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Nail trimming is an essential part of dog grooming, and trim nails are one clear sign of your dog’s good health and hygiene. Professional groomers will perform the task for squeamish owners, but dog nail trimming is a simple procedure if done correctly.
Since nail trimming can be an anxiety-laden experience for many dogs, start handling your puppy’s feet and trimming their nails when they’re young, so they become accustomed to the process. Some dogs will sit in your lap or on a table while you clip their nails, while others may need some form of restraint.
Luckily, you can make the process more fun for your dog by letting them lick peanut butter off a silicone wall mat while you handle the nails.
In as little as one week, you can have one of those rare dogs who doesn’t mind nail trimming one bit. But, if it takes your pup a little longer to get used to it, don’t despair. Be patient, keep a gentle and positive attitude, and continue to offer praise and treats. Make sure to use safe, dog-friendly clippers or grinders.
It helps if you frequently touch and hold your puppy’s paws (gently and cheerfully) right from the first day, so they won’t become sensitive to having their feet handled.
There are several types of dog nail trimmers, including scissors, grinder tools specifically designed for dogs, and guillotine types. You can use whatever type you are most comfortable with, or whatever works best for your dog. It’s a good idea to have some styptic powder or other clotting powder on hand to stop bleeding in case you cut a nail too short.
“If you’ve never clipped a dog’s nails before, you may want to have your veterinarian or vet tech give you a lesson on how to do it,” suggests Dr. Jerry Klein, AKC’s chief veterinary officer.
How to Grind Your Dog’s Nails
How-to Replace Grinding Band
How Often Should You Cut Your Dog’s Nails?
A good rule is to trim your dogs nails once a month. Dogs who run or walk a lot on pavement may need their nails cut less than that (apart from their dewclaws), while dogs who spend most of their time inside or on the grass may require nail trimming every couple of weeks.
Letting your dogs nails get too long isnt just a temporary problem—the quick, aka the vein inside your dogs nail, can grow longer, meaning you cant trim your dogs nails as short next time.
Pheromones
Use products containing this hormone to give your dog the motherly scent to keep him calmer and reassured.
How to Trim Your Dog’s Nails at Home STEP BY STEP WITH TIPS
The most common reasons for avoiding nail trims are that the owner is afraid of “quicking” the dog, or that the dog fusses and creates bad feelings around the procedure.
Nail cutting becomes an event surrounded by angst and drama. For very active dogs who run all day long on varied surfaces, cutting nails may not be necessary. High mileage wears them down naturally.
But among city or suburban dogs who are lucky to get a mile or two walk daily, excessively long toenails are more common than not.
The first consequence of long toenails is painful feet. When a dog’s toenails contact hard ground, like a sidewalk or your kitchen floor, the hard surface pushes the nail back up into the nail bed. This either puts pressure on all the toe joints or forces the toe to twist to the side.
Either way, those toes become very sore, even arthritic. When the slightest touch is painful to your dog, he will fuss when you pick up his paw to cut nails.
The second consequence of long toenails is more serious. All animals rely on information from nerves in their feet to move through the world and process gravity accurately.
For millions of years, wild dogs have run long distances while hunting and worn their nails short. The only time their toenails would touch the ground was when climbing a hill.
So a dog’s brain is evolutionarily programmed to associate toenail contact with being on a hill, and he shifts his body posture accordingly: leaning forward over his forelimbs, up the imaginary hill as reported by his toes.
Since the hill is not real, a secondary compensation with his hind limbs is necessary to avoid a face plant.
This abnormal compensatory posture can be called “goat on a rock” because it brings his paws closer together under his body. Normal neutral posture is a nice show dog “stack,” with vertical legs like a table.
Recent research shows that standing with limbs “camped-in” is hard work to maintain. These goat-on-a-rock dogs get over-used muscles and eventually over-used joints, especially in their hind limbs, making it difficult to jump in cars, climb stairs and even hard to get up from lying down. Sounds like a lot of older dogs we know!
Cutting toenails short can be like a miracle cure for your dog whose hind end has become painful, weak and over-used.
Use a pair of blunt edged children’s scissors to remove excess toe hair: nothing dulls clippers quicker than cutting hair!
Remember, no dog ever died from a quicked toenail. If you “quick” your dog accidentally, give a yummy treat right away.
Once the insensitive nail is thinned out and isn’t supporting the quick, the quick will dry up and recede. This will allow you to cut your dog’s nails even shorter. Each dog’s nails are different, but very long toenails often become dry and cracked, with a clear separation of the living tissue and the insensitive nail. This will make it easier to trim back longer nails.