Keeping your dog’s nails trimmed to an appropriate length is an important part of dog grooming. Long nails can cause various problems for your dogs. To start with, your dog would not be able to move around properly.
Why you need to trim your dogs’ nails
Walking will become unnatural and uncomfortable. It will cause substantial strain on their muscles and their spine unnecessarily. Just imagine the strain it will cause you when you try to walk with your toes curled under your feet.
Moreover, your dog will develop ingrown nails if the nails are allowed to grow too long, . These type of nails will eventually give rise to painful infections.
So, it is very important to start trimming your dog’s nails as early as possible, when they are young puppies. This will prevent many problems from occurring as they grow older.
How to introduce nail trimming to your dog
If this is the first time you are attempting to trim your dog’s nails, he may not be comfortable with the sight and sound of the nail clipper. This is especially so for puppies.
To get them comfortable, give them some treats to enjoy while you are clipping the clipper near their paws without actually clipping their nails. Do this until they have no more issues with the clipper.
What to be careful of
Be patient and take things slowly. Your dog needs time to get used to the clipper. You do not want to frighten your dog with it.
When clipping your dog’s nails, be careful not to clip the quick. This is the deeper part of the nail that has a different color. Some quick will appear pink while the actual nail will appear white. On others, it may appear black.
Your dog will experience tremendous pain if his quick is clipped, . And bleeding will occur that will last for hours.
Instead of clipping too much, too quickly, go slow. Make multiple small clips and slowly clip your way up. Be careful not to go too far up.
When is the right time to trim
Do not allow the dog’s nails to grow too long, regardless of their age. You can tell it is time to trim their nails when you can hear their claws clicking on the tile or concrete floor when they walk.
Another way to tell is to inspect their paws. If the nail grows beyond the pad of the paw, it is time to trim off the excess.
What to use
Both nail clippers and nail files are available for shortening your dog’s nails. It is up to you which one you prefer. Clippers can do the job faster. However, a file will be less likely to cause accidental cuts.
