How To Trim Dogs Nails With Clippers

Trimming your domestic dog'southward nails tin can be an anxiety inducing task for both you lot and your dog. But knowing just the correct place to prune their nails to prevent injury doesn't take to exist a guessing game. The Detroit dog groomers at Canine to Five accept compiled the perfect at-domicile guide to trimming your dog's nails that'll walk you through every step of the style.

What to use?
Not all nail trimmers are created equal, and purchasing the proper manner and size for your dog volition assistance ready yous upwards for success.

For small dogs or tiny puppies, you'll need scissor style clippers.

Formedium&large dogs, you lot'll need large smash clippers.

You'll also desire to be prepared with styptic pulverisation in the event a blast starts to bleed.

When to trim?
A adept dominion of thumb is to trim your dog'southward nails once they start touching the ground. Much similar human nails, a dog'southward nails will go along to grow and grow until they curl outward, or worse – inwards. Long nails tin can be uncomfortable for your dog to walk on, they have away your pup'due south traction making it easier for slips and falls, they're more than susceptible to breaking or tearing off completely, and they can grow into your dog's mitt pads causing pain and infection. If you hear your canis familiaris's nails clacking on the ground, it may be time for a nail trim!

Where to trim?
Arguably the most important question – WHERE? Most dog owners know that inside of a dog's smash is a vein called the quick. This vein is the source of blood and all of your feet. If you lot're lucky, and aye – when it comes to dog nails, yous can really get lucky – your domestic dog will accept white or clear nails that make information technology possible to come across the quick from the outside.

The quick is where the pink part of the smash begins – trim just beneath this line.

But for many of us, our dogs either have one or more nails that are all black, making it incommunicable to encounter where the quick is from the outside of the nail. In this case, the all-time method is to trim piddling by little, which we'll cover in the adjacent section.

How to trim?
So we know what to utilise, when to use it, and kind of where to cut information technology, at present – what is the all-time technique? If this is the get-go time you lot're trimming your dog's nails, or you already know they're are a bit nervous when it comes to a pawdicure, you'll want to contain some positive reinforcement grooming outset before diving in. Here is a video that shows how to desensitize your dog to the thought of boom trimming and create a positive experience for them.

"If your dog has nails that are naturally very dry out and scissure or flake often, information technology'southward all-time to clip the nails later on a bath when they are still moistened, this tin can help preclude further cracking" – Detroit Canis familiaris Groomer, Brittany

If you lot have a small domestic dog or tiny puppy, the easiest way to cut will be in your arms with nail scissors. This video below shows how to apply nail scissors on a calm and collected dog.

"When clipping, always get-go tedious and work your manner up. A lot of the time you tin gauge how much to take off by the neighboring nail y'all accept already trimmed. Sometimes, dorsum nails need less off than front nails because of how dogs conduct their weight." – Detroit Dog Groomer, Brittany

For dogs with blackness nails, trimming little by little is the merely fashion to go. This video will show you lot how to spot the quick from the inside of the nail.

Unfortunately, it is very piece of cake for a dog to have a bad experience with smash trimming. Either they've had their nails cut too short in the by which caused hurting and bleeding, or they were restrained as well aggressively instilling fear into the process. Whatever the reason for your dog's fear, know that is is very common and virtually dog owners struggle with boom trimming at home.

Groomer Brittany says,"The big thing to retrieve is that even one foot or one blast a day is a big achievement when working with a dog who doesn't similar having information technology done. There is definitely plenty of fourth dimension to work on building that trust with a canis familiaris in making this a positive and productive process, then don't rush and stress either of yourselves out. Try to approach information technology as confidently equally you can because your dog will selection up on whatever and all of the energy you put out there."

If your dog is very much opposed to having their nails trimmed, getting someone to help gently restrain your dog while talking to them, or feeding them something yummy like peanut butter, tin can make a big departure. Here are Detroit Dog Groomers Lisa and Najee working together to trim a dog'due south nails.

If your dog is more than than nervous with blast trims and behaves aggressively, you may need to incorporate cage preparation with them. This video below shows you how to first train your dog to tolerate wearing a cage, then how to safely restrain a fearful dog to trim their nails.

Finishing Touches
Once you've finished trimming your dog's nails with clippers, you can move on to using a dremel. The sound of the dremel can exist scary for some dogs, so a blast file can exist used instead if needed.

"Always make sure that the hair is pushed dorsum on long coated/hairy footed pups. This can be washed with pantyhose, or even a plastic bag and all you do is poke the nails through. This is all extremely important when using the bombardment operated nail filer to preclude hair, body parts, or other objects from getting defenseless in the parts that spin." – Detroit Dog Groomer, Brittany

Filing your domestic dog's nails will help you get closer to the smash's quick, and the closer you trim to the quick, the further this vein will recede making it possible for shorter nails.

If your dog's nails are long, your dog will more than likely tolerate dremeling if you prune them commencement, then dremel as a finishing tool. But, if your dog's nails are already brusque, or known to accept long quicks, dremeling tin aid maintain that shortness and assist the quick recede.

In addition to achieving a shorter nail, the dremel can assistance with shaping and rounding out the edges, making information technology more pleasant for us humans when our dog jumps up or sits on our lap. Allowing your dog walk or run on concrete can have a similar effect.

Help! My dog'south blast is bleeding!
If y'all stop up cutting into your dog's quick, stay at-home. Y'all'll want to have styptic powder on hand to dip the nail into. Dipping the private boom into styptic pulverization non only coagulates the blood and stops the flow, it helps creates a clog at the bottom of the vessel which will prevent leaner from entering the blood vessel.

If your domestic dog's nail was cut severely short and it will non end bleeding, contact your vet function for farther management.

You've got this!
At Canine to Five, we believe in yous and know that you can trim your domestic dog's nails at home! But if your dog has other ideas, our Detroit Training Salon offers boom trims with haircuts, baths, equally a walk-in service, or while your canis familiaris is with us for doggy daycare or overnight dog boarding.

Recommended Products

Principal Grooming Tools Pet Nail Scissors (for pocket-size dogs or tiny puppies)
Master Grooming Tools Nail Clipper Due west/Teal Handle (for medium to large dogs)
Millers Forge Big Boom Clipper W/Orange Handle (for medium to large dogs)
Dremel 7300-Due north/5 iv.8V MiniMite Cordless Rotary Tool
Coastal Pet Products DCPW6112 Stainless Steel Safari Diamond Dog Nail File
Primal Laboratories Remedy+Recovery Styptic Powder (1.5 Oz)
Phenomenon Care Kwik Stop Styptic Solution

Loved this blog postal service? Check out our At-Domicile Guide to Brushing Your Canis familiaris!