Proper Way To Cut Dog’s Nails (Safe & Stress-less Vets Trimming Approach)

Proper way to cut dog's Nails (Safe & Stress-less Vets Trimming Approach For All Dogs.

I just found out the easiest and safest expert ways to trim dog nails that are overgrown at the comfort of your home without spending any amount of money. For many asking how do you cut a dog's nails that are black? just take a deep breath and find your answers right below as you read further.

Dog Claw Trimming is one important grooming activities you must not neglect, it is important and linked to the overall wellbeing of your pet.

Allowing your dog's nails to be too long (untrimmed nails) can be risky and can cause a variety of nail disorders such as split or broken nails leading to severe pains and bleeding and if not properly treated can give rise to secondary infections.

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A lot of pet groomers don’t like trimming their dog's nails, the reason being that they are scared of mistakenly cutting the quick of the nail, which may lead to bleeding and pain.

But mastery is the key, first, you must learn to master the techniques of nail clipping and once you know how to do it, cutting your dog's nails becomes very easy and fun.

Canine nail clipping should be a fun and painless procedure. The reason for clipping should be to remove the overgrown part of the nail. So you must master how to recognize and differentiate the normal level of the nail and the overgrown level so that you don’t cut through the quick.

Another key point to mastering nail clipping in dogs is your ability to handle the nails based on their colors during your trimming process. You need to know which one you are about to trim is it white or dark nails.

This is important because you have to be extra careful when dealing with black dog nails compared to trimming white pet nails.

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Dog Nail Trimming Explained

Nail Trimming in dogs is a procedure carried out by vets or groomers to cut, shorten and maintain overgrown (too long) canine nails using clippers, scissors, dremels, grinders, and filers.

Proper Way To Cut Dog's Nails
Dr. Smith Trimming His Dog's Nail With A Clipper

It,s an important grooming process for your pet, it helps in keeping the nail healthy as well as the overall wellbeing of your dog since the claws are used for many purposes.

Overgrown dog nails can be noticed by the clack or clicking sound they make when your pet walks on a solid surface. And as a wise owner, you should not hesitate to trim or clip the nails as soon as you notice how hard your dog struggles to walk with his claws.

You can take your dog to a vet for clipping if you can't do it yourself, be sure to spend at least $10 as Dog Nail Clipping Cost or learn how to cut the claws by yourself at home.

Regular nail trimming for most dogs will be every one to two months. However, you should pay close attention to your dog as he walks around and once you notice that his nails are clicking on the floor, then it's time for clipping.

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Why You Should Cut Your Dog’s Long Nails?

Here are the Reasons Why Dogs Need Their Nails Clipped.

  1. Overgrown nails cause a lot of pains and stress to your dog.
  2. Long nails can cause your dog's nails to break or split. Split nails can lead to bleeding.
  3. Untrimmed nails can affect the way your dog walks, at this point your pet may feel pains around his claws restricting his movement.
  4. Overgrown dog nails make an unpleasant clicking sound, and I am sure you don't need that.
  5. Proper nail trimming is important for your dog’s overall well-being and comfort.
  6. Trimming your dog's nail shows how concerned, care and love your pet.
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Benefits Of Cutting Dog’s Nails

  • Trimmed nails enable your dog to work freely and comfortably
  • Short nails align your dog's positions and give him his normal posture.
  • Proper dog nail cutting prevents nail splitting and injuries.
  • Regular trimming prevents nail infections.
  • Canine nail clipping prevents your dog from developing joint disorders.
  • Regular clipping decreases the nail quick.
  • Nail care and trimming improve your pet's health and wellness.
  • Your dog feels loved when you care for his nails.

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When Should I Trim My Dog’s Nails?

The best way to know when to cut your pup's nails is by checking the length of the nail regularly. Once you notice a clicking sound whenever your pet walks or you see that the claws are touching the ground, then know that the nails are overgrown and due for trimming.

When Should I Trim My Dog’s Nails?
Overgrown Dog Nails Due For Clipping

Most owners schedule to have their adult dog's nails clipped every 1-2 months. For puppies, it is advised that you start early enough to get your little pet accustomed to the process of nail cutting.

Are you with me?
Now that you can just look at your dog's nails and know they are due for trimming, let's look into how you can properly cut your dog's nails.

Step By Step Guide On How To Cut Your Dog’s Nails

Cutting your pet's nail is so easy and fun-filled if you know the structure of a dog's nail and understand the steps involved to keep the length moderate.

Your dog’s nail is made up of a hard outer shell (layer) and a quick (central soft cuticle comprising of blood vessels and nerves). The quick can also be referred to as the “cuticle” of the nail. If you by any chance cut through the quick, your dog will bleed in pains.

Dog nail anatomy and structures
Structure of a dog's nail

The fear of cutting of mistakenly cutting the quick is one of the most reasons why some dog owners are afraid to engage in nail clipping.

The quick can be easily identified on a white-colored nail but difficult to see on dogs with black – colored nails, the main reason why you have to be extra careful when dealing with black dog nails.

As a dog owner, do I have to worry locating Where To Get Dogs Nails Clipped Near Me?. There are a lot of vets or groomers near you that can take care of pet's nails even if your dog is a difficult type to deal with.

On the other hand, this post will teach you the steps you can follow to get your dog's nails clipped properly at home.

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But First, You might need to take a look at this short video to see how things are done.

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I guess you watched the amazing video, did you notice how the vet mastered the various tools and accessories used for cutting dog's nails?

Just before I disclose the clipping steps, let's get to know the best dog nail cutting tools you should use and how to use them when practicing at home.

Tools & Accessories For Dog Nail Trimming

There are 3 types of tools you can use to trim your dog's nail without stress. Their primary function is to shorten and maintain your dog's nails without causing harm.

They are:
1. Nail Clippers

2. Nails Grinders

3. Nail Filers (E.G Scratch Board)

5 Best Clippers To Properly Cut Overgrown Dog Nails

Canine nail clippers are perfect tools for maintaining your pet's nails. They help you shorten your dog's claws to normal length. Clippers are very easy to use and they come in different types and sizes.

Clippers should have a concave sharp cutting edge (usually stainless), this will prevent you from crushing the nail.

Here are 5 Safe Dog Nail Clippers you should consider using when you want to trim your dog's nail.

1. Safari Professional Nail Clipper: Safari trimmers are of the stainless steel, with sharp, strong and durable blades and cuts nails fastly, best for dogs who hate clipping.

Safari Dog nail clipper

Safari clippers are available big and smaller sizes to suit your dog. It is less expensive to purchase.

2. Millers Forge Nail Clipper: Most vets prefer using this particular nail clipper because it is sharp, very strong and perfect for cutting nails. It can also be called plier-style nail trimmer, made with sharp stainless steel blades with non-slip rubber handles.

Millers Forge Nail Clipper

This particular type is not the best choice for newbies in nail clipping because it does not have a quick stop which prevents you from damaging the quick.

3. Shiny Pet Nail Trimmer: This is mainly produced for puppies (small dogs), it can also be used for other small pets such as birds, cats, and rabbits.

Shiny Pet Nail Trimmer
Shiny Pet Nail Trimmer

It is more like scissors,  easy and safe for smaller paws because it has sharp-angled steel blades to trim nails safely and clean

4. Epica Professional Nail Trimmer: This is another plier typed Nail Clipper with ultra-sharp steel blades that are best prepared for bigger dogs.

Epica Professional Nail

If you have a larger dog and you want to trim his nails, you should use this particular type of nail clipper for best results.

5. Resco Nail Clipper: This nail clipper has micro honed sharp blades arranged to ensure your dog's nails are trim short neatly without Splitting the nails.

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Resco Dog nail clipper

You can also easily replace the blades if they are no longer sharp with reso replacement kits.

5 Best Grinders To Properly Cut Overgrown Dog Nails

Dog nail grinders are the best alternative to nail clippers, they grooming tools used by vets to trim dogs that are scared of clippers.

Nail grinders can be called “dremels,” a well-known grinding instrument. What it does is to grind nail with a high-speed, keeping the nails short.

The 5 Most Used Dog Nail Grinders are:

  1. Dremel Nail Grinder
  2. UrPower Nail Grinder
  3. Furminator Pet Nail Grinder
  4. Hertzko Electric Nail Grinder
  5. Oster Gentle Paw Grinder

The Dremel Dog Nail Grinder is one of the most popular nail grinding tool used by groomers, it has a rechargeable battery and multiple grinding speeds.

Dremel Dog Nail Grinder
Vet Carefully GrindingA Dog's Nail With A Dremel

It provides much safer, less stressful and speedy trimming compared to clipping. Material and also enables you to grind your dog's nails in stages.

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Scratchboard Can Properly Cut Overgrown Dog Nails

Scratchboard filing comes in when your dog isn't comfortable with clipping or grinding may be due to fear or noise from a grinder.

You can simply use self-filing scratchboard to fun trim down your dog's nails. It is as simple as having fun with your pet.

You have to place the board made with grit sandpaper in front of your dog and then provide his best treats up above it then introduce the self-filing method to your dog.

You should watch this video to see how it is done.


Now that you know what tool you need for your dog's nail clipping, let's delve straight to the real deal. Are you with me? let's roll!

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5 Simple Steps To Trim Your Dog’s Nails

At this point, you must have noticed that your dog's nails are overgrown and due for cutting.

Here are the steps you should take to keep your pet's nails short.

Gather Your Trimming Tools: You should keep in place all the accessories you need for the procedure. Select your best clippers, keep close your first aid/ emergency kits which should include styptic powder and other products to help you stop bleeding just in case you injure your dog.

Find A Comfortable Location: Find a peaceful comfortable place to sit and hold your dog firmly or get someone to help you out. Make sure your dog is immobilized properly and his paws held firmly. Then look closely to find the quick and take note of where it ends, this will enable you not to cut it by mistake.

Start Cutting Using A Clipper: Use any of the above-listed trimmers suitable for your dog to cut his nails, make sure you don't cut through the quick (cut below it), angle it at 45-degrees.

Canine nail anatomy

Start cutting bit by bit (smaller bits), do not chop off larger portions of the nail to avoid bleeding your dog. Cutting should be done in smaller or thin slices and gradual until you start sighting the quick which you must not hurt.

Note that some dogs might not be comfortable, it is possible to get them to comply with the trimming procedure by giving them their best meals while you do the clipping.

Apply the same soft, diligent method of trimming across all the nails and don't hesitate to apply styptic powder if your dog bleeds during the process.

What if your dog's nails are too soft (brittle)? cutting might forcefully split the nails and may even cause injuries. So, take the next step to salvage this situation.

File The Nails: You can file the nails after cutting to keep the edges smooth and equal. Nail Filing is also recommended for pets with brittle nails, it's safer to file than to cut.

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Use Your Emergency / First Aid Kits: It is very important to keep close your first aid kits as part of your preparation for nail clipping. This is because an accident might happen in the process.

If you accidentally cut through your dog's quick and it starts bleeding, you should try as much as to end the bleeding. Apply styptic powder on the injury to instantly end the bleeding, but if it continues to apply pressure by tying the injury and then contact your vet for urgent help.

 

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