Is trimming the dog’s nails that big of a deal?
Well, it actually is. Clipping your dog’s nails is definitely not only about eliminating the sound of claws tapping on your floor when he walks or preventing him from scratching its wood surface.
It’s more about the health and the comfort of your pet, rather than you not being annoyed at the clicking sound the claws cause when the dog walks around the house.
And, guess what? It’s not only you who hates when your dog’s nails are too long and loud.
Your dog doesn’t enjoy having long and clumsy claws, which don’t allow him to walk properly, as well.
It puts him into serious discomfort and even pain overtime, especially when those untamed claws get caught in something and break to blood.
As the dogs’ nails can’t wear out as much as they should due to the fact that pets don’t live in the wild, the problem of ingrown claws and sore paws is something you’ll prevent by trimming your doggy’s nails on a regular basis.
As a bonus, trimmed nails won’t sound too loud, or leave quite significant scratches on your wooden or vinyl flooring.
Obviously, dogs don’t enjoy the nail trimming procedure.
Some of them can last through it pretty well, but some of them decide to behave their worst and give the owners the hard time while he’s trying to clip their nails.
In addition to that, most dog owners find it almost impossible to trim the black nails of their pet without making them bleed.
Thus, when you find it extremely difficult to handle your dog and trim his nails without turning this basic grooming procedure into a stressful and traumatizing experience, it’s better to find a great groomer or/and a vet and pay some money to get your dog’s nails trimmed promptly and painlessly.
You can do that effortlessly by posting a dog nail trimming request on HireRush.com.
Another thing you can do to make the nail trimming a lot easier on both sides is to start training your dog to get used to it at a very young age.
Besides, turning it into at list a little bit satisfying time by praising your dog’s behavior, giving him treats and petting him will help as well.
Most importantly, it’s necessary to learn the right way to trim dog nails in order not to harm your pet.
Things you need to trim dog nails
- Dog nail clippers (pliers)
- Emery board or/and dog nail grinder
- Cornstarch/flour/styptic powder
- A towel
- Treats for your doggy
- A helper (if you can’t make your dog stay still on your own)
How to trim dog nails properly
White nails
- Collect the nail trimming supplies, cover the tabletop with a towel and lay your dog on it.
Make sure that you can access the table from the dog’s spine to be able to lean over the dog’s body, ‘secure it in place’ and cut his nails.
This way even if your dog wiggles a little, you’ll be able to control his behavior. And, he’ll feel like you’re cuddling, but not actually restraining him. - Now onto the nail clipping. If your dog has white nails, you’re more than fine.
Just lift your dog’s paw, position the nail clippers at the nail at a 30-45o angle to the paw and quickly clip the nail off.
This way when the nail is clipped, it will preserve its natural ‘curved’ shape the dog is used to. - Make sure not to cut into the quick – the pink part with a blood vessel you can clearly see when the dog has white nails.
- Anyway, cornstarch or styptic powder applied onto the bleeding claw will fix your mistake.
- Don’t forget to trim the dewclaws as well.
- If you have hardwood floors and don’t want your dog to scratch them with his freshly cut nails, use an emery board or a dog nail grinding tool to file your pet’s nails round.
- Another way to trim your dog’s claws is to use the grinder to file off the length just like you do on your own nails.
Some dogs tend to withstand this nail trimming method a lot better than the normal clipping.
So, you may try it out on your fussy puppy.
Black nails
- If your dog has black nails, you’ll be in a big trouble every time you’ll decide to trim his nails.
The chances of cutting into the quick and causing your dog’s nail bleed are quite high. That’s why you need to be extremely careful. - Using the same approach as with dogs with white claws, you’ll have to trim a little bit at a time to be able to control the situation and notice the quick before your cut into it.
- How to notice the quick on black dog nails? When you cut your dog’s black nails, you’ll see that they’re white in the cross section.
Keep clipping a little bit of the nail at a time until you see a black dot appearing in the middle of the nail’s cross section.
This dot means that you’ve got close enough to the quick, but not too close to make it bleed. - Another great way to determine whether you’re going to damage the vessel when trimming the dog nail closer to the quick is to apply some pressure to it using clippers right at the point where you’re going to make the next cut.
If your dog reacts to the pressure and shows any signs of pain, it means that you’ve got too close to the quick. - Don’t panic if you cut into the blood vessel. Just take a pinch of cornstarch or styptic powder and press it onto the damaged nail.
The bleeding should stop within a couple of minutes. If it doesn’t, you should call your dog’s vet. - Finish the process by filing your dog’s nails to make them hardwood floor safe.
- You may use claw grinder to trim your dog’s black claws too.
Once all claws are trimmed, don’t forget to praise your doggy for his great behavior (even if he wasn’t that great) and give him some treats to make this nail trimming process at least a little bit pleasant for your fluffy friend.
