I feel elderly dog has pain with walking due to long nails. I don't want to cause defensiveness or offend as I've had a similar instance of saying something in the past and it didn't go over well. I don't look forward to walking the dog if she'll be in pain. I want the work of course. How would you handle?
Approach it the kindest and most respectful way you know how. Mention that you noticed her nails looked long. Ask how often they trim and if they do it at home or at a groomer. If you 're skilled at doing it, you could ask them if they'd like you to trim them or you could ask if they'd like you to transport their dog to a groomer..
State what you observed regarding the dog's gait- unsteady, slow, etc. and ask as a question, you were wondering if they've noticed that when walking and wondered if it could be due to longer nails or another cause. Emphasize that you really enjoy walking their dog and just want to him/her to enjoy walks too (being as comfortable as possible).
By making it a two way conversation, you may learn that there are other factors.
I agree, the approach will be the most important thing! While I was in grooming school, I saw one of the worst cases. This dog's nails were so long and curled that the nails were growing INTO the paw pad. There was bits of his paw pad tearing off- not sure if that was a result of nails or not.
I had a dog that had really long nails and I clipped them. When I told the owners, they were super appreciative. The dog won't let anyone cut her nails but I didn't have any issues at all. So now they bring her to me to clip them lol
Absolutely! It’s for the pets health and safety. Don’t be afraid to “educate” in a non belittling way. Inform them of the risks etc. And offer to help if you’re able to. Don’t push or be condescending just informative and helpful. But absolutely mention that long nails can affect their joints causing arthritis and joint pain etc.
When a dog's nails are too long it does cause pain for them. How did you say it to the first person? What if you said something like, "My friend had a dog whose nails were really long (describe incident) happened. I just wanted to let you know because I noticed (pets name) were a little long"