New Dremel = Bad Sheltie

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SKNerissa

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So just before Christmas our Sunbeam nail trimmer died and I decided to replace it with a Dremel since the replacement stones / bands don't have to be special ordered for a Dremel. With the Sunbeam Riley used to fall asleep having his nails done. Now he's decided that this new Dremel is his his worse enemy. He is snarling, snapping, crying, and carrying on about it. I was beginning to wonder if it was somehow hurting him until this evening. I was trimming and popping treats into his mouth for any attempts to resist snarling when I handed him a treat and accidentally got *my* nail and... he snapped at me! For nicking my nail! :wideyed: So evidently this has nothing to do with what he is feeling. Has anyone ran into this? Do I just continue rewarding for every effort of good behavior? I feel like he's milking this one. After his nails were done he was playing in our living room but every time he noticed me looking ovver he would suddenly stop and hold one of his front paws up and give me his best pathetic puppy dog look. When I would turn away he would resume playing. The little rascal! LOL! :yes:
 
SKNerissa said:
hold one of his front paws up and give me his best pathetic puppy dog look
Click to expand...
pure little Riley what a bad mom. :yes:

You do not Introduced the new grinder ??

For him it's not a nail clipper but a new noisy monster.

Yes, we can not force a Sheltie -- so we can learn it :biggrin2:

You must just think that you now first have to settle the ugly meeting with the monster and then you have to start from scratch with a nail at a time :pop
 
I was going very slow at introducing the new Dremel. So slow in fact that by the time I got to the last paw his gait had started to be affected by his long nails. So I didn't have much choice but to get the last paw done despite Riley's objections. I used nail clippers on a few but he hated that even more than the Dremel.

A couple days ago I picked up a grinding stone and he seems prefer that to the sanding belts. I continue to go over one nail per night to hopefully get him past this. Such a sensitive boy <sigh>.
 
It can sometimes be hard to be patient, when we know we will do it for their own best
- but we know it's necessary because otherwise we just have to start all over again. :yes:

Here it is me who hate a clipper to these small nails - so it was me who would try with a grinder :biggrin2:
(it has sandpaper on a roll)
 
So apparently it wasn't the Dremel at all but the positioning Riley was mad about. I caved in today and bought another Sunbeam nail trimmer but it didn't help - he was still snarling and snapping at me. I tried to figure what was different and realized I used to do him on the recliner and put him on my lap with his head to my side. So I put him on my lap and firmly told him to be good and stay. Then I started and... nothing. He fell asleep and was good even when I went back to the Dremel. Good grief! All that fuss over being on the couch instead of
my lap! :confused:
 
Yes, it is just reading our fur kids. :biggrin2:

I sit in my chair tells Minnie we must fix nails and shows her the grinder :yes:

Minnie jumps up on my lap, I hold her close to my chest, she closes her eyes and relaxes, even when we are finished - she will remain in the position for a little while. :hugs
 
3 out of 4 shelties, I can dremel their nail while they lay on their sides on the grooming table.
#4 must be snuggled to have feet worked on:rolleyes2: there is no laying still on the grooming table......
 
SKNerissa said:
So apparently it wasn't the Dremel at all but the positioning Riley was mad about. I caved in today and bought another Sunbeam nail trimmer but it didn't help - he was still snarling and snapping at me. I tried to figure what was different and realized I used to do him on the recliner and put him on my lap with his head to my side. So I put him on my lap and firmly told him to be good and stay. Then I started and... nothing. He fell asleep and was good even when I went back to the Dremel. Good grief! All that fuss over being on the couch instead of
my lap! :confused:
Click to expand...

Isn't it funny how much our Shelties are creatures of habit? I've noticed that about mine too. All six have different personalities but they sure know their routines and don't like it much when things change. Just like me! :wacky:
 
Cleo loves to lay on her back and have me trim her nails and use the Dremel. She typically falls asleep while everything is being done. Relic, on the other hand, I have to fight him. My daughter and I have to hold him still so I can get his nails done. I think I may try something different with him than with what I do with Cleo. I never thought about that until reading this thread. :facepalm:
 
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