Dogs need their nails clipped on a regular basis, approximately every 3-4 weeks; however, it is common for owners to wait too long in between trimmings which can lead to a number of health issues for the animal.
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.
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.
A good indicator that your dog's claws may need a trim is if you can hear their claws clicking loudly as they move around on hard or tiled floors. Depending on how active your dog is, and the types of surface they walk on, you should aim to trim your dog's claws once or twice a month.
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.
As long nails hit the ground, it puts force on the foot and leg structure. This force can potentially lead to arthritis and ongoing pain. The growth pattern of a dog's nails forms a curved shape. If left untrimmed, the claws will eventually curve under the dog's paws and dig into the skin, creating pain when they walk.
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.
So, if it's possible and practical to trim your dog's nails weekly or at least every other week, you'll likely see better results, have a much less stressed dog, and experience less stress yourself in the process. The quick is the part of a dog's nail that contains blood vessels and nerves.
Their nails have a nerve and vein (called a quick), which, if clipped, causes tremendous pain and even bleeding. Whining – A dog that's anxious about trimming nails might start whining in hopes that you stop with the trimming. They will whine if they are in pain, for instance, from clipping the quick.
A dog's nails should be clipped often enough that they remain short enough to not click on the ground when a dog walks. Long nails that touch the ground may cause discomfort for your dog, and potentially cause problems down the road.
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.
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!
Long nails 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.
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.
Use a soothing voice to keep her calm as you gently rub her paws. Then focus on the toes, giving each one a soft squeeze. Next apply gentle pressure to the nail itself. If your dog becomes scared or pulls back her paw, stop for a bit and continue only when she settles down.
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.
Basically, you want to cut no more than 1/6th of an inch of nail with each clip. Clip and check, clip and check. If you see nothing but white, you're still trimming just nail and haven't reached the pulp yet. If you see a circle of black ringed by white, you've reached the pulp and have trimmed enough.
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.
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.
While it's likely that you'll have to trim your dog's nails fairly regularly, taking your dog on walks outdoors can help cut down on the number of trimmings a dog needs. This is because hard surfaces like concrete and pavement can wear down a dog's nails naturally.
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.