How to clip your dog's nails

If you have a very active dog, then there is a chance that they will rarely need clip their nails, as they will be naturally worn down by plenty of running about outside. You will probably need to maintain your dog's nails by cutting them once every two to three weeks or every one week. If they have nails which are too long, then you will find that they will be showing visible signs of pain when walking and running, as their nails will be pushing back up in their toes as they make contact with surfaces.

Why clip?

The consequences of your dog having long nails that come in contact with surfaces could have a serious effect on their body posture. Dogs usually sense that when their nails are touching a surface, they must being going up a hill, and so their body adjusts accordingly. This is thrown all out of sync when their nails are constantly curving down to the ground's surface, and they can therefore develop weaknesses, strains and a general lack of stability because of these unnecessary body posture movements.

Careful, gentle and lots of contact

So how do you actually get the job done then? Well, first of all, it is best to use scissor style clippers, preferably smaller sized clippers as they are easier to control. The larger nail clippers are mainly for bigger breeds. You must make sure that they are sharp.

When you get to the actual clipping, make lots of contact initially with your dog's paw without cutting any nails yet, simply holding the paw firmly but gently, offering lots of praise and treats, and getting your dog comfortable with the feel of the clipper simply near and on their nails. Then when you start, clip in frequent and small increments, holding the paw and clipping at a 45 degree angle. And cut no further when you can see the white insides of the nail and a small black dot in the centre.

Take a look at the video below from DIYPetGrooms to see how to trim both dark and clear dog nails.

Focus on the insensitive nail

You want to make sure that you are cutting the insensitive nail rather than the 'quick' which is the sensitive area in the middle which will bleed if cut. The key is to look out for the chalky outer ring - this will be the insensitive area which you will be wanting to clip, going no further than that. This goes for filing too, where you should be aware of only making contact with the insensitive area. This is why it is always best to trim your dog's nails in a well lit room or outside in bright sunlight. And if your dog has hairy nails, it is best to remove this hair with for example some children's blunt scissors or otherwise your clippers will be significantly blunted in the process of trimming.

A bit of TLC

As you are clipping the nails, don't squeeze your dog's toes to tightly, as this will be uncomfortable or painful for your dog. Do however gently separate your dog's toes with your fingers so that they are easier for you to get at precisely. The gentleness and the loving care is the main thing with this whole process, and this is why the treat-giving is so crucial. This will not only allow you to reward them for sitting still and not protesting so much, but it will also reinforce this behaviour for the next time.

And indeed, if you do always fill nail-clipping time with treats & lots of praise and love, then your dog will begin to link it all together, and before you know it they will not see it as something to resist. Also, if you do happen to cut the quick, leading to a bit of bleeding, just remember that your dog will be fine, so you shouldn't panic or beat yourself up too much. The dog will be in a lot of pain, but you should simply focus on applying a nail cauterizer — a tool that stops the bleeding by applying heat or styptic powder with a cotton swab as soon as possible. And after that you should just be quick with the next round of treats!