How to Trim Your Dog's Nails Without Trauma
When you can tell where your dog is or is going by hearing the clicks of its nails on your hardwood or tile floor, then it's well past the time to trim its nails. The constant pressure of the dog's nails against a walking surface can be uncomfortable for your pet. Pat Hastings, AKC dog show judge and exhibitor, likens it to a person walking with overgrown toenails pressing against the inside of his shoes. Cutting your dog's nails will prevent it from injury due to catching an over-long nail on something.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Nail cutter
- Styptic powder or pencil
- Small grooming towel or washcloth
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1
Select the correct nail cutter for your dog. You can cut small dogs' nails easily with a scissors-type nail cutter, while large dogs benefit from guillotine-type cutters that require less effort to close around the nail.
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2
Gather your nail cutter, styptic powder and a grooming towel or washcloth and place them on or near the surface on which you'll be cutting your dog's nails.
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3
Stand or lay your dog on the surface on which you'll be clipping its toenails. Make certain that your dog is comfortable and securely placed on that surface.
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4
Hold your clippers in your dominant hand. Firmly grasp your dog's paw with your other hand press down gently on its pads. Dogs do not have retractable claws, but they will extend slightly when you press down on the pads.
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5
Identify the "quick," which provides the blood supply to the nail. Place your clippers just in front of this point, holding the clippers perpendicular to the nail. If you are using guillotine-type clippers, the movable cutting blade should be facing away from the dog.
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6
Squeeze the clipper handles just hard enough to cut the nail in one motion. Make as many small cuts as are needed for a short, smoothly rounded nail.
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7
Repeat Steps 4 through 6 on each nail on one foot. Determine if your dog is comfortable with moving on to the next foot before continuing.
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8
Continue clipping the nails on each foot. As you finish with each foot, decide whether it is necessary to take a break or whether it is possible to move on to the next one.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Clip your dog's nails when it is a puppy to make nail trimming easier when it is an adult.
Remember to trim the dewclaw on the inside of your dog's forelegs, if it has them. Some dogs have dewclaws on their rear legs as well.
On clear nails, the quick appears as a pink triangle near the end of the toe. It is all right to trim away the clear "hook" of the nail almost to the edge of that triangle.
If your dog won't stay still while you're working, lay it on its side on a flat surface. Lean across your dog, putting gentle pressure on its body, holding the clippers in your dominant hand and holding its head down with a slight amount of weight from your opposite arm. If you use only a small amount of pressure, your dog will feel reassured, not threatened, by you.
If your dog has dark nails, start cutting its nails so that they are slightly long and take off slivers of nail until you see the tip of the quick protruding slightly.
Talk quietly to your dog while you are cutting its nails. Praising it, especially if it is quiet and submitting to having its nails trimmed, can have a calming effect.
Be careful not to cut into the quick. Should one of your dog's nails start to bleed, use a towel or washcloth to clean its paw and use styptic powder or a styptic pencil to stop the bleeding.
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References
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