Providing Pedicures
Maintaining your dog's feet is an important part of keeping him healthy. A pedicure relieves stress on the feet and prevents nails from breaking and causing pain. When nails are too long they force the toes outward. This offsets your dog's balance and generally makes walking difficult.
Your dog's nails should be cut short and the hair on the underside of the feet and between the toes should be trimmed with blunt scissors or electric clippers. Otherwise, dirt accumulates on the dog's feet and forms mats, which is uncomfortable to walk on.
If your dog has never had his feet touched or his nails trimmed, pedicures can be traumatic. Plan on spending a few sessions conditioning him to relax before you give him a pedicure. To do this, begin handling his feet the day after you bring him home. Pick up each foot and hold it for a few seconds. Reward him with a small food treat when you put the foot down.
While you can take your dog to your veterinarian or to a groomer for nail clipping, it's worth the effort to learn how to do it yourself. To keep his nails short and maintain his feet in good condition, you'll need to trim them once a week. Dogs' nails grow fast and if you wait too long between pedicures it takes longer to trim them.
Tools to Groom
You don't need very much to maintain your dog's nails — a place to clip, a nail trimmer that's easy to use, some styptic gel or powder, and a lot of patience.
It does help to have a grooming table with a grooming arm and noose to hold your dog so he can't move around a lot, but if you don't have one, put your dog up on a picnic or kitchen table. Some dogs don't mind having their nails worked on and are okay lying on the couch or sitting next to you on the floor.
It's a myth that you don't have to trim your dog's nails if he exercises on cement because these surfaces keep nails short. Like human nails, canine nails naturally grow at different rates and lengths, regardless of what surface their feet are on. The only way to keep your dog's nails short is to trim them back once a week.
There are two basic types of nail trimmers to choose from: the guillotine-style and scissor-style. You can also use an electric nail grinder, which is a rotary sanding tool that many groomers use to file down nails. You can do this at home once you are comfortable clipping nails. The grinder quickly sands away excess nail and allows you to get even closer to the quick than nail trimmers do. Use a pet nail grinder, not a hobby model, as it will shut off automatically if it senses hair around the nail.
How to Trim Nails
If you're going to use an electric nail grinder, turn it on and off a few times before using it on your dog so she can become accustomed to the whirring sound. If you've chosen a nail trimmer, let your dog sniff it so she's more comfortable with it before you put it to work.
To trim your dog's nails, hold the paw firmly, but not too tightly, and examine one of the nails. Look for the darker area in the center; this is the quick. If you're using a nail trimmer, clip off the tip of the nail without nicking the quick, which will bleed if you come too close. If you're using a grinder, start out with a low speed until you're comfortable operating it. The grinder helps smooth over any rough edges and can shape the nails.
During your first session, trim one or two nails. If your dog is okay with the procedure, add a few more nails. Apply some styptic gel or powder if a nail begins to bleed. Be sure to reward your dog with a food treat.
