How to Trim a Dog’s Nails

Long nails are uncomfortable and prone to breaking or splitting, which often leads to infection. As such, trimming your dog's nails should be routine. This article provides a few pointers that could help you to do a professional job without harming your pet. We talk about the best tools to use and tips on how to handle your pet as you groom.

Step 1: Tools

Nail Clippers: Nail clippers come in a many designs for grooming different breeds. Guillotine-style nail clippers, for example, are suitable for grooming small dogs. Scissor and plier-type models cut thick nail cleanly and therefore are suitable for grooming larger pets. Select the best one for your pet.

Treats: Dogs are fussy animals. To subdue yours and ease the nail clipping process, you can use treats. A tasty and low-carb biscuit, for instance, works every time.

Septic and clotting powders: Septic and clotting powders are suitable for dressing wounds. They also offer quicker and better results compared to band-aids and natural remedies such as baking powder.

Step 2: Nail Trimming Process

Acclimatize your dog with nail clipping.

Whenever you are planning to clip its nails, reward his or her good behavior with a treat. Praising and grooming the dog will also help it to relax.

Hone your nail clipping skills. 

Dogs have a memory. If you do a bad job the first time, you will have a hard time clipping its nails the second, and third time. To avoid such issues, test the nail clipper before use. It should cut cleanly.

Keep nail clipping sessions short.

Ten to 15 minutes is enough. If you restrain your dog for longer, it might become restless and hard to handle. You also risk injuring your dog whenever it becomes restless.

Step 3: Personal/Dog Safety

Take the following precautions to maximize safety:

Learn how to hold and or use your clipper.

If you have slippery hands, wear gloves. Low-profile, half-finger ones are comfortable and easy to use.

To avoid irritating your dog, only clip its nails when necessary. Once or twice per month is enough.

While trimming nails, minimize the risk of injuries as much as possible. Do not cut an active area of a nail as this might cause excruciating pain. Stick to cutting dead (or white) areas of the nail only. 

Dark areas are active and therefore often contain rich nerve endings and or blood vessels.

Step 4: Post Clipping Care

Clean tools such as dog clippers after use. Flush them under running water to clear debris. You can then use spirit or any other antiseptic to clean biological matter such as blood to prevent infection.