Nailcare For Your Dog
Cutting back your pet's nails is one of the regular home grooming tasks that helps to keep your pet healthy and active.
As with most grooming tasks, rewarding your pet for positive behaviour is a crucial part in your pet's acceptance of the process.
Trimming a dog's nails is essential to its grooming routine.
Uncut nails leave dogs vulnerable to painful broken nails.
If you let your dog sit on your furniture, it would be best if you file down the nails.
Clipping a dog's dew claw is every bit as important.
Although this nail doesn't touch the ground, you still need to clip it.
On most breeds, if they have not been removed, dewclaws are 1-4" above the feet on the inside of the legs.
Some breeders have the dewclaws removed shortly after puppies are born, so not all dogs will have dewclaws.
In ideal conditions, you wouldn't have to trim the dog's nail at all (except for the dew claw).
That is because if given proper exercise under the right conditions, the nails would by nature be maintained to a perfect length.
In both dogs and cats, trim only the end of the nail, at the point where it begins to curve downward.
In dogs, the quick -- the nerve endings and blood vessels inside the nail -- continue to grow as the nail grows.
That means long nails must be trimmed little by little, over weeks or months, until the quick gradually retreats.
On all dogs, keeping their nails trimmed is a must for preventing painful overgrowth and its related troubles.
If they are not trimmed, they can grow to become too long and harm carpets and furniture.
They can also splay the toes and in extreme cases interfere with grip by preventing the foot pads from making contact with the ground.
Mind you don't cut too far down or you'll get the quick and your dog will be in a great deal of pain.
This will obviously not endear him to the process, so be very careful.
The most crucial thing to remember when trimming your dog's nails is to trim a series of very thin slices rather than one large cut.
Stop when you see a black dot appear towards the centre of the nail when you view it head-on.
Many dogs have dark nails and the quick isn't visible.
In that case, clip only the ends of the nails.
If you unintentionally cut the quick, use styptic powder to stop the bleeding.
Make sure you brush away the excess powder, as not doing so will make the seal more likely to break and cause the bleeding to restart.
Some dogs really hate to have their nails "clipped" because the clipping tool squeezes the nerve inside the nail as it cuts.
These dogs (typically Basset Hounds, Dachshunds, and other short legged breeds) are usually more cooperative with a filing procedure done with a dremmel or similar grinding tool.
If your dog hasn't had his nails clipped before, familiarize the dog to the nail clippers by gently tapping the clippers on the nails, but don't try to clip the dog's nails.
After a couple of sessions like this try to snip a little off the first nail.
If your pet is very panicked by it, don't attempt to cut another nail.
Wait for another day and try again.
Using a sharp nail clipper, cut off the tip of each nail at a slight angle, just before the point where it begins to curve.
Be very careful to avoid the sensitive quick, or the vein that runs into the nail.
If your dog's nails are too long and you immediately cut to the length you think they should be, you will cut into the quick and cause your dog's nail to bleed.
Don't worry, you won't have done too much harm, but it is painful, and the nail can bleed for quite some time and be rather messy.
Do not hold him down or force him to let you hold his paws.
A dog's nails are not going to grow out of control in one day, so take your time and keep the experience pleasant.
To trim the nails on the front feet, make sure your dog is sitting, lift and hold one foot about 6 inches or so off the ground, and then start trimming.
To trim the nails on the back feet, have your dog stand, lift the foot about 6 inches off the ground, and then trim.
The most effective way to learn how to cut your dog's nails is to have your vet or groomer show you at your next appointment.
In many cases, the vet will handle this care procedure if you ask them to.
One way to make your task easier, if your dog isn't too worried is to keep her distracted while you work.
A Kong or other hollow toy stuffed with a treat that your dog enjoys can often be enough to get your dog to relax enough to ignore what you are doing.
As with most grooming tasks, rewarding your pet for positive behaviour is a crucial part in your pet's acceptance of the process.
Trimming a dog's nails is essential to its grooming routine.
Uncut nails leave dogs vulnerable to painful broken nails.
If you let your dog sit on your furniture, it would be best if you file down the nails.
Clipping a dog's dew claw is every bit as important.
Although this nail doesn't touch the ground, you still need to clip it.
On most breeds, if they have not been removed, dewclaws are 1-4" above the feet on the inside of the legs.
Some breeders have the dewclaws removed shortly after puppies are born, so not all dogs will have dewclaws.
In ideal conditions, you wouldn't have to trim the dog's nail at all (except for the dew claw).
That is because if given proper exercise under the right conditions, the nails would by nature be maintained to a perfect length.
In both dogs and cats, trim only the end of the nail, at the point where it begins to curve downward.
In dogs, the quick -- the nerve endings and blood vessels inside the nail -- continue to grow as the nail grows.
That means long nails must be trimmed little by little, over weeks or months, until the quick gradually retreats.
On all dogs, keeping their nails trimmed is a must for preventing painful overgrowth and its related troubles.
If they are not trimmed, they can grow to become too long and harm carpets and furniture.
They can also splay the toes and in extreme cases interfere with grip by preventing the foot pads from making contact with the ground.
Mind you don't cut too far down or you'll get the quick and your dog will be in a great deal of pain.
This will obviously not endear him to the process, so be very careful.
The most crucial thing to remember when trimming your dog's nails is to trim a series of very thin slices rather than one large cut.
Stop when you see a black dot appear towards the centre of the nail when you view it head-on.
Many dogs have dark nails and the quick isn't visible.
In that case, clip only the ends of the nails.
If you unintentionally cut the quick, use styptic powder to stop the bleeding.
Make sure you brush away the excess powder, as not doing so will make the seal more likely to break and cause the bleeding to restart.
Some dogs really hate to have their nails "clipped" because the clipping tool squeezes the nerve inside the nail as it cuts.
These dogs (typically Basset Hounds, Dachshunds, and other short legged breeds) are usually more cooperative with a filing procedure done with a dremmel or similar grinding tool.
If your dog hasn't had his nails clipped before, familiarize the dog to the nail clippers by gently tapping the clippers on the nails, but don't try to clip the dog's nails.
After a couple of sessions like this try to snip a little off the first nail.
If your pet is very panicked by it, don't attempt to cut another nail.
Wait for another day and try again.
Using a sharp nail clipper, cut off the tip of each nail at a slight angle, just before the point where it begins to curve.
Be very careful to avoid the sensitive quick, or the vein that runs into the nail.
If your dog's nails are too long and you immediately cut to the length you think they should be, you will cut into the quick and cause your dog's nail to bleed.
Don't worry, you won't have done too much harm, but it is painful, and the nail can bleed for quite some time and be rather messy.
Do not hold him down or force him to let you hold his paws.
A dog's nails are not going to grow out of control in one day, so take your time and keep the experience pleasant.
To trim the nails on the front feet, make sure your dog is sitting, lift and hold one foot about 6 inches or so off the ground, and then start trimming.
To trim the nails on the back feet, have your dog stand, lift the foot about 6 inches off the ground, and then trim.
The most effective way to learn how to cut your dog's nails is to have your vet or groomer show you at your next appointment.
In many cases, the vet will handle this care procedure if you ask them to.
One way to make your task easier, if your dog isn't too worried is to keep her distracted while you work.
A Kong or other hollow toy stuffed with a treat that your dog enjoys can often be enough to get your dog to relax enough to ignore what you are doing.
