This last chore is sometimes overlooked, but it is part of caring for many pets’ health and wellbeing. It can appear daunting but you can learn to do it at home, reducing expensive trips to doggy salons.
So, get your pup to put his best paw forward and find out how to trim its nails with this helpful guide.
How to Trim Your Dog’s Nails
Of all the grooming chores, “trimming your dog’s nails can be one of the most difficult, especially for dogs that have black nails,” according to Mary Burch, director of the American Kennel Club’s family dog program and a certified applied animal behaviorist.
Whoever takes on the task has to know the anatomy of the dog’s nails. The quick, at the center of the nail, is a fleshy area packed with blood vessels and nerves. The quick must be avoided when cutting as it can bleed heavily, causing great pain to the animal.
Before you start trimming your dog’s nails yourself, Burch recommends getting an introductory lesson from an experienced groomer, veterinarian or vet tech to make sure you know all the safe and responsible procedures.
1. Choose the Equipment You Will Use
“Clippers and grinders are the most common,” Burch told Newsweek. “A grinder such as a Dremel has a sandpaper-covered cylinder that will grind the nail away. The benefit of grinders is they don’t cut.
2. Introduce the Dog to the Trimming Tool
“Start by showing your puppy or dog the clippers or grinder and let the dog sniff it,” she added. “Then, gently touch the tool to each paw. Use baby steps and don’t proceed too fast.”
3. Allow the Dog to Get Acclimatized to the Tool
Burch said: “Make the clicking noise of the clippers or turn on the grinder, so the dog can hear this. Don’t start trimming yet. Praise and give your dog a small food reward for tolerating the sound.”
4. Start Trimming Slowly
At this point, you and your pet are ready for trimming—but start with short sessions.
Burch said: “Consider trimming one or two nails, giving the dog a food reward, and then stop until the next session.
“Short sessions in the beginning will help your dog feel comfortable. You are only going to trim the tip off the nail—be especially careful with black nails where you can’t see the quick.
“Be sure to firmly, but gently, hold the toe you are working on to make sure the clippers/grinder can’t slip.”
The animal behaviorist also recommends that owners wear out their dogs with plenty of exercise before a nail trimming session, so the pet is more likely to be relaxed.
She added: “Finally, if you have a helper, the person can hold a treat for the puppy to lick or chew to distract her from the nail trimming.”
How Often to Trim a Dog’s Nails
How do you know if it’s time for a pup pedicure? The growth rate of nails varies from dog to dog, said Burch, but “the main thing is you don’t want to hear the nails clicking on the floor when the dog walks.”
She added: “Your dog should be walking on its pads, and the nails should not be touching the ground when the dog is standing.”
Pet charity the PDSA suggests this can also be gauged by holding the dog’s paw flat on the palm of your hand and feeling if any of the nails are long enough to touch your palm.
If nail length is becoming a problem for your dog, it will probably draw your attention to it by licking or chewing its paws in a state of mild discomfort.
However, Tails.com behaviorist Carolyn Menteith suggests nail trimming “isn’t really necessary” for most dogs.
She told Newsweek: “Their nails will wear down naturally on pavements and paths, so will never get long enough that they need to be shortened.
“Others, however, might lead a more rural existence where they are only exercising in fields or soft ground, or might be having reduced exercise due to age, so this natural wear doesn’t happen—or doesn’t happen enough to stop nails getting too long.”
