Understandably, many people are nervous about trimming their pets toe nails. I sure was until I got in there and started doing it myself. I practiced with my own dog until I was comfortable with it. Next think I know I’ve got friends and family asking me to trim their dog(s) nails too.
Why Is Trimming My Dogs Nails Necessary?
If you’re dogs nails get too long, they can become as hazard to both people and themselves. A hyper dog that likes to jump on people can hurt if they’ve got daggers for nails. The dogs nail can snap off and break while playing, or hiking. With mainly small dogs, I’ve seen some who’s nails have gotten so long that they curl back and start digging back into their own foot. Not to mention longer nail make for a noisy click clack around the house as your dog walks on your hardwood or linoleum floor.
How Often Do My Dogs Nails Need To Be Trimmed?
This varies per dog. I’ve seen some dogs that almost never need them trimmed because they are so active outside and the nails get ground down naturally. Other dogs seem to need it every month.
Overgrown Nails: As the nail grows, so does the quick. So in some cases, people have let their dogs nails get way too long, and they need to be cut back gradually about once per week to work the quick back down. In some extreme cases, the dog is taken to the vet to be sedated and have the nails cut short, cauterized, bandaged, and sent home with pain killers. It’s quite painful and best not to let their nails get that out of hand in the first place.
What Type Of Trimmers Do I Use?
Scissor Trimmers: These are the best ones you can get in my opinion. They give you more control over what you’re doing, allowing you to chip away at the nail in small bits. This means you’re less likely to accidentally trim too far and make your pet bleed.
Guillotine Trimmers: I avoid the guillotine style trimmers as they give you a little bit less control over what you’re doing. They don’t allow you to trim at different angles very well.
Electric Trimmers or Dremel: I’ve seen a lot of groomers use these, but I’ve never taken I liking to them. I feel like they make it difficult to gauge how much nail you’ve removed, and they have been known to get hot if used incorrectly. I see them being better for smoothing and filing a nail that you’ve just cut, but walking your dog on concrete will do this naturally too.
Let’s Begin!
Step 1: Prepping Your Dog
Most dogs don’t like their feet touched which is natural. While many dogs will do okay with a nail trim, some may act out as if their life is in danger. They flip, flail, pull their paw away, or in extreme cases growl, wet themselves, or bite. If you’re dog’s on the severe end, you’ll need to do some training and ground work by getting your dog used to having their feet touched, and get them comfortable with having the trimmers touching their feet without actually clipping anything. With some dogs, it’s a matter of riding out the tantrum until they realize they aren’t going to die and need to cooperate. If necessary, use a muzzle for your own safety. For some owners, it’s just too much to handle on their own, and so going to the vet becomes a necessary option. 
Step 2: Finding A Comfortable Position
For some dogs it may be easier to have them lay down. Sometimes a second person comes in handy to help calm the dog while your trimming. If you have a twitchy or squirmy dog and don’t have help, it may be easiest to tie them to a fence or something stationary, and much like a horse, lift the foot up and start trimming. With small dogs it’s often easiest to have a friend or family member hold the dog while you trim. A towel works well as a strait jacket for difficult small dogs.
Step 3: Trimming The Nail
Now for the trimming of the nail. First off, make sure you have some quick stop on hand just in case you do clip a little too far so you can stop the bleeding fast. Next, just take chip away small bits of nail, it should be kind of flaky and chalky. If you have a dog with whitish/pink nails than you should be able to vaguely see where the quick is. You’ll know you’ve gone far enough once the flaky stuff is gone and your hitting more of a clear part just before the quick.
Step 4: Praise For Being A Good Pup
Let you dog know they did a good job when you’re done, and maybe even give them a treat to make it more of a rewarding experience.
And there you have it.
