How to trim a dog's nails: ways, tools, tips

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Dog owners know that trimming their pet's nails is no easy task. Therefore, many of them prefer to go to a veterinary clinic and entrust the procedure to a specialist.

But if you want to learn how to take care of a four-legged dog yourself and strive to learn how to properly trim your dog's nails, the following information will be useful to you.

Anatomy of claws

Before answering the question of how to cut a dog's claws, you should familiarize yourself with their structure. The correctness of actions during the procedure will depend on this knowledge. There are three types of claws in dogs:

• Feline - they have a curved tip.
• Curved - arched.
• Hare - straight and sharp.

The first and second types are typical for service breeds, and the third - for decorative ones.

Claws are important to a dog. They affect the placement of the paw and its grip on the ground while walking and running.

The consequences of long claws

What happens if you don't trim your pet's claws? If the animal is active and often on the street, then nothing bad will happen. But if the dog is a toy breed and moves little, the consequences can be catastrophic. Lack of nail trimming can lead to these problems:

• With the musculoskeletal system. Long claws, resting on the floor, put the fingers in an unnatural position. Each step will be given with difficulty, clubfoot will begin. A shift in the center of gravity will lead to deformation of the joints and changes in the spine.
• Severe injuries. Most dogs have a fifth toe on their front paws. If the nails are not trimmed, the long, curved claw may catch on something and cause injury to the animal.
• Loss of balance while walking and running. Short claws provide support when moving, while long claws break the balance.
• Knocking on the floor while walking. This is a small thing, but can cause significant discomfort to family members, for example, at night when the animal gets up to drink.

Required tools

How to trim a dog's nails? This question is not easy, and the process itself is very delicate. Often dogs are afraid of trimming their claws, and therefore they actively resist, which greatly complicates the procedure. Therefore, you need to prepare and tune in advance for cutting the claws of an animal.

Regular scissors won't work. Special nail cutters have been created for cutting the nails of dogs. When choosing a tool in a store, you should pay attention to the material of manufacture. The harder the met althe slower the blades will dull. At a minimum, steel should be preferred, brass is even better.

Next, look at the metal coating and the shape of the handles. The blades are treated with chrome - this is the best option. It is bad if the tool is not covered at all, it will cause rust over time.

The handles should be rubberized to ensure comfort for the wearer when cutting.

The nail cutter is selected depending on the size of the pet and the thickness of its claws. All tools are divided into two types:

• The first variety resembles scissors or secateurs. The nails are trimmed by clamping them between the blades of the tool. Squeezing the handles, cut the claw plate.
• The second variety is similar to cigar scissors, they are also called guillotine. The claw is placed in the hole, the handle is squeezed and cut off.

There are also nail files. For dogs, they are made with a large coating.

It should also be said about electric tools. Such scratching posts have a grinding stone, with which you can grind the claws to the desired length. However, the disadvantages of the tool should also be taken into account. They are expensive, make a noise during operation that frightens the dog, and the claws heat up from friction. So not all pets will agree to such manipulation.

What else is useful?

Before trimming the dog's claws, in addition to tools, also prepare:

• Alcohol for instrument sterilization. The cutting parts of the nail cutters should be wiped with any alcohol-containing compound.
• Special powder to stop bleeding. It can be purchased at a pet store.
• Treat to reward or distract. Pieces of boiled meat or your dog's favorite food will do.
• And you will probably need an assistant to hold the animal.

Find the right moment

Before answering the question of how to trim a dog's nails, it's also important to figure out when to do it at all. Of course, the dog should be in a calm and relaxed state. It is better if it is after a walk or a hearty dinner, when the animal does not show aggression. Then the dog will be able to wait until the end of the procedure and will not resist.

Many dog breeders are wondering how to cut a dog's nails at home and not injure the animal. It is important to support the pet, so the owner should encourage and calm the dog. You need to talk with the four-legged calmly and confidently. Cut the plate carefully, little by little.

If this is the first procedure for a dog, the pet should be prepared for it in advance. First, the owner needs to take the dog by the paws and just hold them. The pet will get used to the touch and will not be nervous.

Then you can move on to getting to know the nail cutter. You need to take it and apply it to the paws of the four-legged.

Cutting process

Having prepared the instrument and calmed the animal, you can proceed to the procedure. It is very important for the owner to know how to cut the claws of the dog. There are a few things to keep in mind during the process:

1. First, you should determine the location of the cut. It is important here not to touch the living part of the claw. If the claw plates are light tones, then this area is a pinkish stripe at the center of the claw. In dark dogs, everything is more difficult - you just have to not cut your nails too short.
2. You need to cut at an angle of 45 °. At the same time, they take off a little bit, 0.5 mm each, so as not to hurt the blood vessels.
3. When performing the procedure, do not touch the area between the claws. This tickles the animal and the pet will vomit.
4. Don't squeeze the dog's paw too hard, otherwise the animal will try to run away. The pet must understand that you do not want to harm him. Let the movements be confident, but careful.
5. To cut the dog's claws on the hind legs, the animal is placed on its side. Some owners get help from someone else who can hold the dog during the procedure. It is very inconvenient for one to do this: if the animal twitches and tries to run away, it can injure itself.

This is a short guide on how to trim your dog's nails at home.

Nuances of the procedure

Before trimming a dog's claws, you need to study their shape and understand how best to cut them, how much to step back from the edge. It is important to learn the technique of cutting. Do not cut at a large angle oron the side, it may cause delamination.

You need to cut from top to bottom. Not all dog nail clippers make it clear exactly where the tool touches the claw, so you should be careful not to cut off the excess and not to touch the live part of the plate. It is better to leave too much than to hurt the animal. After all, an injured dog will never again agree to such a procedure.

After cutting, the edges of the claws become uneven. To make them smooth, file them down with a file.

It's important to understand that not every dog needs regular nail trimming. It depends on the activity of the animal, the breed, the thickness of the claw plate. Some dogs manage to wear off their nails naturally while walking. Therefore, the question of how often to cut the claws of a dog is purely individual. Nevertheless, it is worth stopping there.

Frequency of the procedure

Some dogs require nail trimming once every two weeks. But this is more the exception than the rule. On average, the frequency is once every one to three months. You can visually determine the need for nail trimming.

As already noted, the claws can grind off during walks. But this is not always the case. The need for trimming the claws will be indicated by a change in the dog's gait, difficulty walking.

Leaving excessively long claws untrimmed is also dangerous because the animal can break the plate by accident, causing injury and other negative he alth consequences.

In addition to nail cutters, you can use grinding tools, which were mentioned above. They grind down the claw and lengthen the period until its next haircut. The principle of their action is the same as that of a nail file.

Injury First Aid

What should I do if the owner touched the live part of the claw during trimming and started bleeding? The dog experiences pain, and an infection can get into the wound. Therefore, the cut site should be immediately treated with powder to stop bleeding. Do not use peroxide, iodine, brilliant green, these liquids will increase the pain.

If the animal breaks out, do not hold it, let it run away and calm down. This will reduce the level of pain. And the owner will be able to prepare the powder during this time. If not, you can sprinkle the wound with ordinary flour.

It is worth talking to the pet, calming him down, treating him with a treat. The wound is treated with hemostatic powder. After that, the dog needs to lie down to stop the bleeding.

If your dog won't let you cut his nails after being stressed, it might make sense to take him to the veterinary clinic for this procedure.