Safest Way to Clip Dog Nails

Nail care is a very important part of your dog's hygiene routine. However, clipping your dog's nails the wrong way can seriously damage the claws and cause your pet severe pain in the process. There are many different theories on the best way to clip a dog's nails without causing pain, but safety comes first.

  1. Training

    • Before we get into the technicalities of trimming your pet's nails, let's touch on some basics. It is very important to start a hygiene routine with your pets when they are young if at all possible. Training your pets to sit while having their nails trimmed and getting them accustomed to having someone hold them and touch them with foreign objects is much easier to do when they are little than when they are adults.

    Frequency

    • It is important to trim your dog's nails frequently. Canine nails tend to grow quickly and should be cut every three to four weeks. The longer the nails get, the longer the quick--the area just beneath the nail where the nerves and blood vessels are located--becomes. If the quick becomes too long, the amount of nail you can trim off without cutting into the quick will become very limited.

    Tools

    • The first step in trimming your canine's nails, and probably most important step, is to sit by your dog and gently stroke his back. Making your dog as comfortable as possible is crucial in getting a nice cut. Once your pet is comfortable and you are able to apply slight pressure on the paws, you can introduce the tools to your pet. You will need special pet nail trimmers and/or scissor trimmers. There are two basic types of nail clippers: guillotine and scissors. Although the guillotine type is probably easier to use, because it has a ring you can use as a guide for clipping the nail, the scissor type must be used if the nail has started curling in a circle toward the dog's pad or paw.

    Procedure

    • Hold your pet's paw in one hand. (Put your pet on a table or on your lap if possible.) Hold the nail trimmer at a slight angle, and gently cut the nail within about two millimeters of the quick. Once you can see a pink or grey oval on the top of the nail, do not cut any further, or you will cut the quick. If you accidentally cut the quick, use a dry cloth with silver nitrate to stop any bleeding.