Now that your dog is accustomed to having his paws handled and his nails filed with the emery board, it’s finally time to move on to cutting his nails with nail clippers.
You’ll need to invest in a good pair. I would strongly urge you to avoid buying dog nail clippers at the grocery store!
You may be lucky enough to live near a pet supply store where you can window-shop and get expert advice from a member of the staff. I would highly recommend that you seek out such a store, if one exists in your neighborhood. In fact, if one exists even a short drive away from you, a visit there might be well worth the gas money and time. If your only recourse for pet supply shopping is a large chain store, go there often and you will discover which members of the staff know what they are talking about and which have little or no experience with your kind of pet.
If you are not able to find a salesperson who can give you expert advice, your next option is to talk with a trusted groomer. Ask what kind of nail clippers they would recommend for your size of dog. Many groomers use a Dremel-type tool on their doggy clients. It can be faster than clippers—it acts like a tiny spinning sander and leaves the nails totally smooth on the ends. (Dremels can work wonders in the hands of an experienced grooming professional, but I would not recommend starting your own dog’s nail trimming with a Dremel. So much can go wrong!)
Your veterinarian’s office can also be a good source of information about nail trimming and nail clippers. If you remember to ask when you’re on a regular health-care visit with your dog, you’ll likely get the advice you need without having to pay for an extra appointment.
The type of nail-trimming tool you end up purchasing may vary according to the size of your dog. By trying out a variety of tools, you should also find one that fits well in your own hands. If the trimmer is difficult for you to handle, to open and close, or to trim with, then that is not the tool for you. Don’t settle for cheap! If you end up buying a cheap trimmer, it will fall apart quickly. Even more important, it may function so poorly that your dog’s nails will be crushed rather than cut—a painful experience that may turn the dog off to nail trimming in the future. Not something you want!
Whatever style you choose, insist on stainless steel—anything else will rust and become inoperative in a short period of time. Look for good solid plastic “handles” that are firmly attached. (Loosely attached cheap plastic “handles” fall off or break into pieces quickly, making the clippers impossible to use.) I am not a fan of trimmers with replaceable razor blades—they are difficult to use and it’s even more difficult to replace the blade. I prefer the “scissors” type of trimmer, in a size appropriate to your dog, over the “guillotine” type of trimmer, especially with the replaceable razor blade.
The more you spend on nail trimmers, the more likely they’ll be to cut cleanly. If you keep track of those trimmers around the house, they will last you for years!
One caveat: when using grooming tools around your dog, beware of static electricity.
It happens often: you sit down on the floor with your dog to do some routine grooming. The dog has been running around on your wall-to-wall carpet, building up a “charge,” and the moment you first touch him with those lovely new metal nail clippers—or even a metal comb!—he gets a ZAP of static electricity and jumps away, quite sure it’s the grooming tool that has caused him pain!
Avoid zapping your dog by first touching the grooming tools yourself, enough to discharge any static charges. Touch the dog, too, without a metal tool, to dissipate any charge he might hold. If you forget and your dog does get a zap from one of your tools, understand that you’ve just taken quite a few steps back in accustoming the dog to being groomed and handled. Go as far back as you need to in the process once more to build your dog’s confidence. Don’t use the clippers until he’s recovered.
To understand exactly how to hold and handle the dog’s paws and nails as a part of the nail-trimming process, I recommend that you watch some of the hundreds of videos available online about the process. Try to find videos that present the calm and gentle handling that you are aiming for, not videos that show the dog being flung to the floor and muzzled before trimming can begin! Look at illustrations of the nail and the quick, so that you can trim the nail at the right angle and far enough from the quick that the nail will not bleed. Remember that your job will be to take off one tiny slice of dog nail—the pointy tip if it’s been a while since you trimmed—at the same time avoiding “quicking” the nail and causing the dog discomfort. It is not advisable to trim more than a tiny slice each time until you and your dog are very familiar with the process. One nail a day, every day, will get the job done just fine.
What if you do quick the nail?
Don’t panic.
Chances are, unless you’ve felt your dog flinch or heard him yelp, you haven’t really hurt him. If there’s little or no blood, it’s probably no big deal—if you don’t make it one! Continue as you have been, calmly and quietly, giving lots of high-value treats in the process. All is well!
Should you seriously “quick” the nail, there will be blood.
Styptic powder will stop it, so it never hurts to have some handy. Buy the smallest size available at your pet store (yes, doggy styptic powder is a common product) and it will probably last you for the rest of the dog’s life. No styptic powder in the house? Use flour or cornstarch.
It’s highly unlikely, but, should nail trimming be your dog’s first experience with bleeding (if he’s not been neutered, for example), and should you quick him, you will soon know if you have the very rare dog with a bleeding disorder, because the bleeding will be difficult to stop. If you have any doubt, call your veterinarian immediately and ask for advice: should you bring the dog in to the clinic?
Most likely, the bleeding will stop quite well on its own. To contain the damage to your house, crate the dog with some old towels for bedding, or even take him outside and supervise him so he does not run around and increase the blood flow. The first experience with quicking your dog’s nails can be horrible for you, the owner, because you’ll feel guilty and inept. Don’t worry: it happens! With more experience, both you and your dog will become better at nail trimming.
Should anything go awry during the nail clipping process, convincing the dog that he is not having a good time, your first recourse is to back up a few steps until the dog changes his mind. If you quick the dog on a Wednesday, don’t clip another nail on Thursday—go back to the emery board and use it for a few days instead. Pile on the delicious treats! Praise more!
It is your responsibility to make nail trimming another “safe” experience for your dog. If he does not feel safe, it’s your job to figure out why and to do something about it. It is never appropriate to punish or scold your dog for his lack of cooperation when he is genuinely concerned about his own safety. You cannot talk him out of that feeling with words! You have to convince him with actions.
Your attitude should always be one of gentle kindness. You may get mad at yourself because you’ve inadvertently done something wrong. Don’t take out your impatience and frustration on the dog. Yes, he will know you are angry. No, he will not understand that you’re not mad at him. Make it simple: forgive yourself and move on.
I want you to know that, every week, I trim nails on my three ferrets, each of whom weighs under two pounds. I use very tiny ferret nail clippers, scissors style. At first, when they are kits or new to the process, the ferrets squirm and wiggle like . . . ferrets! After a while, they get used to the process. They get treats and praise and they very rarely get quicked. When they do, we forgive and forget.
So, is it easier to trim the nails on a two-pound ferret or on a hundred-pound dog?
I can’t hold the hundred-pound dog on my lap without sitting on the floor—that would be the main difference. Otherwise, the process is pretty much the same, only with bigger nail trimmers and a lot more high-value treats for the much larger animal. Both animals end up with shorter, safer nails, and happy with the process! I’m happy, too, knowing I did it the right way.
