How Short Can I Cut My Dog's Nails

Dog nail trimming is not merely a beauty treatment, but an activeness you should perform regularly – every dog parent should know how to trim domestic dog nails. Because overgrown nails can, in fact, lead to massive pain and affect your canis familiaris's life negatively. Taking intendance of the pawsis an essential part of your dog's health, so check out this guide to trimming your domestic dog's nails safely at domicile by yourself. With our step by step process, trimming dog nails can exist made easy for you and your hirsuite friend!

dog nail trimming guide infographic from Tractive

Tabular array of contents

Why is it important to trim canis familiaris nails?
How to know when to trim dog nails
Stride-by-step instructions for dog nail trimming
- Footstep i: Prepare the equipment
- Step 2: Determine how far to trim dog nails
- Step 3: Let'due south do this – time to cut canis familiaris nails!
- Step 4: Reward your good boy or girl
How to trim domestic dog nails that are overgrown?
How to stop a dog'south smash from bleeding
How often to trim dog nails?
More ideas to go on your dog healthy and happy
Dog boom trimming: conclusion
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Why is it important to trim dog nails?

When dog nails go besides long, it can lead to pain and other serious issues. Over time, your canis familiaris mightdevelop spine and posture bug(like sitting or standing oddly) due to often shifting weight considering of overgrown nails. Too-long nails can even lead to difficulty walking,fifty ameness or serious injury; specially if they're and then long that they touch the ground. In general,n ails that are too long can limit your dog's movements.

Overgrown nails significantly decrease the quality of your dog'south daily life.

Every bit soon as your dog's nails touch the footing andgrow by the pad of your dog'due south paw, it's time to take activity!

How to know when to trim domestic dog nails

With your furry friend standing in front end of you lot with their forepart legs nether their shoulders, cheque their nails. Are they touching the basis? If then, and so they're too long.And if y'all hear your dog's nails clicking or see them turn sideways, it'south time for a trim.Ideally, you should be able to slip a piece of newspaper between your dog'due south nails and the floor.

dog nail trimming illustration - ideal dog nail length vs too long

Long nails hinder your dog's ability to motility. But how do y'all shorten those nails?

Step-by-stride instructions for dog nail trimming

Step 1: Set the equipment

Domestic dog blast clippers/scissors/grinder
Flashlight (for dark nails)
Optional: Mitt balsam

When everything is prepare, get your canis familiaris comfortable and you lot're good to go. If your dog is a bit nervous, at-home them with biscuits or actress cuddles. This will give them a sense of security while you begin cut.

Step 2: Determine how far to trim dog nails

Be extra careful when deciding where to cut, as dog nails are supplied with blood.An accidental clip in the wrong spot could lead to a lot of pain. It's easier to find the right range for dogs with clear or light colored nails, while it can be a bit trickier with dark nails. Luckily,a flashlight can help you meliorate come across the blood supply area.

dog nail trimming illustration - how far to trim dog nails

Think these 3 tips and you'll be fine:

The perfect cut range ends correct earlier the claret supply.
Front paws are more likely to get overgrown nails.
You should always cutting parallel to the lesser.

Pace 3: Allow's do this – fourth dimension to cut dog nails!

Defined the cutting range? Practiced! Your dog is (ideally) in arelaxed position. You lot have your equipment ready. It's time to start trimming your dogs nails!

illustration - how to cut dog nails - cutting after the quick

Trim by taking pocket-sized steps at a time, and apply rewards to keep your dog comfy if needed. If there's no blood at the stop of the whole process and your dog behaves like nil has happened, you've done everything correct!

Moreover, in one case you lot're done cutting, you lot can soften the peel around the nails with some paw balsam. It's optional, simply tin can be comforting for your pup. Trim the hair between the paws for perfect results.

Step four: Reward your adept boy or daughter

Don't forget to reward your canis familiaris afterward! Only by doing so, your canis familiaris tin associate the "unpleasant procedure" of nail trimming with something positive and this tin reduce the fearfulness. Who would say no to a reward merely considering of a little smash trimming?!

How to trim dog nails that are overgrown?

Are you lot taking intendance of a dog that already has extremely long nails? Check out the video below for tips on how to cut overgrown domestic dog nails safely. If you are worried about your dog's nail, paw, or health in general, as always, talk to your veterinarian. He will be able to requite you the best recommendations and treatments for your puppy.

How to stop a dog's nail from bleeding

Even when you're very cautious, information technology'southward always possible that something goes incorrect during this process. Gold rule: don't panic if you come across a piffling scrap of claret on your dog's nail. Instead, try to stop the blood flow and forbid any dirt from getting in contact with the wound, this to avert infections. If the blood menstruation doesn't stop later on 30 minutes, contact your vet.

If y'all cannot contact your vet and demand to human activity rapidly, use styptic pulverisation or pencil (on auction at every chemist's) on the wound/southward. If y'all don't possess any styptic powder or pencil and you lot cannot visit the pharmacy, try applying some ice cubes.

How frequently to trim domestic dog nails?

It depends; dogs who are used to walking on soft ground (like parks or forests) tin have a harder time controlling the length of their nails, compared to dogs who walk on hard ground (concrete or asphalt). Moreover, that's non the only factor at play. Dog nail cut requirements are too afflicted by:

Genetic factors
Dog breed
Feeding habits
How active your dog is

However, we'd recommend cut your dog's nails every 2 weeks to maintain platonic blast length.Furthermore, the more than y'all trim their overgrown nails, the more the claret vessel will retreat back into the claw. Therefore, frequent canis familiaris smash trimming is highly essential.

More than ideas to proceed your dog healthy and happy

So, now that you're an expert on how to cut dog nails, you lot might desire to consider some other ways to ensure that your domestic dog is e'er happy-get-lucky past your side. Here are ourtop v tips to best care for your dog:

Railroad train your dog to follow basic commands for condom.
Go on unsafe toxins out of your dog'southward reach.
Ensure your domestic dog will never get lost with a GPS tracker for dogs.
Make certain your canis familiaris gets enough practise with the help of action monitoring.
Learn how to handle your dog in rut.

Dog nail trimming: conclusion

A canis familiaris's nail treatment is often overlooked by people because they tend to but meet the "beauty-gene" in it. Only nail treatment remains an essential office of your canis familiaris's regular care. Later you read this blog post, y'all should feel more prepared for your dog's next boom session.