Most dogs need to have their nails clipped or cut weekly unless they live somewhere with hard surfaces, which cause their toenails to remain naturally short. If your dogs are walking around on hard surfaces making a clicking sound, it’s time to trim their nails.
Dogs generally don’t like people handling their feet. Trimming or clipping may be off-putting for them at first, which makes it important that he get used to having his toes clipped from a very early age. You can offer yummy treats as a reward for staying calm along with a hug, words of affection, and by playing with his ears.
Consult a groomer or veterinarian first so that they can teach you how you should trim your dog’s toenails correctly. The toenail consists of the nail and the quick, which is a pink, small portion that supplies blood to the toenail. You need to be careful not to cut into this section since it’s really sensitive and can bleed a lot.
The nail’s dark part is called the quick – it provides blood supply and must be avoided at all costs. It’s fine if you cannot trim all the nails in one go – you can always clip the remaining nails after a brief resting period or after completing other activities.
How to Trim A Dog’s Nails:
- Hold his foot gently in a steady manner.
- Trim a small portion of the toenail in each go.
- Use scissors- or guillotine-type clippers to place the nail inside the clipper to snip.
- In case your dog’s nails feel spongy during the trimming, that’s a sign you’ve cut the quick – stop immediately.
- Take care of any bleeding if it occurs.
- Cutting the quick can result in an unpleasant bloody mess and an upset dog. Since the quick tends to bleed quickly, you’ll need to apply styptic powder with cotton swabs or use a nail cauterizer to stop the bleeding. Have a damp cloth nearby to clean the blood and styptic powder.
- Cutting the quick is a painful experience and may cause your dog to be scared of future trimming sessions.
- You will also have to cut the dewclaws. These nails don’t touch the ground, which results in them growing extremely long. Some of them grow into the feet as well, which is painful.
- It’s the same strategy if you’re using a nail grinder as well – hold the foot, switch the grinder on, and start grinding a little bit off of every nail.
Source: Dummies