HOW TO TRIM A DOGS NAILS: 5 TIPS TO KEEPING IT SIMPLE

5 TOP TIPS ON HOW TO TRIM A DOGS NAILS

I know many dog owners are not sure of how to trim a dogs nails and are a little afraid of doing it wrong, but if you’re careful and take your time to make it a pleasant experience, it’s easy to do.

Here’s a short video I thought was quite good at showing you how.  It’s also worth watching just to see the very cute Boston Terrier :)

Tip 1 – Get your equipment ready before you call your dog.  Get a good quality
dog nail cutter (either from your local pet shop or vets), some favourite treats and something to stop bleeding, should it occur, like styptic powder (an antiseptic clotting agent).

Tip 2 – Create a relaxed environment. Make sure you are in a comfortable place for your dog and a secure position for you to trim a dogs nails easily.  A good idea is on the floor, with your dog laying on it’s side so all four paws are facing you.

Tip 3 – Always cut at a 45º angle; if your dogs paw is flat to the floor, bring the clippers to the front of the nail at the tip, with the clippers parallel with the floor, then raise the handle part up to 45º and snip off a thin strip.

Tip 4 – Do one nail at a time – and slowly, bit by bit. This is important as you need to AVOID cutting too much off in case you cut into the quick. The quick is the bit inside the nail that contains the blood vessels and nerve endings. As you snip check inside the nail and once you see a secondary section inside – stop and don’t trim a dogs nails any further.

Is It Easy To See How Much To Cut Off?

If your dogs nails are light coloured then yes; if you look closely you can see where the nail is slightly more pink/darker in colour – that’s the quick, the part to avoid.  

The quick can be quite long, so don’t assume that you can cut close to the nail bed.  If your dogs nails are black, then you won’t be able to see the quick from just looking, so it’s very important you take it one thin snip at a time and more important that you look inside each time you do.

Tip 5 – When you trim a dogs nails, after each snip, on each nail, give your dog a small treat and praise them and encourage them to stay put. If they are afraid, let them move and encourage them back with another treat.  Try not to tell them off, as that won’t help – they need to let you do it out of pleasure (from the treats and your praise) rather than fear, otherwise, it will always be an ordeal for you and a stressful experience for them.

Remember, the more you do it, the more they will get used to it.  But, if you need to build it up because they become stressed, then do that. You could even start with just one nail a day and build it from there.  After a while your dog will get to know it’s part of their routine and you will become more confident in how to trim a dogs nails, and they will be more confident in you!