A Beginner’s Guide to Cutting a Dog’s Nails
If you finally adopted a dog but have no idea as to the proper way of cutting a dog’s nails, this article will help. Your dog’s nails are no different from your nails. In other words, both have a quick underneath the nail bed, which consists of nerves and blood vessels. If you were to trim your own nails, going too short would be painful and cause bleeding. The same is true for your pet so once you determine where the quick is, the process of cutting a dog’s nails is actually quite simple.
It is also important to provide your dog with time outdoors, which will help wear the nails down so they would not need to be trimmed as often. However, even when your dog runs in the yard and on the sidewalk during the evening walk, you will still need to learn the right and wrong way of cutting a dog’s nails. Next, make sure you purchase the right cutting tool. You can visit any pet store or pet supply store, finding nail trimmers that are easy to hold and maneuver, which means you get the cut done right the first time.
The best time to start cutting a dog’s nails is as a puppy so he becomes accustomed to the routine. If your dog was adopted older or has sensitive feet, you could always take him to a reputable pet store or the veterinarian to have the nails cut. Otherwise, you want to place your dog securely in your lap so he feels safe and comfortable. Then, spend a minute or two just petting the dog’s feet so he has no problem. This should be done for a few minutes several times a week until it is time to cut the nails. You should also allow your dog to smell the trimmers so he would not be afraid of them.
If your dog has white nails, it is easy to tell where the quick starts and stop. For cutting a dog’s nails in this case, you would position the trimmer so it cuts just above the pink quick, squeezing the trimmer quickly so you get a clean cut. Now, if your dog has black nails, the process is a little more challenging. If you look on the underside of the nail, you can see the difference in how the nail looks. However, when cutting a dog’s nails when they are black, always cut less than you think just in case.
It is important that once you start cutting a dog’s nails, you keep them cut short at least every two weeks. The reason is that if the nails were allowed to grow out, the quick also grows. Therefore, each time the nails are not cut back and the quick extends, before long the nail would still be long after cutting it to accommodate the quick. You also want to make sure that after cutting a dog’s nails, you always offer praise so he will know this was a good situation. In fact, a small treat would be a great reward.
Finally, after cutting a dog’s nails and nicking the quick to the point of bleeding, it is important to get the bleeding stopped right away. You can purchase a special powder product also sold at pet and pet supply stores. However, you could also use corn starch or baking soda. After cutting a dog’s nails and nicking the quick, create a mound of the powder being used in the palm of your hand.
Then, press the dog’s nail into the powder, packing it and holding it tight. Keep packing the powder tight to the nail, which helps seal off the nick that stops the bleeding. Typically, the bleeding would stop very quickly but if at any point after cutting a dog’s nails the quick bleeds and you cannot get it stopped, you need to make a trip to the veterinarian.