Cutting Your Dog’s Nails (Without The Drama!).
Nail cutting is an essential part of caring for your dog. However, it’s one of those tasks some dog owners (and their pooches!) dread the most. If you want some hints and tips on cutting your dog’s nails without the drama – you’ve come to the right place. Read our Holidays4Dogs article to banish those nail clipping troubles forever.
Just like human nails, dog’s nails keep growing all their lives. Some dog’s claws grow faster than others and as well as this, some dog’s claws natural wear down if they walk on pavements, or other hard surfaces. Sometimes dogs needs their nails trimming on a regular basis, others just need a trim once in a while.
How do I know if my dog’s nails need trimming?
Do your dog’s nails touch the floor, curl over, or are they broken, or split? If so, they will probably need trimming. Pay attention to ‘dew’ claws too. These are the nails are situated a little further up, on the inside of the leg. If they grow too much, they can curl around and embed in the skin.
Equipment for canine claw clipping.
It is essential to have some specialised nail clippers designed specifically for cutting your dog’s nails. Scissors, or human nail clippers, are not recommended for dog claws, as these can crush, or split, the nails. Guillotine, or scissor type, nail clippers are the best and they don’t need to be expensive.
You can also buy grinders to grind nails down shorter. Many of these operate very quietly, so they don’t scare the dog.
Alternatively, you can buy scratching boards, or you can try making one yourself. Dogs do need to be taught how to use these, but it can be very worthwhile, as your dog can then file their own nails! You can watch videos like this one on YouTube to learn how.
These can be quite successful for keeping the nails trimmed on a regular basis. Very long nails will require trimming first.
My dog hates having their paws touched. What do I do!?
Get your dog used to having their paws touched and handled. Start slowly with just light, brief touches.
As soon as you touch your dog, start feeding high value treats (like cooked chicken). Do this for a few seconds at a time, building up the amount of time you are touching, or holding, your dog’s paw. You may need to repeat these steps over a period of days, or even weeks.
Soon, you will find that when you touch your dog’s paws they are now looking at you as if to ask “hey, where’s my chicken”. You are pairing the, now positive association with paw handling, with tasty treats! Keep going until you are able to gently squeeze the paw without your dog pulling away. Move on to manipulating the claws. Do all this without the clippers.
Next use the clippers to stroke the dog’s paw/leg. Use treats in just the same way until your dog is happy for you touch/hold their paws and brush their leg with the clipper. Keep going!
Once you are able to actually clip a claw – do just one on the first go – then two, three and so on. Once you’ve clipped a claw, make a big fuss and give the dog a ‘jackpot’ handful of treats scattered on the floor for them to enjoy finding and eating.
Final thoughts.
Cutting your dog’s nails needn’t be a drama. However, it can take a little time and patience to convince some dogs not to be afraid of nail clipping. Try not to rush the process and always make your training positive. If you struggle with this, you could get a trainer, or behaviourist to help you. Finally, if your dog absolutely won’t tolerate nail clipping – you may need to ask your vet to do this, while your dog is mildly sedated.
