My older dog is aggressive during nail trims. What are my options?

Question

My dog will not let anyone cut his nails. He is getting older and they seem to be growing faster than they used to. He gets very aggressive… nothing will work. Dremels, different kinds of clippers. What can I do. It seems it’s getting harder for him to jump and run they are getting so long. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 7 years and 4 months old | 55 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I hate to hear this is happening. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon. Zeke has a few options: 1) Take him to the groomers. Sometimes a different person and a change of environment make all the difference. 2) Take him to the vet. Again, different person/place AND the veterinarian has access to drugs if Zeke needs to be sedated for a nail trim. 3) Ask your vet about getting pills to lightly sedate Zeke. Trazodone or Acepromazine may be good options. 4) Try counter conditioning. Begin by having a high value treat. Start touching his feet and reward him as soon as you touch his toe nails. Do this for a few days. Once Zeke seems comfortable with this behavior, show him the clippers. Reward him every time he looks at the clippers. Gradually move the clippers closer to him until they touch his nail. Give him treats frequently. Then cut one nail, reward him immediately and stop the trimming for that session. Work up to multiple nails. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

My older dog is aggressive during nail trims. What are my options?

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