Dog Trainers / Dog Trainers Illinois / Dog Training / Dog Training Tips

5 TIPS for training your dog to like GROOMING and NAIL TRIMMING

- by MarkW2002 - 43 Comments.

Are you at a ROAD BLOCK with training your dog to like grooming, handling or nail trimming? Here are 5 game changer tips to get your training back on track!

THE GROOMING RECALL GAME – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiziN7mluz8 The KEY to this training game is your MOVEMENT. If you think your puppy or adult dog won’t move to you when you move away from him. I suggest first playing this game in multiple training sessions until you have a dog who you can’t get away from. This is the first game I would play with nearly every new puppy or new adult dog.

Often times dogs can be startled by the sight and sound of grooming equipment at first. So instead of jumping right to the step of using the tools, you can condition your dog to find the sight and sound of the tools a positive experience.

Teach your dog to lay on his back for grooming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EITYvqs32Hg

How to trim dogs nails with dremel

Go to your mat or bed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2c5EkytNU0
Settle calmly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wesm2OpE_2c
Stand calmly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBP0IDEN9EA
Nose targeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWSJVwZybwo
Paw targeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtSe7xy0fI0
Chin rest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2lnaerPR5o
Chirag Patel’s bucket game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSs9eqi2r8

Chirag Patel’s youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/DomesticatedManners

Laura Monaco Torelli’s youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lauramonacotorelli

#dogtraining #Puppytraining #grooming

Related Posts

How to train DROP IT

Chihuahua tricks – dog tricks

Stop Barking at Noises – Professional Dog Training

About MarkW2002

View all posts by MarkW2002 →

43 Comments on “5 TIPS for training your dog to like GROOMING and NAIL TRIMMING”

  1. Thanks for posting another
    fabulous & essential tutorial with your expert explanation every time. Very much appreciated.
    Slightly off topic but I use ear drops on my Cavalier every week as a prentative maintenance. I am always uncomfortable doing this as she makes it clear she doesn’t like it at all. She enjoys her ears groomed & pampering just not the drops. Warming the bottle up prior use helps but still uncomfortable for her. Any tips advise in this area would be amazing.
    As always absolutely loving all what you do & your fabulous channel. Thank you so much.

    1. Hmm. You could try using one of those syringes to put the drops in see if that helps. Sometimes when you put ear or eye drops in its hard to do with the actual container and then it takes longer. I also do a thing where there is no “build up” to the event if its something they slightly dislike. So when Kiko is resting on the couch. I have the drops and treats in my pocket, I say “wait for it…” Put a drop in and give a treat. Sometimes that can help. Also something called blocking can help with certain things that are uncomfortable. the human dentists sometimes use it, when they give the injection they pinch you somewhere else so you dont focus on the needle too much. So one thing you can do is massage and scratch the ear you are holding open instead of just holding everything still so the drop is the most noticable.

    2. @Dog Training by Kikopup
      Hi Emily, thanks very much for your reply & highly valuable advice. Very much appreciated.
      Fantastic tips & advice as always. I especially like your tip (kind blocking) of massage her ear then drops in the other. Great idea, thank you so much. Think I will get her used to the bottle being near her also so she won’t pre stress on sight of the bottle prior to drops being administered.
      Thank you so much. Your the best.

  2. If my animals could speak they would thank you every day. I’m watching your videos for 5 years now and everything has changed. No more intimidation, no more horsemanship and all the animals are much happier and behave much more the way I want them to do.
    Positive side effect: I learned English 😀

    1. Awe 🙂 Thats awesome. Actually when I first began my career I help this friend of mine in mexico with lessons. He knew no english and now speaks it perfectly because he wanted to learn about dog training. I am afraid my spanish isnt too good though

  3. Brilliant episode ! I was doing some counter conditioning with one of my dogs this afternoon. He hates the noise of my hoover so I’ve finally got around to helping the poor guy feel a bit better about it. Only two short sessions and he’s already braver and now waits outside the room I’m hoovering instead of running up stairs. I find initially using the clicker (well loaded) massively helps get the dopamine spikes to kick start the process. It doesn’t take many reps for the avearsive noise to become the predictor of the reward. Also, it’s normal for dogs to regress and have off days when it looks like the training has failed, just push through and keep going – as long as overall progress is being made, it’s just a matter of practice.

    2. That’s a great tip – although I use a clicker and reward method it never occurred to me that if you start clicking and rewarding before=hand it predisposes them to feel good. Though of course, like all good ideas it’s obvious once pointed out. Huge thanks!

    3. @Karen Gordon Ahaa, I didn’t mean using the clicker before the session. Sorry if I wasn’t clear. To clarify: the object of the session is to pair a negative stimulus with something highly reinforcing. I my case I’m ultimately pairing high value food to the sound of the hoover. The hoover noise will predict treats. The clicker helps me create the association quickly because of it’s higher “value” due to it’s reinforcement history. So the exercise becomes -> hoover noise > click > treat. The click come immediately after the hoover noise. I then wait 20 – 30 seconds before another rep. I want to be sure the dog is connecting the sound of the hoover to the reinforcer, not some other part of the picture (like the rhythm, hand movements etc).

  4. Thank you Emily! We have also included consent behaviors in our grooming routine. So our dog has to touch the brush to signal she’s happy to be brushed. If she doesn’t touch the brush, she doesn’t get a treat but she doesn’t get brushed!

    2. Thats a great idea. But its good to also check their body language too as my wish might always want to touch the brush even if she didnt want it because she wants to do the thing I want her to do if that makes sense? She’d walk through fire if I asked her.. Where my chihuahua would totally say “no” if she didnt want to

  5. Love your videos!!
    I’ve never thought about paying attention of the dog’s body temperature for grooming nails. You totally blew my mind😁I’m also one of the person who learnt English from your great videos😻👍Thank you Emily!

    1. Awe thats so awesome! I try to speak really clearly because I know a lot of people watch that dont have english as the first language but I do speak fast sometimes… sorry about that.

  6. I love how you are teaching people to think about training there dog, in a way that works for there dog. Not everything works for every dog, and we need to learn more about troubleshooting in ways to help our dogs learn more and faster.

  7. I used these suggestions for my Shiba’s nails—now he just goes limp in my lap while I work, only occasionally lifting his head to check and see if he gets a treat yet. It has been a life saver! Did a similar way with brushing and I can now mostly brush him myself, but he gets really excited and he still hates the slicker.

    Now if only i could figure out the whole shower thing. I hit on a bucket and rag to introduce him to water more slowly, but there is no way to change up the cues and whatnot. He is calmer if he gets a chance to really really run about and play before hand, but he is still extremely stressed during the water segment. I royally botched that one. He is a quick learner, since I am always teaching him…but this is going to be a tough one. Consistency is impossible because of the whole water thing, too. I’ll keep trying until I figure it out, though. I hate how showers stress him.

    2. @Dog Training by Kikopup Yup! It’s a learning process. I am glad my shiba trusts me enough to let me do what I need to do, though. Some day, I will figure out his fear of water.

  8. Thank you very much for posting.
    So glad there is good information on husbandry now.
    Mentioning other trainers: that is broad minded.
    You are one of a kind.

  9. We have come a long way, but today we had a regression, but she came right back and did not run away when i went to treat and train afterwards. This is typical of her, she loves it more after she has had a good chewing bone. I also found washing her paws to soften the nails. I will consider the sun or warm considerations, espeically since she is older now. Thanks for all these tips.

  11. I love the idea of trimming one nail at a time on each session, it is such an easy concept yet I don’t think we consider it enough, as always, thank you so much for sharing!! 🥰

  12. “Most likely you’re watching this because your dog dislikes grooming” – Actually, I’m watching this because all your videos are awesome! I even remembered to click the like button this time

    1. Also, that bucket game is a lifechanger! I just had the most relaxed grooming session with my dog ever. He doesn’t dislike grooming (thank goodness, one thing he’s not scared of), but he gets bored easily and then wiggles around trying to lick the brushes. I can hardly do his nails because his tongue is constantly in the way. Giving him something to do (staring at the bucket) made him hold still for the first time and he got it almost instantly, which is no surprise, because he loves food.

    2. Thanks 🙂 It really helps. Honestly now that I ask people to like comment and subscribe more people see the videos exist! The views are rising so thanks 🙂

    3. Thats so awesome! Chirag Patel is also a really lovely person. 🙂 Hehe I can totally see that “before” scenario in my head.

    4. @Dog Training by Kikopup It’s just that almost everyone asks for likes now, and I almost don’t hear it any more because I watch lots of videos. But I’ll try to do it more! It would be a better world for dogs if everyone knew about your videos.

  13. Thank you for this video! We’ve been working on paw handling as my dog hates having his nails trimmed (due to a traumatic first trim at the vets…). Now I’m going to watch your dremel video (again) 🙂

  14. I walked in on the groomer trying to groom my labradoodle the other day and I was crying, he was misbehaving so bad and she was so mean and frustrated! It was a shitshow!
    I’d like to try to do it myself…let the training begin!

  19. Hi Emily—do you have a training chart of daily habits/rituals/games to play with our puppies? There are so many important things to remember to do/practice/train/play, I would love to see a reference chart! Thank you for all of your amazing videos 💗

  20. Thank you so much, Emily Larlham, for those small but extremely useful advices who can make the difference between success and fiasco.
    You definitely make a difference for the better in this world with your unexpectedly simple solutions 🤗♥️

Leave a Reply