Keeping up with your dogs hygiene is very important. When it comes to the nails some dogs are willing to let you trim away and others may run and hide.
The dogs who welcome the trim are much easier customers but for those who are squeamish, there are certain tactics to make your job just a little easier.
Keeping your dogs nails well manicured is important to the comfort of your dog. When their nails are too long it may make it uncomfortable to walk and force your dog to hold their ankles or paws in an un-natural position to account for the overgrown nails. This can cause foot or leg injuries, or discomfort to you dog.
It is advised to begin cutting your dogs nails as a young pup to familiarize them with the process. This will help alleviate the stress and fear associated with the manicure as well. If you have an older dog or pup who has already had a bad experience with the clippers you have to begin with a trust building exercise. The sight or sound of the clippers may send your dog into anxiety overload. Try taking the clippers to your pup a few times a day for only a minute and gently tapping them on his nails( no cutting). This will familiarize them with the sight and sound of the clipper, so when cutting day comes they associate the clipper with a painless experience, and are less willing to fight you or hide under the bed.
You can’t go wrong with bribery! Pick a special treat associated ONLY with manicures. This will be very special to your dog, and he will look forward to his special treat from you for being a good customer.
To properly restrain the unwilling customer without hurting them, an advised method is to place them on a table and stand to the side of table, drape your cutting arm over the dogs upper body and place your free forearm over their neck to keep them from worming and wiggling around.
Next, place you hand around the foot at the ankle, make sure you have a firm grasp to avoid the dog jerking his foot away from you. Stabilize the nail you are about to cut by putting your fingers under the pad of his foot, and your thumb on the toe you are about to cut.
Once they are secured, take your guillotine type trimmer, and gently place the nail into the circle hole of the trimmer. The trimmers handle should be pointed towards the floor for the correct 45 degree angle. It is important to make sure the blade of the trimmer is facing you and not the dog to ensure an accurate cut. Quick tip to make sure the blade is facing the right way, is that the screw on the clipper should be facing your dog.
Dogs have two types of toenails , light colored toenails which are the great when it comes to cutting, and dark colored toe nails. The color of the nail originates from the color of the hair on that toe. To do a proper cut you want to cut within 2 ml of the quick. The quick is the blood vessel or pink you can see in the lightly colored toenails. Accidentally hitting the quick will cause bleeding and pain to you dog, and most likely make him not want to let you near his feet anymore!
When it comes to the dark colored toenails don’t try to do the nail in one clip, take several small cuts to avoid running into the quick.
Nails on the back paws generally grow much slower then the front, so less frequent or smaller clips will be necessary for these feet.
If you accidently hit the quick do not panic. Without treatment the bleeding will stop on its own in about 5 minutes. You can use a styptic pencil or powder containing silver nitrate to stop the bleeding faster if you have on hand. Simply hold on the tip of the nail and gently rotate until the bleeding stops. If you do not have this product in your house a simple cornstarch or flour dabbed on the tip of the nail will also help to stop the bleeding. Most important is keep him off the foot for at least 15 minutes. Walking on the foot will increase the blood flow and cause the bleeding to carry on heavier and longer. It is OKAY if they lick the toe, it will keep them busy so they wont be walking around!
Both you and your dog will grow more confident in nail trimming when you trust each other and continue to have successful cuts. Take your time, talk gently with you dog threw the process, and try to make it something fun for you and your pet to do!
