Hello, I’m Julie and this is my dog Lucy, who is often anxious and fearful. When I adopted her a year ago at age 1, she used to allow me to clip her nails the first few times. In retrospect, I see how she was uncomfortable with it, and since several months ago she won’t let me clip at all. Recently I’ve learned about cooperative veterinary care and teaching the dog how to signal consent (e.g., the bucket game). But I haven’t been successful at putting those concepts into practice with her, probably because I’m trying to proceed too fast! Lori, I heard about this course on Ryan Cartlidge’s podcast and really enjoyed the interview. So I’m hopeful that I can learn how to trim Lucy’s nails and later apply what I learn to other body handling tasks.
I’m starting to “nail it” on one paw! It has taken 4 months so far of not-very-consistent practice, but in the last couple weeks, Lucy has gotten fairly comfortable with me filing her front right paw. She sometimes lets me file the other front and the backs, but it’s great to see actual progress!
I am now able to file the nails on all 4 paws! Once my dog got comfortable with filing one paw, the progress on the other 3 paws followed fairly quickly. She even closed her eyes and relaxed for a bit (but not wanting to push my luck, I kept feeding her treats, for which she woke up from her “power nap”!). I may try the Dremel plan in the future to work on receding the quick, but for now, I feel that I can keep her nail length in check through filing.
Julie & Lucy
This was an amazing course and I’d recommend it to anyone with a pet. Nails have always been a challenge for me despite the hours I spend grooming my dog for the show ring. Lori’s carefully laid out plan turned an unpleasant experience for both my dog and me into something we can both look forward to and not just tolerate, but ENJOY. Thank you Lori for sharing your wisdom and training techniques. Nikko, Annie and Mo will love you most for it, but I too am extremely grateful.
Marie P on Nailed It- A Course in Canine Nail Care
This was definitely a must take course for me as I learned many things to help me get started and progress in my rescue dog’s nails. She was formerly feral and it has been a long process to even get a collar on her let alone touch her. I am still working on CER+ to touching but have made strides.
My older dog Remington was quicked at the groomer and so I have used the same process with him with much faster results.
The most helpful thing I learned from the course was to forgive myself and start the process over again with all of the steps in place. I also love the detailed information about dogs nails and how certain restraint can make them feel. I will continue to recommend this course.
Chelsea M on Nailed It- A Course in Canine Nail Care
We inherited Mindy from a very dear friend when she died. Mindy’s owner was unable to take Mindy to the groomer and never thought it was important to trim Mindy’s nails herself. By following the course we were able to trim Mindy’s nails using the Dremel. She now gives us no problems and with her nails much shorter than before, we can take her for walks and her weight has significantly dropped to a healthier weight as well!
Laurie R on Nailed It- A Course in Canine Nail Care
Nailed It has been a godsend for Liberty my husband and I. Before going through this course Liberty wouldn’t let you cut her nails at all. I would have to take her to the vet, and she had to get sedated just to trim them. Every month it became a hassle and a traumatic experience. If we tried at home she would jump around crazy making noises, whining, and just plain scared. In the beginning of the course just getting her used to having you hold her paws and nails took time. Gradually using a nail file as the program progressed so did she. She became more comfortable with the whole experience.
Samantha W on Nailed It- A Course in Canine Nail Care
Panda, who used to head to the hills when nails were “discussed” now offers his toesies for filing while we cuddle. I rank this akin to the biblical parting of the sea, and that miracle is directly attributed to you, Lori. I regularly share your course info and a clip of Panda and nail time with adopters having trouble with nailcare and send them to your course.
Linda G on Nailed It - Course in Canine Nail Care
We went from Bear growling when I would move my hand toward toward his back feet to him giving me a front paw without being prompted when I get out the nail clipper! Thank you Lori! Now I’m using the same principles to get him ready to get a cast taken of his rear leg.
Pam B on Nailed It - Course in Canine Nail Care
I worked through the Nailed It! course with my dog Milo who has a history of extreme fear about foot/leg restraint and nail care. He’s 8-years old, and so has a long history of unpleasant associations with having his nails clipped, and I was hoping for at least a little progress. Not only did we get progress, but Milo now glows with anticipation and runs to our “nail filing” area when he sees me getting the file. Fabulous.
Emily H on Nailed It - A Course in Canine Nail Care
The material in this course was so helpful and clear. I learned about a lot more than just nail care! Step by step and makes it seem easy instead of scary to trim your fearful or resistant dogs nails. I LOVE that the course teaches you how to actually enjoy doing nail trims (and your dog too!)
Marylin on Nailed It - A Course in Canine Nail Care
Nailed It really gave me the support and confidence to be diligent and patient in conditioning my dog to cooperate when I file her nails. I found a particular solution that is working for us. A bonus is that it is helping develop my overall relationship with my dog as well!
Connie L on Nailed It - A Course in Canine Nail Care
Going through this course with my dog forever changed our lives. For years, I would let her nails grow out as long as I could stand it because taking her to the vet to have them trimmed was traumatic for us both. She would be held down by multiple techs while she writhed and screamed and was occasionally quicked.
Thanks to Nailed It, I now trim her nails at home once a week using a dremel. Her nails are beautiful, short and healthy. The whole process takes about 5 minutes and she voluntarily participated in the process. I would not trade this experience for anything in the world.