One of the things dog owner's most dread caring for, and yet one of the worst things we can neglect on our dogs is their toenails. If left untrimmed, a dog's toenails grow downward in an arc. As they grow they force the foot to stretch and spread, and the toes to splay, eventually resulting in injured tendons and permanent damage to the foot.

Proper care of your dog's feet will require the toenails be clipped every 2-4 weeks. If you can hear them clicking on the floor, they are probably too long.
 
You will need:

   * A nail clipper or grinder.
   * A jar of Styptic powder to stop bleeding in case of accidental clipping of the vein.
   * A nail file for smoothing out any ragged edges when you are done clipping.
   * Knee-length Nylons if using a grinder.


Start slowly. Begin handling your puppy's feet from day one, whenever you are together.

Once your puppy is comfortable with his feet being handled, let him sniff the clipper, hear the sound it makes and feel it against his paws and nails prior to clipping. (Obviously do Not have the grinder turned on while holding it against his paws.)

You want to make his first experiences pleasant ones. When you first start out, it may take a week or longer to get all four paws done. Keep the session positive, and reward him with lots of treats and praise while clipping. Most importantly do NOT fight over nail care. If your dog fights you over it, do NOT fight back. Just reposition his feet and calmly begin again.

The choice of using a clipper or grinder is yours. I find the clipper easier and faster, especially on light nails... but I love using the grinder on dark nails where the quick is not as visible as it is in the light colored nails. The advantage of a grinder in this situation is a dog will often pull his foot back when you are getting close to the quick, signaling you when to stop.

If the dog has white nails, your job is easy. You can see the pink vein through the nail. Just clip or grind off the tip, but not so much that you clip the vein. With black nails you need to clip just a little off at a time. Look at the nail tip straight on after each clip. If you see a pale oval in the tip you are near the vein and should stop. If your dog still has dewclaws, don't forget to clip them too.

If you are going to use a grinding tool such as a dremel, it seems to work best to put a knee length nylon sock over your Havs foot before grinding to prevent catching his hair in the twisting drum. You will then poke each nail through the nylon individually as you work. Be aware that if the Nylon is loose it too can get caught up in the drum, so care must be still be taken. An additional caveat when grinding is you will need to come at the nail from different angles to avoid overheating the nail in one spot and causing pain to your dog.

If you are unsure how to clip a nail, ask your veterinarian or a professional groomer to supervise you a few times until you are comfortable caring for your dog's nails on your own.

Authored by © Cynthia Rust








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