Toenail Trimming

Another question I'm often asked is how to trim a dog's toenails.

The biggest thing about clipping is going at it with a sense of confidence. If you clip the nail slowly and tentatively, the slow pressure may hurt and the dog is likely to jerk away and your dog will pick up on your nervousness and possibly get nervous himself. The clip should be done with confidence and quickly.

You should first determine where the quick is. This will come with experience. The quick is the blood and nerve supply in the nail. As the nail grows, so does the quick. When the quick is cut, it does sting, just like when you cut your own quick, which may may put the dog off of nail trimming. It's good to have some styptic powder with a numbing agent in it handy. There is actually a little bump (for lack of a better word) on the underside of the nail which indicates where the quick ends. The quick will recede as the nail is made shorter.

When clipping the nail, a lot of people may the mistake of cutting parallel to the ground. The cut should be made perpendicular to the ground or the nail depending on how long the nail is.

The other option is to use a dremel. There are some of these available on television for about $20, but I've found them to be of poor quality. They tend to bind up easily, wear out quickly and burn through batteries. You'll be much better off spending about $60 on a quality dremel that is going to last you for a while.

The advantage to the dremel is you can remove the nail in layers and actually see the quick before it starts to bleed. Also, most dogs like the dremel better than the clippers.

These are just some of the key points to trimming the nails. I found a number of links online that go more in depth. The first link provided below I chose because the illustrations are some of the best I could find. The second is a great video by Sophia Yin on how to get your dog used to having his nails trimmed. It's an extreme case, but the methodology will work with any degree of aversion to the trimming.

http://www.pet-expo.com/trivia/dogs-nailtrim.htm

http://www.askdryin.com/dog_movies.php?mov=youtube&id=274&act=play

Dog Bite Prevention Week

Anyone who has talked to me about dogs knows that I think the most important thing about dogs is to get them training. I have very strong opinions about what are the best and worst methods, but that's a topic for other blogs.

The second most important thing, which goes hand-in-hand with training, is reading a dog's body language. I would go so far as to say this is something that should be taught in school. As a result, I'd be willing to bet that dog bites could be greatly reduced.

This week is Dog Bite Prevention Week. The first link is for printable files on bite prevention. The second link is a seminar given by Jean Donaldson, behaviorist, and author.

http://www.doggonesafe.com/free_downloads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VmWizZueFQ

Washing the face

Another question I often is get is how to wash a dog's face or head. The thing to remember is, just like people, dogs don't like water being sprayed in their face, so you want to use a different technique.

If there's no real dirt or odor, and it's just a general bath, you can take a rag (or you're welcome to use an extra towel here at the store), get it wet, and without ringing it out, just thoroughly wipe down the dogs face.

If the dog's face is dirty, wet the face as about, then ring out the rag, put a little bit of soap on the rag and rub it in until it lathers up. Repeat this until the face is clean. Then take the rag and wet it again and without ringing out the rag, wipe off the shampoo. Continue until all the shampoo is gone.

The important thing to remember is you don't want to get shampoo in the dog's eyes or ears, and some dogs find water in the eyes annoying as well. Although our regular shampoo is pretty mild, it does sting when it gets in the eyes, and I know from personal experience.

Unfortunetly I wasn't able to quickly find a link with more information on this topic, but I got my information from groomers, vets, and a trainer I've talked to. I'm sure the information is out there if you have the time to look for it.

HJR 86 and Missourians for the Protection of Dogs

I received a letter for Missourians for the Protection of Dogs. It was a "Good News, Bad News" letter.

To paraphrase and add my own comments:
The good news is that more than enough signatures were collected to get on the ballot. Thanks to everyone who signed the petition and especially those who collected them. It is truly awe-inspiring that so much could be accomplished in such a short time.

The bad news is House Joint Resolution (H.J.R.) 86 has been proposed. On the surface this doesn't seem too bad, but what this does is take away the right to vote on the ballot initiative and undermines the ability to petition our state government on this issue.

I urge everyone to familiarize themselves with HJR 86 and the proposed statute, and to act as you see fit. To me, this is now not only an issue for protecting breeding dogs in the state of Missouri, but protecting our constitutional right to petition our government. Links have been provided below to HJR 86, the proposed statute, how to contact your senator, and more information from Missourians for the Protection of Dogs.

HJR 86: http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills101/biltxt/intro/HJR0086I.htm
The proposed statute: http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2010petitions/2010-085.asp
To contact your Senator: http://action.humanesociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=electedOfficials
Missourians for the Protection of Dogs: http://www.missourifordogs.com/