nail clippers

Maya still does not like having her nails clipped, though we have made some progress.  So we play games with the clippers -- games which sometimes include, oh-so-incidentally, a little actual nail cutting -- and work on building positive associations, and I have high hopes of this task being very easy after a mere year or two of further work.

She may not like having the clippers touch her toes, but is completely fine with them touching her elsewhere.

 

It's not so much that Maya likes balancing things on her head, it's just that she was sure I was going to clip her nails.  Balancing tricks are much more fun than nail trimmings!

Actually, Maya does kind of enjoy balancing things on her head.  It always comes with a delicious treat, and I rarely make her hold it for more than a few seconds.  Holding things in her mouth requires a little more concentration.

I did eventually trim a nail or two.  Luckily, there just happened to be a cup full of yummy treats on hand.

And every grooming session is followed with some relaxing fetch to help shake off the stress.

 

In a lot of ways, Maya is growing into a confident, happy dog.  Not always, of course, but she certainly has some lovely moments.  It's so nice to see her calm, cheerful expectation that something good is going to happen.  Even if it does involve the nail clippers.