Hopefully, you’ve taken your time desensitizing your dog all the way down the leg. With any luck, touching the paw with the clipper will be a non-event for clipper desensitization. Do a few warm ups here on the lowest part of the leg and then try touching the top of the paw with the clippers.
If they immediately snatch their foot back, chances are desensitization was rushed. You may have to try bringing it toward the foot half way without touching it and rewarding for that. If your pup snatches their foot away or seems very uncomfortable, try something like this combination:
- Half way towards foot, reward, and remove clipper
- Touch elbow, reward, remove clipper
- Half way towards foot, reward, remove clipper
- Touch middle of leg, reward, remove clipper
- ¾ of the way toward food, reward, remove clipper
- Touch ankle, reward, remove clipper
- Touch paw
You may have to go slower than this, but by gradually combining things they are fine with and more challenging things, you will have an easier time getting them comfortable with the paw.
Once they allow the paw, spend a lot of time on this section. Repeat this section for at least 5 sessions, 10-15 reps per session. Before each session, do a warm up where you touch the shoulder, elbow, and middle of the leg, rewarding each time, before starting on the paw.
Touching Clippers to the Nail
Once your dog is very relaxed and very comfortable with having their paw touched, touch the clippers to the nails. Don’t pick up the paw at the same time but simply touch the clippers to the paw.
If your pup immediately withdraws the paw, you’ll know that they’re not comfortable with their nails getting touched. If that’s the case, go back to the paw a few reps, and then try the nail again.
Keep working, 10-15 reps at a time, at least one session a day, until you can touch each one of your pup’s nails gently with the clippers without them removing the paw or acting negatively at all.
That’s it! Your pup will learn to have their paws held in other sections, such as learning the trick ‘Shake’ and ‘Dance’. For now, they only need to know how to be comfortable around the clippers.
Similar Posts:
- Touch Desensitization: Feet
- Nail Trimmer Desensitization
- How to Desensitize Scissor Touch
- Introduction to Tail Desensitization
- How To Make Your Dog Like Nail Trims
