Re: Nail trimming and meltdowns

I like the idea about an animal communicator. They can be so helpful in many situations.

Our dogs don't like it either, but the more we do it, the better they get and it is always a two person job. Plus I play with their paws as much as possible in general to desensitize them.

I saw an episode of the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan and he was called out to trim the nails of a dog that went nuts otherwise. His claim working with dogs is always be calm and assertive around any dog. You pass this strong calm energy to the dog. Always be the boss and not in a harmful way. He and his wife simply placed a towel over the dogs head, so it couldn't see anything and they rolled the dog on it's side on the floor. Cesar held the dog down firmly and his wife easily clipped all the nails. Then lots of praise afterwards. After that the owners never had a problem.

Not to say this is the answer, but it worked on this dog.

Rescue Remedy, which is a Bach Flower Essence that works on the emotions, may help calm the dog a bit before trimming.

Critterkids