How to Cut Your Dog's Nails Without Losing Your Mind

Dogs do not like to have their nails trimmed, period. Kiwi, the Wonder Pug would like for me to repeat that to all of you: Dogs do not like to have their nails trimmed! In some cases, the need for trimming will be minimized, say for instance for a dog that walks on concrete a good part of each day, but at some point in their lives, most dogs will need the dread pedicure, and the more often you need to do it, the more likely that you will make them bleed eventually. Nobody wants to hurt their pet, but hey, it happens. It bleeds, they cry, you might even cry, but with a little extra kissy-cuddly time, that pain will fade away fairly quick. If the thought just makes you freeze up in mortal terror however, for the love of Dog, do not attempt this task! Take your dog to a groomer or to the vet, but a tense owner will equal a tense pet which will make the whole process that much worse.

When you are calmed as much as possible, gather your equipment and a helper if at all possible. Depending on the size and breed of your dog, this process might take twenty- thirty minutes the first time, possibly less the next time if things go well. If they go poorly, we will not even discuss how long it could take. Make sure your clippers are in good working order and that you understand the basic mechanics of how they work before you even bring the dog to the area. Try to set up in an enclosed area so that you can minimize the chance of your dog springing himself free should your grip on him falter. If you have a small dog, like my Pavlova, you can hold him with one hand, and do the actual clipping with the other. If the dog is larger, however, you might need to have a helper to restrain while you do the trimming and the positioning will be different. A good position to try is to have your larger breed dog lie on his side while you gently restrain him in a hug type hold. (This will not work for those dogs that are really testy about how much contact he has to endure.) Once you find a position that will hold your dog safely and securely, pick up a paw and begin trimming. Take a deep breath and relax; you will all get through this fine.

Position the clipper over the nail, and visualize the quick. If the dog has white or light colored nails, the quick will appear as a pinkish area toward the middle to back of the nail, but if the nails are darker than you might not be able to see the quick at all. In that case, make smaller cuts and stop as soon as you even think you are too close. If you do hit the quick, yes, it will hurt and your dog will bleed. Apply light pressure to the nail to stop the blood flow if your dog will even allow you near it- if not it should stop bleeding in less than five minutes. If it bleeds longer than that or the blood seems excessive, check with your vet for advice. Trim the nails straight across, making sure that you have not left any jagged edges that could catch on carpet or fabric as your pet makes his way through the home. If your dog still has dewclaws, trim those as well and be sure to reward your dog after you are all done and praise him for being so good.