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Compulsive nail chewing?

2K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  For Want of Poodle 
#1 ·
Annie has been driving me nuts for the last 24 hrs. She has decided her dew claws are wonderful chew toys.

She gets this in her head every few months or so, and decides to chew her nails. Some times dew claws, some times other claws. They aren't particularly long, I clipped them 3 days ago, and typically clip them weekly. Seems to do this as a self-soothing or boredom based obsessive behaviour.

Any suggestions for stopping it? Usually I can redirect to a toy, but she is ignoring toys.
 
#2 ·
Yikes not super sure but perhaps you could distract her by doing a training session, or bringing her for a run or some type of exercise.

Hopefully someone with more experience will have some other ideas.
 
#4 ·
One of Peggy's dew claws grew back (I didn't even know that was possible) and she nibbles it right down. I plan to have it removed again when she's spayed, but in the meantime I like that she's keeping it short.

Does Annie do damage to the surrounding tissue? If so, that would worry me. If she's only doing a little occasional self-care, I'd probably be less concerned.

Maybe a nail's gotten ragged and is catching on something.
 
#5 ·
Annie has full dew claws(front only) , as her breeder believes they are useful. Not ragged and quite short. She doesn't favourite either side, but sticks with whichever one she starts on,, and sometimes chews other nails (like the back ones, earlier today). I don't think she damages the tissue deliberately, but she does chew for 15 min or more if I allow her. I can actually hear her from another room when she does it.

This is one of the behaviours that popped up when she was going through her separation anxiety period. She now does it primarily when bored, but I assume she would also do it if anxious. I call it her puppy soother.

I was having a bad pain day yesterday so I was very boring, didn't go to the park and mom walked her (she keeps her at a heel for walks) so boredom likely started this round.
 
#6 ·
Aw! Puppy soother!

Those self-soothing habits are so hard to break. I try to very gently interrupt and redirect, so Peggy doesn't even realize that's what I'm doing. Maybe some exciting new chews that only come out on low activity days?

Yesterday I caught Peggy shredding her diaper for the first time and I had to be suuuuuper chill about getting her to stop, otherwise she'd likely become a diaper shredding monster.

Hope your pain is better today. :(
 
#7 ·
Annie has been driving me nuts for the last 24 hrs. She has decided her dew claws are wonderful chew toys.

She gets this in her head every few months or so, and decides to chew her nails. Some times dew claws, some times other claws. They aren't particularly long, I clipped them 3 days ago, and typically clip them weekly. Seems to do this as a self-soothing or boredom based obsessive behaviour.

Any suggestions for stopping it? Usually I can redirect to a toy, but she is ignoring toys.
We have been struggling with this for the past 2 years. Our vet says it is allergies, as Charlie scratches his skin and chews his feet and nails frantically whenever he has been in contact with grass. Allergy tablets help a lot. (Apoquel @ $80/month - ouch!) Also eliminated gluten and chicken from diet

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#9 ·
Not everyone would like or use this but I personally have used this stuff for years whenever we need a dog or pup to not chew or lick, whether it be the leash, furniture, or own clothes, hands, and as the bottle says, fur biting, etc., and even our grandchildren.😉
While no guarantees as I guess there are exceptions, most dogs hate it and will leave it alone. It’s always been a must have for us. You could give it a try with the hope of breaking the cycle.
Spray, (or use a cotton ball to apply if the spray would be starling), the nails then redirect to something fun and maybe Annie will eventually forget about those delicious nails. I do know allergies make for itchy feet. I can always tell it’s time for allergy meds once the feet start itching. All of my dogs have had some level of this which start kicking in this time of year.


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#11 ·
Not everyone would like or use this but I personally have used this stuff for years whenever we need a dog or pup to not chew or lick, whether it be the leash, furniture, or own clothes, hands, and as the bottle says, fur biting, etc., and even our grandchildren.[emoji6]
While no guarantees as I guess there are exceptions, most dogs hate it and will leave it alone. It’s always been a must have for us. You could give it a try with the hope of breaking the cycle.
Spray, (or use a cotton ball to apply if the spray would be starling), the nails then redirect to something fun and maybe Annie will eventually forget about those delicious nails. I do know allergies make for itchy feet. I can always tell it’s time for allergy meds once the feet start itching. All of my dogs have had some level of this which start kicking in this time of year.


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Thanks! Sounds like our problem for sure

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#10 ·
I wonder if it might be an anxiety or obsession thing. Keep an eye on it. If it's anxiety or obsession, then even putting her in bitter apple flavored sled dog booties won't help; she'll find another outlet, like chewing on her tail. If you can't find and fix the trigger, and if it seems like it's getting worse, then you might want to talk to a vet about medication.
 
#13 ·
aww... thanks for asking.
Nibbling? What nibbling? Annie is a perfect poodle, and such things are beneath her....
She's completely fine and has stopped. Not bored, I guess? I betcha in a few months I will resurrect this thread as she randomly remembers how FUN chewing her nails is though, or maybe if she gets stressed. Poodles! But anyway, I am happy for now.
 
#15 ·
I’ll say you’re lucky she’s just chewing her dew claws, my dog used to chew whatever she could find within her sight and even bark at times, it was pretty annoying for my neighbors especially. I got in touch with a nearby vet using this online platform - GreatVet and he pointed out that she might be doing so because of anxiety or boredom, and he suggested taking her outside for a walk more than once daily or distracting her with a toy. In my case, playing fetch worked just fine, but since you mentioned that she isn’t distracted with the toys, I think you should consider taking her to a veterinary behaviorist to evaluate her stress-related issues. That might help, I guess.
 
#17 ·
I just found this thread. That is odd that Annie does this. Nothing changes every few months? Could she be frustrated about something? Sisko scratches himself when he is frustrated and can't have what he wants. Even when it's something he has no business doing, like eating cat food. On days where he is like this, I give him a Trazadone and it helps. Maybe your vet will let you try it too?
 
#18 ·
7 months later(!) and she is doing it again. 3 days after nail clipping, 2 days after grooming. She has lightly nibbled them occasionally in the interim, but nothing compulsive.

I think anxiety triggered it this time. Trixie was not well today, causing my mother and I to be stressed, and Annie seemed worried (licking Trixie's face) then started chewing on her dewclaws. I have been stuffing her beloved hedgehog in her mouth and that seems to stop her. If I put my hand out to stop her, she switches to licking my hand compulsively. If I hold the paw she is chewing, she switches to licking her leg or another paw. If she keeps this up tomorrow, I will probably put hot sauce on them. Now she is asleep with her hedgehog still stuffed in her mouth - a far less worrisome self-soothing behaviour.

Dogs!
 
#21 ·
Trixie is I think ok, although still worrying me. If she were mine I would be to the vet immediately but my mother's more conservative. She was having spasms all yesterday evening and has had a few (far less severe/worrisome) this morning. She has had these spasms for years but yesterday was by far the worst.

As for Annie -I don't think it's allergies - I always use the same grooming products, and she had been on the same food and treats for a year. Her food is wheat/corn/soy free (does have oats) and chicken free as she is allergic to that. It's the only I suppose it could be environmental allergies - there are a few patches of grass showing through the snow- but that seems unlikely as well.
 
#20 ·
My Poodle cross as done this for years, we found out he has a grain intolerance and removed it from his diet but still left him with the habit. It’s no longer as bad as before. I found this at my local pet store and found it works wonders, it stops him straight away and usually within a few minutes he forgot what he was doing. It’s just a stick l rub straight onto his paws and claws .
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#22 ·
My Poodle cross as done this for years, we found out he has a grain intolerance and removed it from his diet but still left him with the habit. It’s no longer as bad as before. I found this at my local pet store and found it works wonders, it stops him straight away and usually within a few minutes he forgot what he was doing. It’s just a stick l rub straight onto his paws and claws .
View attachment 474394


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Amead, if she keeps it up I will look for something like that!
 
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