Trimming Dog Nails

Trimming dog nails is important for the health of your dog. This page shows you how to trim and cut dog nails safely and painlessly.

Trimming dog nails is a very important part of dog grooming. Yet many dog parents choose to pay a vet or a groomer to do the job because many dogs put up a fight when it comes to dog nail trimming. However, if you train your dog properly, you too can trim and cut your dog's nails.

How often should we trim our dog's nails? It depends on how active the dog is. Active dogs who spend a lot of time running, digging, and playing outdoors can wear down their nails quite a lot, and you may only need dog nail trimming every 2 to 3 months. However, if your dog spends most of his days indoor on a couch, you will need to trim his nails at least twice a month.

Trimming Dog Nails - Why is it Necessary?

Dogs with long nails can develop lots of health problems. For example:

Long nails are easily torn. Torn nails are painful and can be easily infected.
When the nails are too long, dogs do not walk correctly and this strains the leg muscles and torques the spine.
Long nails make it difficult for dogs to place their full body weight on their feet. As a result, dogs with long nails may develop sore feet, legs and hips.
When nails get too long, they grow around and into the bottom of the foot. The dewclaw nail can grow into the leg. Ingrown nails can lead to painful infections.
Nails help provide traction and increase a dog's ability to walk and run without slipping. Dogs with excessively long nails hurt themselves because they slip and fall, which can be especially problematic for old arthritic dogs.

So how can you tell if your dog's nails are too long? You can find out by holding your dog's foot and pressing the toe so that the nail extends fully. If the nail curves beyond the bottom of the toe pad, it is too long and trimming is required.

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Trimming Dog Nails - Training Your Dog

Training your dog not to be afraid of the nail trimming tool is the first step. Do not rush it - introduce the tool to your dog slowly. It may take a week or longer to make your dog feel comfortable with the tool.

Here is what you can do:

Have your dog lick peanut butter or liver paste off the nail trimming tool. Make your dog associate good things (treats) with the tool.
Play games touching the feet with the tool and giving a treat. If necessary, start touching other parts of your dog (away from the feet) and work towards the feet and finally down to the toes.
Touch and play with your dog's feet and especially the toes every night at bedtime.
Play with the toes holding the nail trimming tool.

While you are "playing" with your dog's toes, look carefully at his nails and observe where the quick is under a bright light. Examine the lightly colored nails first and get an idea of where the "quick" is in the dark nails. The "quick" is the fleshy section inside the nail. It contains nerves and blood vessels so that cutting it causes pain and bleeding. That's why it is important to have an idea as to where the "quick" starts in your dog's nails.

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Trimming Dog Nails - Tools

**DO NOT use nail clippers for people to trim dog nails.**

There are different types of dog nail clipping tools to choose from. Many groomers and vets use a simple dog nail clipper. For the inexperienced dog parents, however, it is easy to cut too close to the "quick" resulting in bleeding. If you use a nail clipper and accidentally cut the "quick", and you don't have access to some styptik powder, you can simply apply some cornstarch or cayenne pepper to the nail to stop the bleeding.

Instead of cutting or clipping my dog's nails, I prefer sanding down her nails using a product called "Peticure". It works like a Dremel (which is essentially an electrical "whirling emery board") but it has a cover so that the filed nail particles won't be flying all over the place. I sand down my dog's nails about 2 times a week. Since every time I file only a bit of her nails, I don't get to her quick. She does not mind the tool nor the sound it makes, and she lies very still when I am doing her nails.

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Trimming Dog Nails

If you choose to trim your dog's nails using a dog nail clipper, choose a time when your dog is the most calm - most likely at night before they go to bed or after they have had some exercise and are tired and relaxed. Right after bath time is also a good time to clip her nails because the nails are softer and easier to cut.

If you have a small dog, place her in your lap so she cannot move about. If you have a large dog, ask her to lie down and stay. If necessary, have someone else hold or pet the dog while you begin to trim her nails.
If your dog has light-colored nails, observe where the quick is by working in bright light. If the nails are black, this is not possible. You will just cut off a small bit at the tip in order to prevent bleeding.
Hold the toe securely but not in a vice grip and slide the clipper opening down the nail, visually confirming that you are not including hair (this pulls) or toe pad. Clip small bites without twisting the toe.
As you cut, hold the nail so you can squarely see the cut tip. A black spot appears in the nail as the quick is approached. When you see the black spot, go no further.
Give your dog a special treat and a lot of praise after trimming her nails.

Tip #1: Rub a little Vaseline into the nails after trimming and polish them with a soft cloth to make them look shiny and clean!

Tip #2: If you are training your dog to get used to trimming dog nails, try clipping one nail a day until your dog is absolutely comfortable about having all her nails clipped at one time.

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Information on this site is for educational purpose only.
It is not intended to replace the advice and treatment of a veterinarian.
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