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Dog won't let me cut her long nails; she bites and it hurts her.

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 2 months old | 30 lbs

My dog never lets me cut her nails she will start bitting me or pushing me away one of her nails are really long and it looks like if it's going up . When she walks she picks up her paw . I know it hurts her cause she won't let me touch her paw . What can I do. If I take her to a vet she won't let them either.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Makenzie Kurth, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 28th, 2018

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You have basically two options 1) Get some anti-anxiety medication and try again (or have the vet office try again) 2) take some serious time to train her. Feed treats while you touch the feet. Repeat daily until she has no concern about it. Then continue to give treats while you hold the nail clippers. When she is comfortable with that, progress to touching the clippers to the nail. Finally progress to just clipping the tip of the nail, etc. Best of luck to you and Ash!

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 23rd, 2019

    I hate to hear that about Baby. If she will not allow you to trim the nails, take her to a groomer and see if they are able to trim the nails. Some pets will not even allow them to do that. If this is the case, she may need to see the veterinarian for sedation to trim the nails. Long nails can cause pain and they can grow into the pads as well. Try to get this taken care of quickly. Long term, you can try to form a positive association with the clippers but this may take months to establish. Clicker training is also beneficial for this training method. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

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