My Sibes leave the room when I open the drawer to get the dog nail clippers. This is a pretty common reaction from a Sibe. Most Sibes hate having their feet touched, let alone toe nails trimmed. Over the years I have collected some tips and tricks from other Sibe owners to make nail trimming as stress free as possible.

One thing you can do is to desensitize your Sibe to having their feet touched by touching them more often and then praising them with treats for letting you simply touch them. When it comes time to trim they will be more used to you handling their feet.

When you trim, trim often and give lots of praise and treats for each nail or foot done. Trimming often keeps the nails short, easier to trim, and less likely to bleed because the quick recedes with regular trimming leaving more room between the nail and flesh below the surface.

 

Some Sibes can be distracted long enough with food to trim their nails while they snack. One way of doing this with a single person is to smear some peanut butter to the refrigerator door and trim while your Sibe licks it off. For a two person operation, one person can feed small treats to the Sibe while the other person trims their nails.

I trim my Sibe's nails in the tub after a bath because the water has helped soften the nails. Going for walks on pavement on a regular basis helps file down their nails too.

Some people have left the clippers behind for a tool called a Dremel. There are cordless varieties and they can be purchased at home improvement stores or pet supply stores. The Dremel files the nail down with a rotating cylinder file. You will still need to desensitize your Sibe to this tool but it is easier to gauge how much to take off the nail and not cause bleeding.

 

Something to have on hand every time you cut nails is a product called "QuickStop". It stops bleeding instantly and this can be found at pet supply stores as well. I keep a muzzle on hand because my senior Sibe, Taffy, gets snippy when you come within two feet of her toenails. This makes for a much quicker trimming and she gets lots of hugs and treats afterward.

Of course, you always have the option of taking your Sibe to a groomer or vet to have their nails trimmed. To some it is worth the price of not having to do this themselves.