Clipping Dog Nails For NewbiesWhen you live in the city, it’s important to make sure your dog’s paws are in good condition. Check for small cuts, glass, oil, clean any salt gritting during winter,… Also, make sure the nails aren’t too long. Clipping dog nails may seem scary, and some small dogs make it look like pure horror, but once you’ve got the basics down, there’s really not much to it.If you really don’t feel up to it, don’t force yourself to trim your dog’s nails yourself. Your dog will pick up on your stress and make the task almost impossible. Instead, have your dog’s nails trimmed professionally by a dog groomer or vet. Long nails can lead to all sorts of problems; broken nails, malformation of the paws, bleeding, nail bed infections,… Some regular maintenance will make a walk in the park a lot more fun and less painful for your dog.As you live in the city, your dog’s nails might not need to be clipped that often. Walking on rough, hard surfaces like the pavement usually wears the nails down without any help from you. Some dogs will need a helping hand though. Before You Start Clipping Dog NailsDogs usually hate it when you touch or hold their paws. If your dog has a problem with that as well, you’ll need to start there before you can trim your dogs nails. Start with gently touching his paws and reward good, calm behavior with a treat. Gradually work towards holding the paw and pinching the nails. Now that your dog is cool with you touching and holding his paws, it’s time to take a look at the material you’ll need.There are different types of nail cutters. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with. Personally, I’m terrified of using guillotine type clippers, I keep thinking my dog will move right when I’m clipping a nail and I’ll end up pulling the whole nail out… Not likely to happen in real life though. Some people like to file down jagged edges with a small file or a dremel tool. I’ve never done that, my dog rounds off any jagged edges during his daily walks. What I do recommend you have handy when clipping dog nails is a styptic pen or something similar. Accidents will happen.Before you begin clipping dog nails, read the instructions that came with the clippers of your choice. Some, like the guillotine, need you to clip from the underside of your dog’s claw upwards.Clipping Your Dog's NailsA dog’s nail contains a soft part containing blood vessels and nerve endings; aka the quick. This is the part you do NOT want to cut when clipping dog nails. Easier said than done if your dog has dark nails. In light nails you can see the quick quite well. It’s the pinkish part inside the nail.The trick to avoiding the quick in dark nails is to trim of small pieces bit by bit. Every time you clipped a slice, check the underside of the nail. Look for a dark spot in the middle of the nail. This is the start of the quick. You can trim a little bit more off the nail. Stop when you see a lighter inner circle inside the darker circle. If you clip more off the nail it’ll start to bleed and hurt.Don’t forget to clip the nails on your dog’s dew claws. They don’t get worn like the other nails as they’re higher up on the dog’s legs. If you forget to trim these, they could seriously hurt your dog as they could get snagged and tear off the entire claw. There’s also a danger of these nails curling around, into your dog’s legs.To make clipping dog nails more comfortable for you, put your dog on a table for easy access. Preferably on a non-slip surface so he can’t hurt himself or slip of the table. If your dog refuses to stand still, have someone hold him while clipping his nails.Place the nail clippers in the right place and wait for your dog to stop moving. Then quickly but firmly squeeze the clippers. That’s all there’s too it really.If you clip a nail too far and it starts to bleed, use the styptic pen against it and the bleeding should stop immediately. If you don’t have a styptic pen, you can apply pressure on the wound with a tissue paper. You could also put some corn flour on the end of the nail to stop the bleeding. Left untreated, the bleeding should stop within 5 to 7 minutes. If not, take your dog to the vet.How often you should clip your dog’s nails is not set in stone. I usually check whether my dog’s nails are touching the ground when he’s standing normally. If they are, the nails are too long and I clip a small piece off. It’s less stressful for both of you to clip small pieces off regularly then to try and clip off as much as you can in one go, risking cutting off too much.Believe it or not, there is a good side to regularly clipping dog nails. The more you clip them, the more the quick inside the nail will recede. In the end you’ll be less likely to cut into the quick and cause your dog pain. Return from Clipping Dog Nails to Dog Health Care
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