Taking your dog for regular walks, including on hard surfaces such as pavements, will help to shorten their claws, but may not be enough to keep them as short as they should be.
Your goal is to cut the claw within approximately 2 millimeters of the quick. Ultimately, nails should be trimmed so that when dogs step down, their nails don't touch the floor. If you accidentally cut into the quick, the claw will bleed and your dog will experience some pain.
Ways to File Those Nails Down Naturally
The easiest, stress-free way to keep those nails filed down is “naturally.” This happens when your dog is walking or running on rough surfaces enough to keep the nails short.
Some dogs will naturally wear down their nails from frequent walks on concrete sidewalks, but if your dog primarily gets their exercise outside, their nails may need to be trimmed as much as once a week.
Taking your dog for regular walks, including on hard surfaces such as pavements, will help to shorten their claws, but may not be enough to keep them as short as they should be.
Skipping This Grooming Task Can Cause Your Dog Pain
Clipping your dog's nails is more than a cosmetic chore. Veterinarians warn that unhealthy nails can cause pain and, in rare instances, trigger irreversible damage to the dog. A dog's nail consists of the living pink quick and the hard outer material called the shell.
The amount of time between nail trims depends on how quickly your dog's nails grow and how quickly they are worn down. The average dog should have his nails clipped every three to four weeks, but it should be done as often as needed to keep the nail from touching the ground when your dog is standing.
Survival instinct
The main reason dogs hate getting their nails clipped is because of the pain. It doesn't hurt them if they are clipped correctly but if your dog has been cut too close to their nerve in their nail, even once, he will remember it.
In the wild, wolves and coyotes keep their nails short through digging and running after prey for hours. Since your dog is likely not running around in the wilderness all day, you may need to walk them on concrete to help keep their nails at a reasonable length.
The other advantage of grinding vs. clipping is how the high-speed filing makes it easy to round off the tip of the nail, whereas clipping often leaves sharp edges. If your dog tends to paw at people for attention, this can be problematic until the nails naturally wear down into a more rounded shape.
Place the nail clipper over each nail. Hold your dog firmly but gently and reassure him, provide a treat or distraction. Start squeezing clippers near the toes to make a clipping sound but do not actually clip the nail. Place the clipper on your dog's nail, but near the end, far away from the quick, and clip the nail.
You should only trim off the tip, but if you accidentally cut your dog's nails too short, they may yip in pain and start bleeding. Although this is usually not life-threatening, you still don't want your pup to be in pain.
First, gently hold your dog's paw in your hand. While looking down at your dog's semi-transparent nails, locate the pink region in the center of each nail. This pink area showing through the outside of the nail is the quick. It's that simple!
If your dog's nails are too long you can always contact your veterinarian or groomer for a nail trim. This is especially important for dogs that don't like having their paws touched or are hard to handle during nail trims. You can also do at-home nail trims using nail clippers or nail grinders.
So if your puppy whines when you are cutting his nails, it doesn't necessarily mean you've hurt him. It may just be that he's anxious about the process and the strange pressure on his nails.
With your furry friend standing in front of you with their front legs under their shoulders, check their nails. Are they touching the ground? If so, then they're too long. And if you hear your dog's nails clicking or see them turn sideways, it's time for a trim.
So long as your dog is healthy, well-trained and isn't waking you up frequently in the night, feel free to let your pup sleep where they like. Whether or not your pup even wants to be in your bed might just be one of the things your dog wishes you knew.
Generally speaking, a healthy dog with a short, smooth coat and no skin problems doesn't need to be bathed often. In most cases, dog baths are more for the benefit of their pet parents than for the dogs themselves. Even so, it's a good idea to bathe your pooch at least once every two to three months.
Ideally you should not hear your dog's nails clicking on the floor. You don't need to get the nails very short because your dog still needs to dig into the earth when running outside. The nails should be short enough to avoid touching the floor when standing.
Secondly, long toenails can hamper a dog's ability to walk or run efficiently. They can turn a sound paw into a splayed foot and reduce traction, and they can cause deformed feet and injure the tendons over an extended period. As the long nail hits the ground, the pressure puts force on the foot and leg structure.
It is therefore important to keep your dog's claws well trimmed at the correct length. If they get too long it can put pain and pressure on the toes and paws, which will ultimately put strain on the legs. Long claws are also prone to splitting and infection.
If your dog's quick is cut, keep the walk after light and easy. It's unwise to take a dog with an exposed quick on a 5-mile run, as their nails will scrape against the asphalt and damage the nail bed further. A walk around the block is fine.
In most cases, after a dog's nails are trimmed the quick will start to recede after about 7 days. Depending on how long your dog's nails and quicks are, it might take a few months before you can get their nail to the desired length.