How to Cut Dark Dog Nails
A dog's nails should be trimmed regularly to avoid health problems. If the nails grow too long, they may cause the dog to walk incorrectly. This can cause the dog pain and discomfort. A dog's nails can also grow into its foot and lead to a skin infection. Additionally, long nails on dogs are prone to splitting and breaking, which can cause the nail to bleed and become infected. Trimming a dog's nails regularly is essential to avoid these problems.
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Instructions
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Choose dog nail clippers according to your dog's size. There are several different styles of clippers. Choose the style that you will be most comfortable using.
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Command your dog to lie down. Having it lie on its side is best.
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Pick up one of the dog's front paws in your non-dominant hand. Use your thumb to gently push down on the top of the dog's foot. This will cause the nails to become more visible for cutting.
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Take the nail clippers in your dominant hand. Place the clippers over the end of the dog's nail.
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Line up the nail clippers to remove a small slice of the end of the nail. Squeeze the clippers to cut the nail.
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Examine the end of the nail you just cut. If you see a white-and-black circle, you have cut as far as you can without cutting the "quick," which would make the dog's nail bleed.
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Cut a small amount more on the nail if you do not see the white-and-black circle. If in doubt, however, don't cut again. It is better to leave the nails a bit too long than to cut them too short.
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Clip the remaining four nails on the dog's foot. Check to see if the dog has a dewclaw on its front feet. The dewclaw is located on the inside of the foot, an inch or so up on the leg. Some dog breeds do not have dewclaws. Clip the nail on the dewclaw as you did the other nails.
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Cut the remaining nails on the other feet. Some dog breeds have dewclaws on their back feet as well.
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Tips & Warnings
Begin clipping your dog's nails when it is a puppy so it gets used to the sessions.
You may need someone to help by holding the dog while you trim its nails.
Some dogs do not like having their nails trimmed, so you may need to break up the nail trimming into several sessions.
If you are still unsure about trimming your dog's nails, ask your veterinarian or groomer to show you the proper techniques.
Avoid trimming the nails too short because they will bleed. If this happens, apply flour or cornstarch to the end of the nail to stop the bleeding.
References
- Photo Credit grey dog feet image by Paul Retherford from Fotolia.com
