Bad Mommy 'fesses Up...

I don't know why I've put this off for so long. I expected a big prolonged process after how outraged she was about it before. It seems that in growing up, she's decided she can do anything if the pay is sufficiently motivating. I'm so glad I decided not to push it when she was so set against it. By letting it go, I think it became less of an issue.

What am I talking about? The dreaded n-word. No, not THAT one, the one that dog owners the world over stress about... "nails".

When I brought Gimme home, her nails were beautifully done and her breeder assured me she was a delight when it was time for her weekly pedicure. Either we have very different definitions of "delight" or something happened in Gimme's mind about the whole nails thing. Interestingly I was also assured she never even noticed the needle prick for her vaccinations. Yet, when I took her to the vet she was immediately dubbed "The Drama Queen" for her histrionics. When I first tried to do her nails, her drama-queen histrionics at the veterinary seemed a mere warm-up act by comparison.

At the time, I just thought the stress of all the changes in her life had gotten to her... so I let it go. From time to time I'd think "I really need to get her nails done", but something always came up. This weekend I was going to my parents', and both my parents adore her, so I knew I had to at least get her front feet "un-sharpened"... So I cleared the grooming table and set to work.

She got clicked/treated for:
standing on the table
standing on the table kissing me
standing on the table and letting me stroke her legs
letting me touch her feet
letting me hold my hand around her foot
letting me lift her foot
letting me lift her foot while holding the trimmers

Then put the grooming arm on, noosed her up and more click/treats for:
standing on the table with the noose on
standing noosed while kissing me
standing noosed and letting me stroke her legs
letting me touch her feet
letting me hold my hand around her foot
letting me lift her foot
letting me lift her foot while holding the trimmers
letting me touch her body with the trimmers
letting me touch her shoulder with the trimmers
letting me touch her leg with the trimmers
letting me touch her foot with the trimmers
trimmers touching the nails
trimmers touching her leg while I held her foot
trimmers touching her foot while I held it
trimmers touching the nail while I held the foot
trimmers touching the nail while I fiddled with the nail
trimmers touching nail while fiddling, then set trimmer down while still holding foot

NOTE: Years ago I learned by accident a secret to using the clicker to mark a good nails behavior. At the time I had the idea that I would attach a clicker to the nail trimmer handle, so I could click at the exact moment I clipped the nail. Unfortunately it wasn't as effective in practice as it was in theory. I never could get the coordination going to clip and click at the same time. My efforts led to my dog sometimes jerking the foot away as I clicked, which I knew was not something I wanted to happen as I was clipping. So I purposely delayed a moment. In delaying, until after the clip so there was no jerk in mid-clip... I was actually clicking for letting me hold the paw AFTER I clipped. Since then I've refined the behavior even further - now I continue to hold the paw while I set the trimmers down and then click. As I get to this point in the behavior, I leave the clicker on the table, so its right there when I lay the nail trimmers down.

That first night I proceeded to take the tip off each of the front nails, one at time. After which I did two back nails one at a time, then the other back nails in twofers. It took less than twenty minutes and about a hundred treats. Who knew it would be so easy.

We actually did her nails again on Saturday before leaving to for my parents' - getting the front nails more rounded. Then we did them again on Sunday evening after returning.

I started by luring Gimme onto a chair and then onto the table from there. By Sunday night she wasn't having any of that and for a moment I wondered if we'd worn the fun off getting a pedicure. Yet, the moment I got out of her way, Gimme leapt from the floor to the grooming table top. (I'm still requiring her to use the chair to get down.)

BTW on Saturday as we were doing our morning cuddle, I happened to stroke her leg all the way down to her foot. Suddenly her eyes popped open and you could see her waiting and listening - could there be a click coming, followed by a treat?

She is who she is.