trimming my dog's nails?

our dog's nails seem to grow rather fast, about every 2 weeks they are needed to be trimmed again. he's a puppy, so i don't know if thats the reason for his nails growing so fast (my other dog's nails don't grow nearly as fast as his) so we take the pup to the vets to get his nails cut, which is about 5 dollars every two weeks.

instead of spending all that money we're considering cutting his nails at home, but is that a wise choice?

do many of you do this, and if so, any tips on what kind of nail trimmers to buy and how far i should cut the nail, and how to keep him calm...etc.

Only if you know how to cut them correctly.

If I was you I would spend a little extra money, and have the groomer cut your dogs nails, I have four dogs, and they have the same ordeal. Good luck girlie.

of course!! tons of people cut their dog's nails at home!! if he has white nails only cut the white part... don't get too close to the pink part
if he has black nails its a bit of a guessing game... i have always been told to just cut off the curved part (you can also ask your vet for a little lesson)

give him praise and have someone help you... make it an enjoyable event with lots of treats and kisses and praise... you should do fine!


EDIT: personally i like to use a pair similar to these:http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750651&cp=2767032.2767075&fbx=0&fbn=Type+1%7CNail+Care&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767075&f=PAD%2FType+1%2FNail+Care&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1

however my mom likes to use a pair like these w/out the "quicksensor technology":
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750636&cp=2767032.2767075&fbx=0&fbn=Type+1%7CNail+Care&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767075&f=PAD%2FType+1%2FNail+Care&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1


if you are worried about cutting the quick you could try a pair with the "quicksensor technology" or get a grooming kit with a file sich as this one:http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752788&cp=2767032.2767075&fbx=0&fbn=Type+1%7CNail+Care&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767075&f=PAD%2FType+1%2FNail+Care&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1

i hav a dog too, he is impossible to calm down. when we have to cut his nails, it takes about 3 people, one to hold him down, one to dangle a treat in front of him and one actully to cut his nails. If you can distract him he will gradually let u cut his them. dont cut too close, b/c there is apparently a vein running through the nail. it also depends how big ur dog is, and ur realationship with him. (or her) good luck with that!

Im sure it's not a problem..My puppy's nails grow at such same rate...I have a nail-cutter for dogs...I cut her nails when it gets long...Why not buy such nail-cutter...and finely trim it every 2-3 months?

my father cuts my dogs nails all the time.you should only cut about 1/10 of an inch or more depending on how long they are, but you can buy nails clippers from almost any pet store. as to keeping it calm lay it down and have another person there petting and talking to it when you are finished give it a treat(pigs ears cookies ect.)

Well. i have a dog and he is 3 years old now, when he was a little puppy he had the same problem. I would keep on going to the vet/grooming place where trim nails. I would because we used to have guinea pigs and whenever my mom cut her nails they started bleeding. If you want to do them yourself, cut a little bit off and leave about a half inch from his paws so they do not bleed like my guinea pigs. Hope that helped!

I trim mine all the time. I have 6 dogs to do, so taking them to the vet would get to be a bit much.....funny thing is, I work at a large animal veterinary hospital, and I have to cut the doctors' dogs' nails too. :O) It's really not rocket science. Either watch closely when it's done to see how far back they cut, or even ask them if they will show you how. If your dog has white nails, it's easy....just don't clip into the pink part and you'll be fine. :O)

I would first watch the vet do your dogs nails so that you can actually see it being done. The MOST important things to keep in mind: Watch out for the quick! If your dog has light colored nails you are in luck-you can actually see the quick. If they have black nails (like my dogs) just nip off the VERY ends on a regular basis to be on the safe side. Do it confidently, but carefully and pleasantly. Here is a great link-



http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/dog_nails.aspx


Oh, and having someone let your dog slowly lick a little bit of peanut butter at a time is a great distraction!

We have 4 dogs, and their nails all grow at a different rate. If your dog's nails are white- GREAT! It's the easist thing ever! The dog's quick is the pink in the center of the white nail. Around the quick is a sheath that protects it. You will want to cut below the sheath in order to avoid pain. Cutting the sheath will cause pain, cutting the quick will cause bleeding and pain.

If your dog's nails are black, or a dark color, then I would use a dremel tool. (You can get nail grinding tools at pet stores for twice the price, but it's the same tool- stick with the dremel and save the money.) The dremel will be strange to the dog, and might tickle, but if you are patient, you can work through it.

I would get the dremel tool and lots of treats. Sit in the floor with your dog and turn the tool on, but don't use it. Give the dog lots of treats- as long as the tool is on, the treats keep coming. When the tool is turned off, the treats go away. If the dog is fine with this, then touch the side of the tool to dog's leg. (Make sure the rotating head doesn't get caught in the hair.) Once again, treats as long as the tool is touching dog's body.

Once the dog is okay with these steps, then start with one toenail. You can grind down and round off the tip. You will notice that the dog will pull back when you get close to the sheath. (Heat builds up and when it gets to the sheath, the dog can feel the heat and pulls back)- Start slow, with only a toenail or two- and make sure he gets lots of treats for this- do maybe a couple of nails a night until you get them all do. Work up to doing a full foot at a time.

You can have someone give him constant treats while doing this.

Good luck, and don't be nervous about it. It's easier to get the dog's hair caught in the dremel than it is to hurt the nail this way.

I cut our smaller dogs nails.. Like above said, you have to be VERY careful on how much you cut off, since your doing it yourself just cut off alittle bit (like when you put the cutter on the nail you should just be able to see the nail on the other side). You can always cut off more later. and a great comment made above about having your vet show you, they should be more them happy to do so. Make sure you praise your puppy after, since hes going to have his nails cut for years to come you want him to assosiate it with a fun thing, and not a bad thing.

Ask to be shown how or watch your Vet cut them next time. If his nails are white (like humans) just cut off the white tip, try not to hit the quick or he will bleed. This does happen sometimes, you can use quick stop or apply some flour or corn starch to the nail to help it clot.

If the nails are black, it's a bit harder to tell where the quick is. Start off by clipping small amounts at a time. Look at the nail "head on" and if you begin to see white or pink, don't cut anymore.

Yes! It's a very wise choice once you learn how to cut them correctly. You can buy dog/cat nail trimmers from the pet store, some Vet's even sell them.

Here's a link
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/dog_nails.aspx

If you want to save yourself the money thats perfectly fine..I do my dogs nails and they are fine with it.

As far as how far to cut them and the right trimmers to use..I suggest you ask your vet or a groomer. They will be able to point out where teh quik is on your dog and be able to explain how to properly hold the trimmers.

For ways to help keep your dog calm while doing them...you can try giving him a treat after you do a few nails...this way he associates getting his nails trimmed as a good thing...after a while you can slowly go down top giving him a treat per paw and then one for letting you doing all of it.

We cut our dog's nails at home. It is super easier. I would suggest making an appointment with the vet and having them show you how to cut them. As for any problems we use treats when we cut their nails and for every two nails they get cut we give them a treat. It seems to help with any behavioral issues we have had. Also playing with his paws when you aren't planning on cutting them is supposed to help keep them calmer when clipping too. Good Luck!

Ask your vet to show you how and then if you are comfortable doing it then thats no problem at all! Also ask your vet what to do in case you accidently cut one too short.

The link others left, had great information.

However the BEST nail clippers and best quality is:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750651&cp=2767032.2767075&fbx=0&fbn=Type+1%7CNail+Care&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767075&f=PAD%2FType+1%2FNail+Care&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1
Miller Forge Brand SCISSOR type nail clippers.
Gullotine nail clippers are usually dull and split the nail rather than cutting.

Yes, some dogs need their nails clipped every two weeks!!! It depends on their environment, whether the dog walks on hard surfure and it wearing the nails down naturally.

Ask your vet how to clip the nails properly or a friend who knows how to do it.

I clip pet nails daily... and no matter how good you are that doing it, some times you still hit the quik. Definately go to your local petstore or online store and order syptic power, called Kwik Stop or something along those lines. It will come in handy if this every happens.

Definately make nail clipping a GOOD experience and overly praise you pet when doing this for the first few times.

Some pets have to be heavily sedated or other crazy ways to have their pets nails clipped.

Good Luck!

We cut our dogs nails. Don't go with the cheap trimmers because they are complete crap. Other than that just find the style that works for you, we have about 5 that we've collected over the years and both me and my mom have our separate favorites. I'd also buy the stuff that stops the dogs nails from bleeding if you cut them too deep. I only cut as far down as I feel comfortable with, but in general you don't cut into the pink part (which is kind of obvious). My vet told us as soon as the color of the nail at the end gets a pinkish tint to stop, but I've never been able to tell the difference. If your dogs nails are white it is easier to judge when to stop. My labs nails are black so you can't see the quick. Just go slowly and judge when you need to stop (I usually just take off the part that sticks out on her nails). We haven't made our dogs nails bleed yet in the 7 years we've been cutting them, so it isn't as difficult as it may seem but I still get somewhat nervous when I'm doing the black nails. The only tips I have to keeping them calm is start slow, get them acclimated to the procedure, have someone pet them, and covering my labs eyes usually works.

Checkout quickfinder clippers. They work like a set of traffic lights red amber green. I use them on my bichons and they are fab