How to Safely Trim a Dogs Nails

Walking and running around are two activities that your dog loves to do throughout their day and better yet, they’re the two best ways to help keep their nails trimmed! If you walk your dog on mostly grass or soft surfaces, you might notice they grow quite quickly. By switching up their walks to allow them to tread around on tarmac, you’ll find they will wear down a lot faster and you may have to do less upkeep with them. Essentially, the more active your pooch is will help their nails to stay naturally trimmed. 

Many owners would prefer to leave it to professionals to trim their dog’s nails. Groomers at The Spa and vets are often asked to give them a quick trim, so you don’t have to at home. There may be some circumstances where you need to trim them at home like if you notice one is particularly overgrown or if they split a nail and it needs tidying up to keep your pup comfortable.

Nail cutting at home should only ever be done if you’re comfortable and confident! Even if you only ever try very minimal trims at home and leave it to the professionals to do a more thorough job when you visit the vet or groomer.

On average, dogs need their nails trimming every three to four weeks. This can vary based on their activity levels and the type of surface you regularly take them for walks on.

If you rely on a professional to trim their nails, then booking a visit every month should do the trick, but you can always adjust if you notice they don’t seem to get very long or if they get too long in that time.

A dog’s paw consists of four toes to help with balance and manoeuvring. The claws help with this by adding an amount of grip and protection. Some dogs may have a dewclaw. An extra toe and nail that sits a little further up their foot which aids in supporting their joints while moving. Many dogs use them when they chew large objects to keep them in their grip like bones or large chews.

Some puppies will have these removed when they’re young as they are more likely to overgrow than their other nails. Dewclaws don’t often make any contact with the ground so don’t get very worn down.

A dog’s nail consists of an outer and inner shell. The inner shell contains the blood supply and nerves which is what can bleed or hurt a dog if you cut their nails too short. The outer shell is a hard protective shell to keep the nerves from being exposed.

White nails are much easier to trim as you can see a dark area where the blood supply starts whereas black nails are much harder, and you often just have to clip smaller parts away to make sure you don’t hit a nerve. The area with the blood supply is called the quick so when trimming nails, you should never cut past this point as it can be painful for your pooch.

When clipping your dog’s nails, you first need the appropriate tools. Nail clippers come in different sizes depending on how strong they need to be to cut through your dog’s nails.

Once you have your clippers, you should be in a room with good lighting so you can see what you're doing. Hold your pup’s paw firmly so they can’t wriggle and cause you to slip and cut their paw and use the clippers with your other hand.

You only need to take off the tip of the claw since the quick is located inside the curved part. The tip of the claw is where they will have grown too long. A lighter claw is much easier to see where you’re trying to avoid, but when you’re timing black nails, look for a chalky white ring on the surface of where you’ve just cut, this means you’re getting close to the quick and shouldn’t trim any further.

You should only cut your dog’s claws if you are confident, and your pooch is happy for you to do it. They should be calm throughout the process. Using dog treats can help make the process much more rewarding for them.

Nail clipping can be quite daunting for owners, so if you’re not sure, it’s always best to leave it to the professionals. The Spa offers a range of treatments to pamper your pooch, all of which include the much needed at times nail trim, so you don’t only keep on top of their nail cutting, but you get to take your pup home smelling great too!

For all of your dog essentials, pop into one of our stores or online to see our wide range of products available.