Ginny invites you to write to her with your questions...... [Submit them as a comment on one of the "Ask Ginny" posts and Ginny will repost them in a new post segment.]
Q & A about health,
veterinary matters,
training, and life
Q: Dear Ginny,
I, too, am a beautiful female GSD. I HATE having my nails trimmed. I snarl and carry on but mom still insists on trimming them. She has never hit even come close to making my nails bleed but I still Hate it. Mom has seen a product advertised called PediPaws. This product looks good but mom doesn't want to spend the money if it's not worth it. Do you have any opinion or experience with this product? If, not, any suggestions?
--Thanks, Natti in Ohio
A: I have never had it used on me, and my partner does not know of anyone personally who has used it. However, for curiosity's sake, she looked up some comments on Google, and it does not sound like it is much different from a dremmel tool with a cover on it. Here is a groomers' forum with some comments about the PediPaws tool: http://www.petgroomerforums.com/chat/showthread.php?p=186053#post186053 . We do know a lot of breeders who like using a dremmel tool, but it does make noise, and I (being a rather noise-sensitive dog) do not like strange noises. I went to my current home when I was 10 months old. The first time my partner trimmed my nails, I started to throw a fit, but she calmly and firmly (but gently) lay on me until I calmed down. She did not even try to start again until I was calm. I let her do all my nails after that and have not minded it since then. I think the key is for your person to be very patient and just wait until you calm down before proceeding. Even so, I know that there are dogs who have a true phobia about nail trims. Sometimes the only answer is sedation.
