We’ve been instructed by our breeder how important it is to trim Whiskey’s nails and keep the quick short. She suggested us to trim every week with a Dremel and although it’s been a 2 person task, we can finish it in 10 mins.

Moo watching on while Whiskey gets her nails done

The noise of the Dremel and being constrained is scary for a dog not used to it. The easiest position we’ve found is having her lying on her back on someone’s lap while the other person works around and does the manicure. Press down on the pad so the nails come all the way out and get as close to the quick as you feel comfortable, rounding out any sharp edges. We start with her back paws so the tool isn’t in her face straight off.

take your time and round out edges

Even though we’ve done it since she was a puppy, she doesn’t love it and still struggles and grunts.

Whiskey shows you her paw while her back nails are done

Taking photos while you hold on a struggling puppy getting a pedicure is a challenge

Here are some tips for Dremeling your dog’s nails:

-Whiskey always gets a special treat in the end. I put the treat in my pocket so she can smell it the whole time and she knows it’s coming. You can also give her a smaller treat with each nail, or each paw.

-Get more people if possible to help. I typically hold Whiskey while Thierry works the Dremel.

-Work the back paws first as they are further from their head not as scary as starting near the face.

-Talk to your dog and tell them how wonderful they are in a low voice during the whole time.

-Have some styptic powder on hand in case you trim too deep.

-Make sure you have lots of light!

-Do it often so they get use to it

-Don’t stop the session as soon as they struggle, otherwise they learn if they struggle, they get out. If you need to release your dog, do so after they are calm.

-Trim nails when they are calm, relaxed, after exercise

push on each toe so the nail comes out and trim close to the quick

Here are some tips if you’ve never done it before:

-Get our dog used to being flipped over on their back and held. Give treats and talk in a soothing voice only letting them up when they are calm.

-Turn on the dremel and give treats to get them used to the sound

-Touch and handle each paw until they don’t mind (we clean her paws all the time when we get back from a wet/muddy walk).

-Just trim one paw at a time, and work your way up.

-Keep a bag of treats next to you and give them a treat for each nail when they are calm (reduce treats over time). Be generous with the treats at first.

-If when you release the dog, they don’t run off, and are immediately interested in snacks, you’re doing great!

start young and it’ll be easier!

Finally…

Be calm yourself. Whiskey is easy to do since she’s still a puppy and we were able to train her. Moo (my cat with attitude) is another story. We need to be in a zen mood to trim Moo’s nails. Make movements, slow and deliberate. If you are scared or anxious, the animals pick up on that. If you are confident and calm, they will be more receptive.

All done! Where’s my snack?

So ever since we’ve had Moo and Whiskey, one or both of us has been off work.  We’re lucky we both work as contractors and it’s easy to take time off.  Last week marked the start of everyone going back to work full time and our poor pets have lost their 24/7 cuddle service.  Aside from the tough choices of what to do with a puppy while we’re both working, we’ve really enjoyed the time off bonding with our furry babies.

While Moo-cat had been refining her insane treat-sniff-and-recover abilities (she opens zippers, kitchen drawers and zip locked bags of kibble), Whiskey had been getting in some crate practice for the inevitable time where we have to face reality and go back to work.

8 weeks

11 weeks

19 weeks

22 weeks

Crating
Whiskey hasn’t liked her crate since we’ve got her.  I think it’s partially because she’s very confident and doesn’t need it as a “safe” place.  She’s never slept it in by choice.  She much prefers our bed, our couch, or her bowser bed, even the carpet or hardwood floor than her crate!  We’ve lined it with blankets, soft foam bed, even our worn shirts.  We’ve covered it with a blanket and played the radio. She prefers sleeping stretched out taking the entire couch.  Since the first night, we’ve had her sleeping during the night in her crate and she gets to come to bed in the mornings for snuggles. We eagerly await the day she will be old enough to be left in our bedroom while we’re at work.

Daycares, hikes, boarding, petsitting
While we are at work we’ve been trying doggy daycare, dog hiking services, personal pet-sitting, and just leaving her in the crate with a lunchtime visit. We are quite spoiled for choice in Vancouver since there is a huge pet industry here.  So far, she’s only peed in the crate once during the last week, but she’s never been in the crate for more than 4 hours.  We’re now facing a difficult period because we’ve chosen to wait until she is older before we spay her.  Many daycares don’t accept unfixed dogs over 6 months and we are also worried that her heat could happen while we are on vacation in a couple months.  We are currently interviewing dog boarders for our upcoming vacation.  Our bouncy baby’s going to be a teenager soon!

This week I’m off work, and I’m really looking forward to relaxing at home with the pets.  Since we don’t own a car, we decided to rent from a car share a couple times this week to get out of the city.

Today we tried out Jug Island in Coquitlam.  It’s a short little hike with minimal incline and a great way to start the day.  The highlight of the hike is a little beach that faces the Indian Arm and Jug Island.  We caught (and released) some tiny crabs, talked to kayakers and just chilled.  As a joke, Thierry tossed a stick in quite far into the water and Whiskey actually retrieved it!  She swam out further than she’s ever been before, although it was a bit of a panicky swim back.  We were so proud!

working on our agility (yes they made it to the top!)

our hiking group

Whiskey fetches and swims!

catching small crabs

we are going higher and higher with this little girl

On the way back we popped into a wild game butcher for pet and human meats (kangaroo, bison, venison, elk, ostrich, wild boar).  I think we’re stocked for awhile now!  At the moment I’m trying out various foods for Whiskey so we’ll let you know how our experimentation goes.  We’ve got tons of kibble and even raw samples from Petapalooza.

a bison heart is enormous!

Continuing on our day, after we dropped the meat home, we took Whiskey off to the vet for her last set of shots (Rabies and Lepto).  She was amazing and even got a little handkerchief.  As long as she’s eating a snack, she doesn’t even feel the needles. So as far as Whiskey understands, the vet means lots of attention, pets, and snacks!  I wonder if she’ll wise up eventually.  The cat is under no such illusions.

Whiskey has no idea she’s getting a shot

After the vet, we drove to the off-leash dog area of Spanish banks where we met the cutest German Shepherd puppy.  Whiskey was pretty tired but perked up for some glorious playtime, digging and sniffing.  Then it was back home for a dinner of turkey hearts and gizzards, and we all fell asleep really early (except for Moo who then demanded attention).

Spanish Banks has a beautiful view

Whiskey with Nala, the German Shepherd

These two played rough and cute!