A little nice thing right now: I think training my dog to file his nails on a sandpaper board not only helps a lot with his actual nails, but I think he loves having a more specific activity to do with me — he’s never been much for tricks and things, but he’s gotten really good at self-pedicures. - ThreadSky

lindaholmes.bsky.social • 7 days ago

A little nice thing right now: I think training my dog to file his nails on a sandpaper board not only helps a lot with his actual nails, but I think he loves having a more specific activity to do with me — he’s never been much for tricks and things, but he’s gotten really good at self-pedicures.

Comments

maybellemabel.bsky.social•7 days ago

I might try that with our younger pup. I used to play fetch a few times with my older dog at an old unused tennis court in our neighborhood.

It took at most 4 tosses to trim her nails perfectly.

71-to-100.bsky.social•6 days ago

😊

jazzrat2000.bsky.social•6 days ago

Peticures

yellowbeard59.bsky.social•6 days ago

Baby steps.

ratphooey.bsky.social•7 days ago

I need this.

More importantly, my dog needs this!

janedont.bsky.social•6 days ago

What a loaf! 🥰

lorenatrainsdogs.bsky.social•7 days ago

YES!!! And this activity gives them agency; it’s a game with a fantastic payoff, and he can control how hard and for how long he he does it. Activities like these have such a positive impact on their behavioral wellness.
💖💖💖

lindaholmes.bsky.social•7 days ago

Yeah, if he loses interest I don’t push it, and if he wants to kind of do it lightly, he still gets his rewards.

ladycowparsley.bsky.social•7 days ago

Hey #uglydogs a new trick!

auntie-grizelda.bsky.social•6 days ago

Holey moley, and I am following YOU. !!!

mairebro.bsky.social•7 days ago

Started this week with my fella. He loves when we have a little task to do together! Also acts like he’s being murdered when his nails get clipped, 🤞 it helps

lindaholmes.bsky.social•7 days ago

I have gradually worked up to having him give me four or five good scratches, with both feet, to get each treat. And I change the angle to try to get all the nails (easy to get the front two, a little tougher to get the two on the sides). But with all that done, it is really helping.

lindaholmes.bsky.social•7 days ago

And obviously he gets lots of treatos and pets, and what’s not good about that?

lindaholmes.bsky.social•7 days ago

(There are a zillion boards you can buy online, but you could also DIY, like, a board with coarse sandpaper [the black really rough stuff] glued to it.)

vestigiallars.bsky.social•7 days ago

I used to take my long toenailed girl to an empty parking lot or something similar and throw tennis balls. She loved it and was speedy and that ground the nails down nicely.

lindaholmes.bsky.social•7 days ago

Yes! That also works!

lindaholmes.bsky.social•7 days ago

This is one of the two boards I’ve been using with him, and as you can tell, he goes to town on it.

sethshandor.bsky.social•7 days ago

lindaholmes.bsky.social•7 days ago

You want to follow some instructions, by the way, because for instance you want to hold the board mostly vertical, so their nail tips and not their foot pads are hitting it!

sholahoon.bsky.social•7 days ago

You do realize you just created a mad rush for these boards

evaheartsgidget.bsky.social•6 days ago

I didn’t tilt the board enough one time and my poor girl injured one of her paw pads.

ninjamonkky.bsky.social•6 days ago

thereisnodog.bsky.social•7 days ago

omg I must try this with my cats

clairedaniel.bsky.social•6 days ago

Video, please!!!!

lucyfivecents.bsky.social•6 days ago

I am amazed you dont know that if a dog is mentioned in a post that the dog must have a photo also posted.

charliedog.bsky.social•6 days ago

Any chance I get to show a picture of my dog to anyone!

janedont.bsky.social•6 days ago

Oh this sounds like a dream…I have a very skittish rescue I have to take to the vet every month. Maybe I could train him to do this…but he’s scared of his own shadow, so I won’t get my hopes up.

evaheartsgidget.bsky.social•6 days ago

My chihuahua mix bit a speciality groomer’s Kevlar gloves so much she had to give up on a nail trim. I bought 2 scratch board and watched a YouTube on how to do it. I started her by holding a wash cloth on top of the board with a treat under the washcloth.

janedont.bsky.social•6 days ago

I watched the video. I am going to give this a shot! And Kevlar gloves!! Oh my! 😮

evaheartsgidget.bsky.social•6 days ago

This groomer is so sweet and she grooms senior, ill and reactive dogs. She previously groomed my little chihuahua that had a collapsed trachea. She told me she thought she could handle my new rescue. I walked in and she had on the Kevlar gloves. Luna bit the crap out of those gloves. 😬

evaheartsgidget.bsky.social•6 days ago

Now I tilt the board and hold it with one hand while holding a treat behind the board with the other hand.

evaheartsgidget.bsky.social•6 days ago

I have zero expertise in training or reactive dogs so I was surprised when my dog figured it out. 😂 The rescue tells me to take her to a trainer but she’s 12 and wants to bite everyone she doesn’t know. So we live an introvert life and white knuckle it for vet visits.

free2b.bsky.social•7 days ago

This is brilliant!

liztufte.bsky.social•5 days ago

Very cool! I’m going to set up a sandpaper runway for Velvet. Rabbits must file their nails too!

gwpda.bsky.social•6 days ago

Hey! That's why I installed saltillo clay tile thruout the house!

evaheartsgidget.bsky.social•6 days ago

I adopted a 10 yo chihuahua that won’t tolerate having her nails trimmed. I have tried to muzzle train her but she isn’t having it. A vet tech suggested a scratch board. It works! Fortunately, her back nails don’t grow much. The dew claws are going to require a vet visit and sedation soon.

greathands4you.bsky.social•6 days ago

As a Licensed Massage Therapist ....I am always filing my fingernails and have a battery operated one that might help...even with your dogs nails.

thethew.bsky.social•6 days ago

There is $1 million idea there somewhere. Go with it

carolyncbarthel.bsky.social•7 days ago

What a blast! Love it!

minpinmom.bsky.social•7 days ago

How hard was it? I have a rescue min pin who had tough start, he had a hard time learning

lindaholmes.bsky.social•7 days ago

This is the video I used (the method is pretty standardized), and it was much easier than I expected. https://youtu.be/i8i1m-qoKy0?si=n7AjmGejdwwtmxNA