Taking
care of your dog or puppy’s nails is
just another aspect of caring for your
pet. However, compared to ear cleaning,
bathing and brushing, many people have a
particularly difficult time with the
“canine pedicure.”
A surprising number of dogs or puppies
are very uncomfortable with having their
nails trimmed and there are some who get
so hysterical about it, it practically
can’t be done at all. Some people end up
having to bring their dog to the vet or
groomer every time, and a small number
find that even their pet professional is
not able to accomplish this without
sedating their pet.
One of the things you can do to avoid
this problem is to socialize your dog or
puppy with having his paws and nails
touched on a regular basis, perhaps
during belly rubs or other pleasant
interactions.
Socialization with the clipper itself
can also help, as many dogs react to the
sound of it more than the actual
sensation. Try keeping the nail clipper
visible to your dog on a regular basis,
and find ways to make positive
associations with it and its sound.
For example, whenever you give your dog
a treat, have him “sit” and “stay,” and
then hold up the nail clipper, click it
a few times to make the noise, praise
your dog for staying and then give the
treat.
Obedience training also plays a role in
nail trimming. By working on some basic
commands you can earn your dog’s respect
so he doesn’t feel like it’s okay to nip
at the clipper, roll around while you’re
saying “stay,” etc.
When doing the actual trimming, it’s
extremely important to make sure your
dog doesn’t have a bad experience.
Inside your dog’s nail, there is a
“quick,” which is a living part of the
dog’s body. If that part is clipped, it
will hurt your dog, bleed quite a bit
and may take quite some time to stop.
For dogs with white nails, it’s easy to
see the quick because it’s pink. Be sure
to trim only the white/clear part of the
nail.
Black nails can be more difficult. Try
this trick: Have another person shine a
flashlight directly on the nail…
sometimes you’ll be able to see the
quick even in a black nail.
If the quick is not visible, it’s better
to err on the side of caution. Trim only
the very tip of the nail, with your goal
being to shorten it just a bit, not to
shorten it as much as it needs to be.
When dogs’ nails grow long, the quick
grows long as well. For dogs who haven’t
had their nails trimmed frequently
enough, you will need to trim just the
tip every week or two, which will cause
the quick to gradually move back. Over
time, you’ll eventually be able to get
your dog’s nails to a healthy length.
Another thing that can help keep dogs’
nails in check is to walk regularly on a
concrete surface. While this in itself
is not going to completely keep the
nails healthy, it can help to keep them
filed a bit.
It may be a bit of an ongoing process,
but eventually most dogs will be able to
have their nails trimmed without
“trauma.” It’s important for his health
because too long nails can cause pain in
the toes and extremely long ones can
lead to serious health problems in the
paws.
Article written by Lori Verni
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