idrinkandknowthings/TikTok
Just a few days after Arthur, a Shih Tzu and Westie mix, went viral for being very dramatic about his nails getting trimmed, another dog tried out a new tactic when faced with the same annoyance: pretending her legs don't work.
On July 21, TikTok user idrinkandiknowthings posted a video of their Boston terrier dragging her legs behind her and pretending they don't work after her owner hurt one of her nails.
As the video shows, this pup is really committed to her "injury," and the 727,000-plus viewers appreciated it.
"Award winning performance," one user commented.
"My Boston would walk with a limp for 2 days after we clipper her nails and if we didn't acknowledge she would hold it up in front of you," another added.
One commenter even wondered how all our dogs know what will make us feel the worst. "How do they share scene notes with each other without phones," they wondered.
As Grace A. Mengel, DVM, assistant professor of clinical primary care medicine at University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, told Insider in April 2021, there are a few methods to correctly trim your pup's nails — and it's important to stay on top of it.
"Long nails tend to break, and then you can get a split toenail," she said.
Mengel recommended that first-timers enlist a helper to comfort the dog. The best tools include scissor clippers — for larger dogs, according to Shawna Garner, DVM, the US lead veterinarian at on-demand video consultation platform FirstVet — guillotine clippers, or grinders.
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Dr. Stacy Choczynski Johnson, a veterinarian who goes by Dr. Stacy online, told Insider's Samantha Grindell that desensitizing your dog to nail-trimming is key. In her case, she keeps her nail trimmers near where she keeps her pets' treats, so they associate the two. A lick mat covered in treats could also help distract them.
"In general, pets are more comfortable at home, so if you're able to get the job done at home, that's excellent," she added.
