Trimming nails is one of the essential parts of dog grooming. It also helps to keep your dog healthy & hygiene. It is a simple procedure that you do at home. But how to cut nails of dog properly?
It’s better to habit your dog nail trimming from a young age. Because it is a painful task for many dogs. But if they become used to such things from childhood, it will be easy to handle them.
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Make your dog comfortable in just 7 days
Your dog may afraid of nail trimming. To control him, you can give him treats and praises. With that, there is a 7 days routine that makes the nail trimming session super easy.
- Give your dog treats and praise on the first day. And let him sniff the nail clipper.
- On the second day, touch the nail clipper to your dog’s paw. Don’t forget to give him treats.
- The next day not only touches the nail clipper to the paw but also squeezes it. Make sure your puppy can hear the sound of that. You don’t trim the nail today. Just give your dog a vibrating feeling.
- Repeat the same process on the fourth day. And give your dog some treats.
- From one front paw nail, trimming off just the very tiniest part. If your dog lets you continue the process, you can sure do it. But if your dog doesn’t let you do it, trim just one nail per day.
- On day 6, you can try to trim two nails.
- On the 7th day, you can try to trim the nails one after one. In most cases, puppies are used to this session. But don’t force your dog if he minds. Wait for the day when he has no issue with it.
Is it important to trim a dog’s nails?
It is important to trim your dog’s nails. Otherwise, it can lead to pain and other dangerous issues. If his nails are too long, he can develop spine and posture problems.
He feels difficulty in walking, lameness, or serious injuries due to long nails. The movements of your dog also get limited for his long nails.
When you can see the dog’s nails touching the ground, then you can sure that your dog’s nails are too long. Also when you can hear the sound of the nails clicking, it’s time for trimming nails.
Trimming your dog’s nails properly
To trim your dog’s nails properly, you have to use comfortable and good quality tools. If you are a beginner in this task, you can ask for a tutorial from your nearest vet. Or you can read the whole article to find out your problems.
Pick up one of your dog’s paw firmly but gently. Hold the paw in a way that there is no fur with it.
Extends the nail by pushing your thumb and pushing your forefinger forward.
Just clip only the tip of the nail.
To save the quick, avoid clipping past the carve of the nail.
The essential guide of your dog’s nail trimming
The equipment you need
- Scissor
- Flashlight
- Paw balsam
- Clippers or grinders
After ready all the equipment, you need to ready your dog for trimming. If your dog gets nervous, give him some treats. You can also cuddle him to relax.
Define the cutting range
A dog’s nails are supplied with blood, so you have to define a safety range for trimming. If you place the clip in the wrong place, there may occur a serious accident.
The perfect cutting range ends next to the blood supply. Front paws are like overgrown nails. It’s better to cut parallel to the bottom.
Trimming Session
After ready, all the equipment, define the cutting range, and with a relaxed dog, you are now going to trim his nail. At a time you just take a small part. Give your dog a lot of treats for each trim.
One after one you have to trim the dog’s nails gradually. If you cut the all nails of your dog, and there is no blood and your dog also in a good mood. Then you can say that you did the work perfectly.
Finally, take some paw balsam, and soften the skin of your dog around the nails. It gives comfort to your puppy. To get the perfect result, trim the hair between the paws.
Reward your furry friend
Gives a reward to your dog is the best way to handle them. The treats can reduce the fair of your dog.
How often do you need to trim your dog’s nails?
With a long nail, it’s difficult to move. To give your dog comfort feeling, you need to trim his nail. When you can hear the sound of your dog’s clicks on the ground, that is the time you need to trim it.
However, all the breeds are not capable to trim at the same time. It depends on some factors:
- Dog breed
- Genetic factors
- How active your dog is
- Feeding habits of your dog
Normally you can trim your dog’s nail every 2 weeks to maintain the ideal length.
Control the bleeding after trimming
In spite of consciousness, there can be bleeding. Don’t get nervous at that time. It is a normal incident. Try to handle the situation calmly rather than getting panic.
First of all, clean the place and apply styptic powder to get rid of the infection. If the blood won’t stop after 30 minutes, try to contact the vet. If there is a problem with contacting the vet, try to cure it. You can use a pencil instead of styptic powder. You can also ice cubes.
Conclusion
So, these are the most specific ways how to cut the nails of a dog. You can trim your dog’s nails easily at home. Just you have to notice some things.
Always makes your dog happy. You can give him treats, praises, and toys for that purpose. And one thing you make sure that there is bleeding occurs. But if it happens, try the cure above.