Grinding Your Cavalier’s Nails

I am NOT a professional groomer. However, I have fallen in love with grooming my sweet Cavaliers. I find it bonds us in a way I never expected. Dogs are great companions, they love snuggles, walks, getting fed, being petted and playing fetch. These are all fun and positive activities. Things get a little trickier when your dog is put into situations that are not so fun for them. Like raising children, there becomes a little bit of a power struggle. So, how do you work through the process without your dog being scared of you and the whole process? How do you get your dog to cooperate?

They Need to Feel Safe

Your dog already feels safe with you in most situations. But grinding their nails is a whole new experience. I have found, when you are kind but firm this helps the dog to trust you more. Just like children, they need boundaries. They need to feel your confidence. They also need to be pushed a little farther than they feel they can go. I recommend three basic steps or practices (because they don’t really go in any particular order). Feel free to check out my YouTube Video that goes over most of the tips found in this post.

1. Position

Getting into a position that is comfortable for you and your dog is important. There are MANY positions, so what works best for you. This is just a position I found works well for me.

I like to lay them on their backs across my lap, holding their back and hips secure with my body. This prevents them from trying to run away and from me pulling at their legs. I would never want to hurt a dog that jerks their legs away. This is also a very vulnerable position for dogs. It is the position they assume when they “submit.” Meaning they trust you and are not going to fight. Just getting your dog in this position might take some work. I will go over how to do this in the next section. Feel free to check out my YouTube video for a demonstration on this position.

Clip, Grind, Groom: Painless Dog Nail Care at Home

2. Baby Steps

Before we can discuss baby steps, you need to know that all dogs are different. Not all dogs come hardwired to lay on their backs for you. Like children, every dog has a different and unique personality and upbringing. Your breeder SHOULD be gently teaching them to lay on their backs as young as 3 weeks old so they learn to trust humans and submitting comes more natural. Some dogs LOVE it! They roll over to their backs easily, to them, it means you are going to shower them with love and rub their tummies. They naturally seek your approval and love. Submitting is a piece of cake. However, some dogs are more strong willed than others. Less willing to trust others and trust themselves more. Personally, I LOVE the strong willed dogs. They have personality and usually a lot of confidence. It is so rewarding when you can help a strong willed dog feel safe and comfortable with you. Gaining their respect and trust is something I thoroughly enjoy.

No, baby steps comes into play and it is as easy as it sounds. Start with laying your dog on their backs. See how they respond. If this is hard for them, keep practicing. If it is easy for them, move onto holding them while turning the grinder on. When they get that down, move onto putting the grinder near or on their nails. Then move onto grinding one nail. You get the idea.

Another thing you might need to work with baby steps on is handling their paws. Most dogs do not love it when you handle their paws. Usually, they tolerate it. Their paws are sensitive and usually, they would prefer them to be left alone. So keep this in mind.

3. End on a POSITIVE

When you rewarding baby steps it is very important to reward WHEN THEY PRODUCE THE DESIRED BEHAVIOR. I call this Ending on a Positive. Too often we are prone to reward a little too late, unintentionally rewarding undesired behavior.

For example: When they lay on their backs, reward them with the treat WHILE ON THIER BACKS and NOT once you let them go. If you give them a treat when you let them go they will assume that as soon as the “get out” of the position they will be rewarded. They will have no idea of what you really expect from them. Reward them early, before then squirm away. This stops them from squirming and reinforces that you want them to hold still and lay on their backs.

When you consistently reward the behavior you desire, your dog will start to understand what it is you want. When you are able to communicate with your dog, that’s when the magic starts!!

Lessons from the past

Learning to communicate your desired behavior to animals is a skill developed over time. Often our minds are one step ahead or we don’t notice the small things we are reinforcing. When I was in Junior High School I had a beautiful horse named Bear. He was magnificent. I was able to take a few dressage lessons. I started to get frustrated because every time I went from a walk to a trot or from a trot to a canter Bear would jump. My trainer watched me as I rode. He noticed that just before I pressed my heels into the horses side, signaling the horse to trot or canter, I unconsciously tightened my grip, pulling the bit in Bear’s mouth just slightly. This is a sign to stop, or slow down. I was nervous about the transition and didn’t even notice that I was tightening my grip. I was telling Bear to go forward faster and to stop at the same time. The horse obeyed my exact command and jumped. Bear would be bewildered when I was upset that he hadn’t “obeyed” me. The fact was, he was doing all he could to obey my exact commands. We I realized my weakness in communication my relationship with my horse dramatically improved. The same principle goes with your sweet dog. Your dog wants to please you, especially if it is a Cavalier. Take time to see what you are really communicating. Are you unintentionally rewarding poor behavior? Are you enabling anxiety or helping them work through their fears? Are you setting boundaries and rewarding the behaviors you desire? Grinding nails is a great place to test this communication process. And, let’s be real. Sometimes you have to pick your battles. If grinding nails isn’t your cup of tea, or is creating too much stress for both you and your dog, pay someone else to do it. There is no shame in that! There are COUNTLESS ways to learn to communicate with your sweet dog.

Published on May 08 2024

Categories: News