Clipping a dogs long nails?

my friend has a dog and i just recently noticed that they NEVER clip her nails. they are creepily long -id say about an inch long. i want to clip them but i am not sure if because they have not been clipped for so long the quick has grown longer as well??<br />
i mean it makes sense that the quick wouldnt grow w/ the nail, but i just want the assurance that im not gonna hurt the dog.<br />
thanks.<br />
ok cool, yeah i really hate watching ppl clip dog nails cuz im always so worried that the quick is gonna be cut. and i guess it also does make sense that it will grow w/ the nail..sense it was my first thought... ha.<br />
ah yeah, her nails are black. thats why i was wondering. ill have to tell them to take her to get em clipped, or take her on a " walk" and drop by myself. ha.<br />

The quick does grow out with the nail, so be careful how much you clip off.

I take my dogs to petsmart once a month or so to get their nails clipped. They charge 8 bucks a dog, which is totally worth it, because it is a terrible job.

Be careful, longer the dog toenails are the longer the quick is going to be. Sometimes they are so long that a vet has to take care of it.

get one of those pedipaws. I got mine from wal mart and it really works great. My dog hates the clippers even though he has never gotten them clipped to short that it hit the quick. The pedipaws takes longer but it works great and painless

If they're white nails - you can usually see where the quick ends. If they're black nails, you will just have to take a little off at a time until you see a ring in the center - then you're getting close to the quick and need to take a break. It might not be a bad idea to pay a groomer or vet clinic the $10 if they're really long and the dog may be wiggly. Otherwise, if you want to do it yourself, invest in a good pair of clippers and some clotisol or quickstop. Best wishes!<br />
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Edit: In response to some of the other answers: Yes, the dog does need to have its nails clipped - otherwise they can get caught on something and tear off - then you have a bloody mess and a painful dog. Also - the PediPaws is a nice idea, but they don't work very good. If they dog weighs less than 10 pounds they work OK if you don't have to take much off - but, if you have any significant nail that needs to be taken off or if it's a larger dog the PediPaws is junk!

I would probably leave them.. The nails arent hurting the dog but if they are that long, there is a good chance that the nerves have grown out as well and it will hurt the dog to clip them now and cause bleeding

Your best bet would be to take the dog somewhere to get the nails cut (assuming the family will let you). Let them know that long nails can actually hurt the dog. I'm not sure if the quick would grow with the nail or not. I would think no, but I'm not sure. If you take the dog somewhere like the vet or petsmart they can cut them for you. I take my dog to petsmart and they grind his nails. That way his nails are rounded off so they don't splinter and they are shorter than they would be if they were cut.

If they are clear you will see the quick. It will be pink and you want to stay above it. If they are black... take the dog to the vet for a nail trim. Its hard to tell someone where to cut with out seeing them myself. If you don't cut nails on a regular basis, you won't have the experience. You WILL quick the dog. Have them done by a groomer or take the dog to the vet. Tell your friend to take better care of her dog.

I'd take her to a groomer if they are long, it's not expensive. If you don't trust groomers a vets office will do it for pretty cheap. If you wanna do it yourself have the dog stand in a bath with warm water on its feet to make the nails softer. Then cut off small amounts at a time. The quick does grow with the nail. If they are black nails I wouldn't even try it myself.

They need to take the dog to a groomer or the vet. The dog will need corrective clipping over a period of time to get the nails back to where they should be without damaging the quick. The dew claws can grow in a complete circle or into the paw if left unclipped. I go to the vet and they just charge $12.

Just clip a little bit off making sure not to go low enough to hit the quick(about half way to the quick).Then maybe after two or three weeks later clip a little more off,again, making sure you don't hit the quick.If you cannot see the quick(I have never had a dog with nails where I couldn't see the quick)then by all means,take it to the vet and have them do it.

The quick will grow as the nail gets longer. You will have to clip small amounts gradually. This may take a few weeks. I would suggest taking her to a groomer and tell them you would like her nails grinded. I am a groomer and I use a dremel tool (like pedi-paws) to grind their nails instead of clip them. I am able to grind them back farther than I would be able to clip them and there is less chance the dog will bleed. Most groomers do not charge much just for nails.

When a dogs nails get that long it takes a long process to clip them without clipping the quick. The quick grows with the nail so you have to clip just a small amount off the end of the nail. A week from then you clip off another small amount because the quick has moved back some. Then the next week you clip even more because the quick has moved back even more.<br />
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It can be a lengthy process but it's better than clipping the quick.

What I do with my dog is I lay her on her back when I'm going to clip her nails so I can see her and she can see me and she is comfortable. She gets very nervous when we clip her nails because when I first learned how, she jolted and I cut off a little too much and her nail started bleeding. <br />
What I've learned works best is cutting off little by little of the nail with the special dog nail clipper, until I see the slightest bit of lighter nail or white. It might be easier with my dog since her nails are black, but just pay close attention to any change in color. In case you're scared of making her bleed, you can try buying that special powder for dogs when you clip their nails. You get a Q-tip, dip it in the powder and apply it to the nail and it will stop the bleeding. It's called Stiphic Powder (that's what it says on the bottle my vet gave me) or Styptic Powder (what the internet says). There's a brand called Quick Stop specially made for this, so if you cut it too short, no worries. It just helps the blood clot to stop the bleeding.