Trimming dogs’ nails can be as easy as making a cereal or as hard as your worst nightmare.

It all depends on the personality of your dog and their previous experiences.

The trick here is to create a habit where after we trim their nails they get a treat, just like any other training.

However, this doesn’t always work, there are some puppies that have to be sedated first so we can trim their nails… Yes, to that extreme.

Trimming their nails depends a lot on their past experiences. Sometimes, when families adopt dogs, they don’t always know what they’ve been through.

It’s also important to understand the right way to trim their nails, it’s not as simple as trimming your own.

There are certain ways that help dogs feel safer and calmer.

If you get a puppy from a very young age and their first experiences on trimming nails are safe and calm, they will always associate it with good emotions, moreso if you involve a treat.

If you don’t do it properly and maybe they bleed a little or trim it in the wrong place, they might develop some trauma.

How can you trim your dog’s nails safely?

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1. The first step is to find a very calm and quiet place where interruptions don’t happen. You must find a very pleasant place.
2. The dog mustn’t be excited, he must be calm, maybe try to pet him softly so he can relax, and show them the trimming tool while you do so. That way, they associate the petting with the tool.
3. Have all the tools ready for trimming. It’s important to have the scissors, the nail file ready for the finishing touches after trimming. That way you can get rid of rough edges and leave them softer.
4. Cut the nail very slowly and without any rush. When your dog’s nail is white and has a black dot, that’s where you have to stop, so you don’t damage their tissue. This is a pink line inside of the nail. A very easy way to know exactly how much to trim is to see how much nail is left over when your dog is standing on the ground. That way you can trim them at ground level.

Otherwise, if your dog’s nail is black, it is very hard to see where the blood vessels start. So you should always be careful how much you’re trimming. In these cases, it’s best to trim just a little bit, enough for the nail not to exceed ground level.

The ideal trim is a very straight cut.

It’s very important you take your dog’s toe from the top so they don’t move when you’re trimming their nails. 

You always have to remember to cut from a minimum of 3mm from the root of the nail.

IMPORTANT: Dogs nails have blood vessels and nerves within them, so if you don’t cut them properly, you might hurt them.

What are the best tools to trim your dog’s nails?

We mostly recommend getting a nail clipper specially made for dogs. Or as a last resource, common scissors.

The thing is, when you use stuff not made for dogs, like human nail clippers or common scissors you might hurt your dog. 

Here are some final tips when trimming dogs nails:

-Make a habit of showing your dog the trimming tool as something good and not threatening

-When it comes the moment of trimming for the first time, make it a pleasant experience for him. Otherwise they will associate it with something bad

-You must be calm so your dog sees everything is okay

-Patience is key

Of course the best way to trim your dog’s nails will always be to take them to the vet if you don’t feel confident enough to do them yourself, as you might make a mistake that could cost you your dog’s trauma.

We, at Nessy’s Puppies, have grooming services so we can always receive your special pup and have the perfect setting to make it a pleasant experience for them.

Don’t forget to check out our website to see all the information about what we can offer. Click here!

-Prepare a treat for after trimming