5 Nail Clipping Tips

If, like our Riley, your dog despises having his nails clipped, try these top tips to make the whole process much less stressful for the furriest member of your family – and yourself!

If you can hear a tapping sound when your dog walks on the kitchen floor, he’s well overdue a nail clipping. Tedious, but necessary, this part of the dog grooming process is super important as torn nails and broken toes can lead to much bigger problems than a simple snip and go!

We dread the day Riley needs a clip, as the process can be very intimidating; he hates his paws being touched and there’s always that underlying fear of cutting a little too far down and chopping his delicate paw.

Image: Dogster.com

Whilst that fear never truly subsides, these top tips have certainly made the process much less gruelling and run a lot more smoothly:

1. Touch your dog’s feet more: When you’re enjoying a cuddle with your furry friend – and without those pesky clippers anywhere in sight – get your dog used to the sensation of having his paws touched. The more normal the process becomes, the more your dog won’t even notice that you’re touching him. You could try and associate the experience with treats if needed.
2. Inspect your dog’s feet: If there is rock, salt or dirt in between your dog’s toes, the nail clipping can be quite painful. It’s important to inspect and remove anything that has stuck to your dog’s feet before starting to clip the nail.
3. Be slow: Introduce the clippers in a relaxed way and trim just one tow at a time. Even if it takes you a few days to get them all done at first, your dog will become more used to the sensation.
4. Miss the quick: The quick is a vein in the nail; if you cut it, your dog will bleed. On lighter coloured dogs, this is the pink area that runs through the nail, but on darker dogs it’s a little harder to distinguish, so ensure you are being alert for the quick.
5. Use styptic powder: Even professionals can accidentally hit the quick sometimes; keep calm if this happens. If you don’t panic, your dog is less likely to. Slowly apply the powder and the bleeding with stop quickly.

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