Professionals are so good at nail trimming that they make it look like a single, easy step! So why does it seem so hard for the rest of us? There are two reasons:

1. Practice, practice, practice: They have had way more practice at trimming nails than the average dog owner. As a result, they are able to take the process of nail trimming and make it look like a single, easy action.

2. Goals: They may have different goals than you do. Typically, the goal of the professional is to get the nail trim done with as little stress and as quickly as possible. In contrast, your goal is to make the process entirely stress-free. This goal will not only provide you with a calm, comfortable opportunity to practice your new skill, but may also be the most ethical and long-term solution, depending on your dog.

Note: Some dogs do great with professional nail trimming and even enjoy it. If your dog is one of those, then by all means keep going to a professional! However, someday you may need to be able to trim your dog's nails at home, and you'll wish you had trained both yourself and your dog to do it.

To that end, this course is based on two foundational principles:

1. Nail trimming can and should be stress-free for both you and your dog.

2. Nail trimming is a process.

Our goal is to outline the process for you as a series of small, easy steps as outlined on the handout for Module 1.

In this lecture, we discuss why DIY nails are so important, even if you currently have someone else who can trim them successfully. You will also learn what a good nail length looks like.

Nail trimming is a process of steps, and the final step (and goal!) is to actually trim the nail. However, becoming proficient at nail trimming will require some practice. In turn, being able to take your time to practice will require your dog to be calm, comfortable, and still so that you can avoid rushing and get used to the nail anatomy and the trimming process. Even professionals often start their nail trim journey with dogs who are calm, restrained, or sedated so that they can take the time they need to learn! Because our goal is to have a trimming experience that is free of fear, anxiety, or stress, your goal will be to get your dog totally comfortable with the process.

Getting your dog to a place where they are comfortable will require you to understand when your dog is comfy versus stressed. Dogs communicate their comfort or discomfort through their body language, with some signals that are very obvious and some that are a bit more subtle. We have put together two handouts and a video to help you learn to read your dog so that you can react quickly to what they are telling you throughout the trimming process. However, remember that your dog may have behaviors that are unique, so be on the lookout for those, too!

We discuss which tools are available and the pros and cons of each tool, plus how to prep the tools of interest.

The very first step in the process of nail trimming is to choose your tools and supplies. This may be more important than you think, because you and your dog will be more comfortable and therefore perform better with certain tools/supplies versus others! You will have several tools to choose from which can trim a nail just fine (Dremels, clippers, files, and sanding boards), and you can certainly learn how to use any of them, but your chosen tool needs to maximize the comfort of you and your dog.

Spoiler alert: I typically prefer the Dremel! From a behavioral standpoint, many dogs do surprisingly well with the Dremel and can quickly adapt to its noise. Further, many owners find the Dremel less stress-inducing because they are much less likely to cut the dog's quick. As a result, both owner and dog may find the Dremel more comfortable. This is especially true if the dog has already had some bad experiences with a clippers, as the Dremel can be a fresh start for you both. Of the three dogs I have owned, all have performed better using the Dremel than any clippers.

To help you choose your tools and supplies, we have a handout describing the pros and cons of each tool, a video discussing common tools and supplies, and even subtopics to read more in-depth about specific tools and supplies.

Our next step in the process of nail trimming is to choose and then train a position. Choosing a position is relatively easy, but training the position requires breaking down the behavior inti smaller substeps.

This video shows how you would train a dog to start getting comfortable on a mat.

In this portion of the course, we will show examples of different nail types and then discuss the tactics for how to trim nails for the most efficient outcomes.