Protective breeds like our Malinois and your Doberman can react strongly when feeling vulnerable. Our Malinois would lay down and cover his paws w/ his head when the trimmers appeared.
Rather than reach in and (in his dog brain thinking) challenge/threaten his protective stance I would simply walk him in a circle and reposition him to a sit/stay. Magoo is right on the mark that you must be tuned in to your dog's body language and subtle signs.
Magoo's other point is so important, to stop on an upbeat note. It is so easy for us humans to be on a roll, things are going great, just one more command, trick, nail, etc. And how many of us took the session one time too far?
In effect, we often keep going until we make our dogs fail. An experienced dog trainer knows when to stop, and that's while your dog is being successful, not when you're feeling the thrill of success.
Magoo - glad to hear your girl is back on track with her nail care, keep sharing your experiences, you are an excellent Alpha Dog!
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It's All Good - Update by: Magoo
Comments from the Malinoise owner much appreciated!
I agree (now) that time & patience are the key, both during nail trim sessions and in viewing progress (slow but steady confidence building, as the responder stated.
We gave up trying to utilize groomer assistance - our Dobe, like protective breeds generally I think, just found the new setting and groomers too unsettling, despite their best attempts to be gentle, patient and sweet.
We had a successful grinding session at our vets, and thereafter just replicated that general flow of things.
Don't play up the prep too much; just get your dog placed where you want, w/ your assistant easing the dog down into a relaxed, happy place (treats, belly rubs, whatever works). We found peanut butter very compelling, as the licked treat is a high focus activity, tending to remove some of the concern about what's going on down at foot level.
Then just do your trim thing. We dremel, as "quicking" the nail w/ our girl's outgrown nails presented continual real risk, one our girl has demonstrated little tolerance for.
To keep control of those negatives you just have to know your own dog, your own abilities and find a comfortable place. I have "quicked" nails when clipping just the tip, so the dremel is my preferred tool. Just make sure you move to a different nail every 3-5 seconds, as longer grinds produce heat which the dog will react to, understandable, no?
I stop grinding on a particular nail when I visualize the faintest appearance of the dark ring of the quick and test the nail as I grind with my own nail. When I have ground to where the nail begins to feel a bit pulpy under my own nail I stop, unless my dog is already reacting.
When that is the case, I just call that nail done, except for cleaning up sharp corners, splits or the like which might present a risk of injury to the nail. Like the Mal owner, I read my dog's tolerance and then choose an ending "up" moment to finish.
Thanks again for the comments and to all, good luck and remember, crossing these difficult straits with your dog will strengthen the bond you share and empower you as your dog's handler, caregiver and companion.
Magoo out
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You're on the right track! by: VG
I can relate to your skittish dog, think you are on the right track so hang in there!
We adopted a big adult male Belgian Malinois and were fortunate to have info from his previous owner. Previous owner talked an abusive neighbor into giving up the dog who was already traumatized by bad nail trimming. In fact, the previous owner could hardly touch Chief's paws and had the vet do the trimming. The vet had to tranquilize this dog for routine trims, Chief was that nervous and would growl and snap at the vet. The dog was a basket case when it came to his paws.
Today Chief lets me trim his nails w/o incident. Doesn't enjoy it, but no more growling or snapping at all and tolerates it very well.
I did it in the same way you are, with frequent, positive handling sessions. It took me 6 months before he would tolerate having one nail clipped w/o growling, so have faith that it will improve for your doberman, but may take months and continued patience for her to associate paws with something good and not associate it with the painful groomer experience.
I used a special, high value treat (dried liver bits) following each calm snip. I take only the very tips of the nail, no more than 1/8" to make sure I don't hit the quick. I use a plier style clipper because it is quick, don't think our nervous dog would tolerate the noise and slower pace of a drimmel style trimmer, and I see no advantage to prolonging the process. And nail trimming always follows an exhausting exercise session. Chief and I retreat to a quiet spot away from visual distractons and other pets.
It took me a full year to reach the point we're at now, so hang in there, you are on the right track, just continue your patient approach and take it very, very slow. For weeks I would stop after just one nail clip, but it really helped build up Chief's confidence (and mine) in the process.
It wasn't always w/ithout a growl at first, but we didn't stop on a bad note. I'd tell him No! for growling, then I'd do another nail, reward with treat, then we stopped. I did not let the dog dictate when I stopped the trimming session but I did not push him too far, stopped after one more nail and always ended on a successful note.
In the end it's all about trust, and it takes a long time to transform a bad expereince into one the dog will trust. Even now I doubt Chief would stay calm for anyone else to do his nails, but he will with me.
You've got a young dog and one that sounds a lot more submissive than ours. We started with an 18mth old basket case and a breed that is famous for being challenging at times. If we can do it you can too!
