Things You'll Need
- Bright light
- Small treats
- Muzzle (optional)
- Nail clippers
- Assistant
- Styptic pencil
Instructions
Place a bright light to shine on the area where you will be cutting the dog's nails. Make sure the light will not shine in the dog's face.
Speak soothingly to your dog as you place it in position to have its nails trimmed. Give your dog lots of praise and small treats throughout the entire nail cutting session.
Muzzle your dog if you feel it is at all inclined to bite. Some dogs that are very gentle under normal circumstances will bite if you handle their paws or if you hurt them by cutting the nail too short. Use a muzzle that allows the dog to take a small training tidbit while wearing it. The treats must be tiny and soft, of a melt-in-the-mouth texture, such as freeze-dried liver or thin slivers of hot dog.
Have an assistant restrain your dog reassuringly but firmly enough that it can't wrestle free. Direct the assistant to stand behind and over the dog and place one hand slightly above the bend of your dog's elbow to prevent the dog from pulling its paw away. Have the assistant place his other hand around the dog's muzzle and lightly hold the dog's face away from you as you cut its nails.
Cut tiny bits off the nail instead of one big chunk, so you can better see when you've cut enough. It is sometimes difficult to see the quick even with light-colored nails.
Trim the tiniest bit off the tips once a week once the nails are the proper length. Generally, dogs require nail trimming every two to four weeks but weekly trimmings aid in training the dog to relax during the process and you are less likely to cut the quick.