I am 64 years old and have a very hard time cutting my 19 week old German Shepherd puppy’s nails. What should I do?

Your dog’s toe nails do not need to be cut that often, especially when he gets a little older. Take him to the vet and let him do it. Why worry about the fight when you really don't have to?

I determine a dog needs a prong collar by his reaction to a normal collar. Some dogs just seem to be knuckleheads. A jerk or pop on the normal collar does not effect them very much. Sometimes the person trying to handle the dog is a very small or an older person (like yourself) and they do not have the strength to control a dog - then the prong is warranted.

My advise is to buy a normal prong (not some break away model). As an adult the dog will need an extra heavy model. When he is 5 or 6 months old he will need a normal prong collar. So over his life you will own 2 of them. They are not that expensive.

My advise if to take a look at my tape Basic Dog Obedience and Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months.

As far as the dominance issue goes, I do not believe that a dog that argues over his toes being trimmed is having a dominance problem. If that dog growls when you put your hand near his food bowl or growls when you try and take his toy away, then this is a dominance problem. At that point you leave the prong collar on during the day (off at night) with a 2 to 3 foot leash attached all the time. When the dog growls you give him a level 10 jerk with a load "PHOOIE !!!!!"

I am not sure I would ask a 64 year old woman to shake a 19 week old GSD puppy or grab him by the jowls. You do not have enough strength to fight a dog that wants to argue. You are better off picking a fight that you know you can win and a leash with a prong collar is winnable on a dog at this age.