Trimming a Dalmation's Nails

Dalmatians are an active breed and activity on certain surfaces will naturally wear down the dog's nails. Dalmatians have fast-growing nails so if they play primarily on grass or do not spend a significant amount of time on abrasive surfaces like cement, the toenails can become a problem. Long toenails can annoy a dog when it walks or runs and become painful in certain circumstances. Long toenails can snag and cause an injury to the toes or become ingrown. Using nail clippers designed especially for the thick nails of a dog, nails can be clipped and trimmed to make sure that they don't hurt or injure the dog.

Things You'll Need

• Dog nail clippers
• Emery board

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Lay the dog on its side so that you have easy access to the paws.

   • 2

     Push the middle pad of the paw to spread the toes and expose the nails.

   • 3

     On clear nails, position the dog nail clipper at a 45 degree angle just below the end of the pink triangle, which denotes the quick or blood vessel of the nail. Clip away the nail.

   • 4

     On dark nails, clip away small sections of nail at a time until you can see grayish pink color in the cross section of the clipped nail, which indicates that you are close to the quick.

   • 5

     File down rough edges or cracked parts of the nail with the emery board.