Filing dog nails provides more control and less chance of damaging the quick. Regular nail trims also prevent a painful condition where the nerve and blood supply extends into overgrown nails.
Clipping and grinding are equally efficient and safe ways to trim your pup's nails. Clippers are cheaper and less noisy, while dremels are louder and more expensive but more precise and efficient.
It may sound more tedious but filing a dog's nails is a much safer option for you and your dog. It protects their quick, it keeps the nail from fracturing, it's quieter than using a nail clip or a nail grinder. They also might put up much less resistance when you are using a dog nail filer.
While clipping the nails does not hurt the dog, some dogs do not like the sensation. Clippers that are dull can result in a bit more effort to cut through thick nails. Filing reduces the chances of clipping the nail quick. The quick is a blood vessel that also includes nerve endings.
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.
How often your dog needs her nails trimmed will depend entirely on her. But as a general rule, trimming monthly is a good idea. “Most dogs need their nails [trimmed] every month,” Easton says. “Unless they really wear them down good on concrete.
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.
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!
Adult dogs may be fearful of the clippers and the sound they make, especially if they had a previous bad experience (having the nail trimmed too short or “quicked”). Desensitizing older dogs to nail trimming takes patience. The process cannot be rushed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ask for a sedated nail trim.
Unless there is a medical reason not to sedate your dog, your vet should be able to do a sedated trim. Being sedated should make the nail trim process less traumatic for your pup.
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.
Using your preferred clippers, trim a very small bit of nail at a time. Cut at a slight angle across the tip of the nail, following its natural shape. After each cut, look at the freshly-cut tip of the nail to look for the little black dot that tells you when to stop.
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.
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.