Tips On How To Trim Your Dog’s Nails

Tips On How To Trim Your Dog’s Nails

Preparing Your Pet

In order to trim the pet’s nails, we need to get the dog prepared for it first. We need to make sure that the pet’s nail trimming experience would be an enjoyable one and not a negative experience. There will be lots of resistance the next time you trim your pet’s nails if the first experience is negative. Whenever you make a good cut on your pet’s nail and you did not hurt your pet then give your pet a small treat. This is a great positive reinforcement. If the dog nail trimming experience is pretty good or somewhat pleasant then your pet will likely to get his nails cut again next time.

When To Trim Your Dog’s Nails

Whenever a nail is soaked in water for long periods of time, the nail becomes weaker or softer. The nail becomes easier to cut if exposed to water for a long time. It is a good idea to cut the dog’s nails after the pet takes a bath. This way, the nails will be softer and easier to cut. This will minimize the risks involved with cutting nails and will often mean less chance of an injury.

What To Do If The Nails Started Bleeding

The first thing we must do is not to worry too much, not become very anxious and try to relax more. A lot of people have made their pet’s nails bleed. It just happens sometimes since it is very hard to gauge the nerve on the nails at times. Even if you are very cautious, it can still happen. If the dog’s nails are very black, it is very easy to cut the nail too short. So if you cut the nail too short, your dog is going to get a little hurt. Don’t panic. I recommend using a styptic powder on the wound. A styptic powder will stop the bleeding and you don’t have to worry about the blood leaking into the floor or into the carpet of your house. One thing to keep in mind though is that some styptic powders sting a little so be prepared to calm your dog after applying it.

Types Of Dog Nail Clippers

Scissor Trimmers

I kind of like scissor type trimmers because they cut nails rather easily. The drawback is that, it is also easier to cut the nail too short. Scissor type trimmers are great for large dogs with large nails. If you use a machine rotary grinder on a large dog’s nail, you may be grinding for a long time. It is just not efficient. It is much better to use a scissor type on a large nail. Large pets will have thicker and bigger nails compared to other pets. Scissor types are very sharp and have enough pressure to cut very thick nails. I recommend making sure that the item that you are getting is made out of stainless steel and it is very sharp. A dull blade will increase the chance of mistakes and injuries. Stainless steel are known to be rust resistant which means that the item will last for a long time.

Guillotine Trimmers

I recommend using guillotine type trimmers on medium sized dogs or medium sized nails. They work like a guillotine. You basically put the nail into the hole and squeeze. The blade of the item will then lower to cut the nail. This type of trimmer is very easy to use. I don’t have a problem using one. Make sure that the item is very sharp though.

Nail Grinders

Nail grinders are very popular since they are very easy to use. The chance of hitting the quick is very low. The risk of making your dog bleed is highly unlikely. A lot of dogs are not scared of this type of trimmer as well. This is great for small dogs or small nails. Unfortunately, there is a bad news for this type of trimmer. There are a lot of counterfeit and knockoffs in the Internet. Some of them have very bad motor. Some do not have enough power and some will break easily. For example, the rotary motor will stop spinning the moment the dog’s nail touches the item. I listed a few good ones below that I know are very good.