How To Trim Your Dog’s Nails At Home – CanineJournal.com
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Are you forking out a small fortune paying a groomer to trim your dog’s nails? It’s a necessary part of having a healthy and happy dog, but many pet owners dread doing it themselves. Nail trimming doesn’t have to be a negative experience for you and your dog. We run you through the steps to positively approach the process and to trim dog nails safely.
Why It’s Important
When dog nails get too long, it can lead to discomfort and even more serious problems. Long nails can result in a reduction in traction and difficulty walking. Over time, too-long nails can even cause deformed feet and injure the tendons in your dog’s feet.
If your dog’s nails are touching the floor and you hear a constant clicking sound when he walks, it’s time for a trim. Other signs that they need trimming are if they appear brittle or are turning sideways. If you can’t fit a sheet of paper between the floor and your dog’s nails, they’re too long.
Types Of Trimmers
You can use either scissor-type clippers or a guillotine type, whichever makes you more comfortable. We use and recommend the BOSHEL Dog Nail Clippers, which are easy to handle and feature a safety guard to protect against over-cutting.
Another option is a grinder, like the Dremel Cordless Grinding Tool, which trims the nails by filing them down with a rotary emery board. Grinders are a bit more expensive and are electronic, so the spinning head and noise, while minimal, may make some dogs more anxious about the experience. However, many pet parents find a grinder to be less stressful than clippers.
Introducing Your Dog To Nail Trimming
Nail trimming or grinding can make dogs anxious, so it’s important to ease your dog into it at first until he gets used to the routine. We recommend you follow these steps slowly over a few days, making sure your dog is ready for the next step. And be sure to give your pup plenty of treats and praise with each step.
- Handle your dog’s paws regularly, so he gets used to you touching them.
- Introduce the clippers a few times without trimming — have him sniff and inspect them, so he becomes accustomed to them.
- Touch the clippers to your dog’s foot without cutting or grinding.
- Try trimming off the very tip of one front paw nail.
- Once he’s comfortable with doing one nail at a time, try doing two at a time, and so on.
How To Clip Dog Nails
Follow these steps if you’re using clippers. Be sure to have treats on hand to reward your dog for good behavior.
- Hold your dog’s paw with your thumb on the toe pad and your finger on the top of the toe above the nail, gently pushing the nail out.
- Clip only thin slices straight across.
- Don’t clip past the nail’s curve to avoid cutting the quick (the pink area that contains blood vessels). The quick is easier to see with light-colored nails. For dogs with dark nails, look for a chalky white ring. (Using a flashlight can help.)
- Clip down to just above the quick.
- Repeat this process with each nail. And, don’t forget to clip the dewclaws on the inner side of the paw.
What If My Dog’s Nail Bleeds?
If you accidentally cut the quick and your dog’s nail begins bleeding, don’t panic. Your dog will be okay. It’s a good idea to have some styptic powder handy in case this happens. While styptic powder is ideal, you can also apply corn starch or ice the wound until the bleeding stops.
How To Grind Dog Nails
Hold your dog’s paw with your thumb on the toe pad and your finger on the top of the toe above the nail, gently pushing the nail out.- Hold the grinder closer to the rotating head for greater control.
- Make sure to keep fur away from the grinding tool, so it doesn’t get caught.
- Start by grinding across the bottom of the nail and then the tip of the nail. Be sure to smooth any rough edges carefully.
- Grind only a small part of your dog’s nail at a time until just above the quick.
Hold your dog’s paw with your thumb on the toe pad and your finger on the top of the toe above the nail, gently pushing the nail out.
How Often Should I Trim?
It would be best to trim your dog’s nails at least once a month. But if your dog’s nails are very overgrown when you start, you may want to cut them every couple of weeks. The more you trim, the more the quick retreats back into the claw. So more frequent trimming can get your dog’s seriously overgrown nails back to an ideal length faster.
How To Spot The Quick & Other Tips
This brief video by a professional dog groomer is a helpful tutorial on how much nail to clip at a time, how to spot the quick, and other tips.
Need Some Coat Grooming Tips?
Your dog’s coat also needs regular maintenance, and you can save a lot of money by grooming him at home. Our article on how to groom your dog takes you through all the steps and gives you our top picks for all the equipment you’ll need. We also have some tips for bathing your dog and how often you should get him squeaky clean. And to manage his fur in between baths, see which dog shedding brushes we recommend.
How does your dog respond to nail trimming?
