# Need advice on cutting nails



## Skippers BF (Apr 2, 2016)

Anyone have and great ideas on how to relax my puppy to cut his nails?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)




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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

https://drsophiayin.com/videos/entry/training_a_dog_to_enjoy_toenail_trims/


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## katscleancutdogs (May 18, 2016)

At my salon we tell people to run an electric toothbrush on their toes, especially if you want to use a dremel. But either way just getting them use to having their feet messed with helps. And if you are doing it at home know that one nail ( or a half) is good enough. Best to keep the experience positive


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## katscleancutdogs (May 18, 2016)

One nail (or a half) at a time


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

Let the vet do it! LOL. I won't go anywhere near Django's toe nails. The groomer use to trim them but he won't let her anywhere near his toe. It's easy for me, we are at the vet every 3 weeks for his injection so every other visit he gets a mani/pedi.


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## Hanna (Feb 25, 2016)

It's better to leave this to the expert don't try it if you haven't idea about this because it can harm your dog if your not do it in proper way.


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## katscleancutdogs (May 18, 2016)

This video was awesome. I have actually started using it at work and I feel so much more confident about getting my doggie clients' toenails short enough to help them be healthy without so much risk! 
Thank you davetgabby!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

The problem is, unless your dog is walking on pavement A LOT, their nails will get too long if they are only being trimmed every 3-6 weeks. I do my guys nails weekly. Panda and Kodi are both very good about it... Panda sits there with her little foot out in front of her, ready for her manicure, Kodi tolerates it.

Pixel is a little pill about it. Dave has to hold her wrapped in a towel, I extract one foot at a time, trim the nails, and put it back inside the towel until all 4 feet are done. She's not even really afraid, because the minute you let her out of the towel, she turn around, all laggy, waiting for her cookie, little monster!!! :laugh: But she gets done ever week or so too. Long nails are REALLY bad for a dog's tendons.


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## katscleancutdogs (May 18, 2016)

And their backs and the pads of their feet and their necks.... It throws off their entire body structure of they are walking on their toenails rather than their feet I've seen some very very sad cases 


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

I have never heard of trimming your dogs nails on a weekly basis. I always thought every couple of weeks was sufficient. I personally won't ever trim Django's nails myself. The entire thing makes me nervous. I will have to talk to my vet and see what her opinion is on nails, we are there every 3 weeks for injections so it would be easy for me to have his nails trimmed if necessary. Kudos to everyone who rims their dogs nails!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

littlebuddy said:


> I have never heard of trimming your dogs nails on a weekly basis. I always thought every couple of weeks was sufficient. I personally won't ever trim Django's nails myself. The entire thing makes me nervous. I will have to talk to my vet and see what her opinion is on nails, we are there every 3 weeks for injections so it would be easy for me to have his nails trimmed if necessary. Kudos to everyone who rims their dogs nails!


Believe me, I don't enjoy it. But the vein and nerve inside the nail grows so fast that if you're not nipping off little bits pretty often, you get to a point where you can't get them back to a healthy length without quicking the dog and causing pain. In the long run, frequent trimming is easier on everyone.

For a lot of dogs, a dremel is a better choice. My problem, with two in long coats, is that it's so easy for facial hair to get caught in the dremel if the dog leans over to see what you're doing. Sometimes I dremel to smooth rough edges, and dremeling causes the nerve and vein to retract faster than clipping, so it can be useful if the dog's nails are overgrown. But clipping gets the job done faster.

Pretty much all the performance people I know have a set night of the week that is "nail night", and all the dogs get their nails done!


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## katscleancutdogs (May 18, 2016)

I use a happy hoodie -you can get them at groomer supply stores or I'm sure Amazon -to keep their hair away from their feet and I like to do it when their hair is wet so I can put back from the toes more easily


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

I have always done my dogs nails myself too and have yet to quick one. I don't try to trim with one cut though, I shave it down in 3-4. And I angle back the top and sides. My dogs have always been really good about it, but I started very slowly, just touch a nail with the clippers, click and treat. Eventually trim one nail, etc. Hallie got to where she would fall asleep having her nails trimmed, Sophie isn't close to that yet  but she does hold still, pretty much, until I'm done.

I also aim for once a week but it often goes closer to 2.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

katscleancutdogs said:


> I use a happy hoodie -you can get them at groomer supply stores or I'm sure Amazon -to keep their hair away from their feet and I like to do it when their hair is wet so I can put back from the toes more easily
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, I always cut nails right after a bath... partly because they are easier to see when the hair is wet, and partly because the nails are softer then, and less likely to splinter as well.

I tried a snood, but it really doesn't work on our dogs with their long facial hair. It's not the ears that get in the way, it's the beard and mustache, and a snood doesn't keep those back. Anything that WOULD keep them back would obscure their vision... which I'm sure they would hate!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Dee Dee said:


> I also aim for once a week but it often goes closer to 2.


And that's the thing... If you aim for every week and miss a week, it's no big deal. If you PLAN on doing it every 3 weeks or more, and the schedule gets off track, you've got a lot of growth that it's hard to get back out of, because that darned vein and nerve grows right along with the nail. So you can't take much more off after 3 weeks than you could after one or two, and the nails get longer and longer over time.


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