Dog toenails grow as do human fingernails and toenails. The nails should be kept in good trim to avoid scratching when the dog paws at a bare human leg and to keep the dog's structure as sound as possible. Long nails can cause the dog to rock back on his paws, causing strain on his leg assemblies and interfering with his gait.

The easiest way is to accustom puppies to having their feet handled daily so they'll sit still for this essential part of good grooming. Adult dogs may be more difficult, especially if they hate having their feet handled or have been "quicked" at some time.

Sometimes, dog nails grind down if the dog exercises on concrete. Otherwise, the nails should be trimmed regularly. Regular nail trimming is important to your dog's health and well being. Never use ordinary scissors to trim your dog's nails. Use trimmers that are specially designed for dogs. Hold the dog's paw firmly, and cut off the tip of the nail with a single stroke. Be very careful to stop short of the quick, the blood vessel inside the nail. Cutting the nails right after bathing will make the quick more visible; applying baby oil will serve the same purpose. Follow up by filing your dog's nails with a nail file. Ask your vet to show you the correct technique the first time, especially if your dog has dark nails.

Dog nails have a blood supply or quick but the end of the nails are dead tissue and can be clipped without pain. The trick is to trim as close to the quick as possible without actually cutting it and causing it to bleed. The quick appears as a dark line in white nails but is almost impossible to see in darn nails. The best way to begin trimming is to clip only the sharp, curved portion of the nail and then work back a bit towards the paw. Clip only a small bit at a time to avoid trouble.

No matter how careful you are, you can accidentally hit a nail quick and cause some bleeding at some point. Don't panic. Here are some things that will stop the bleeding:

"Steel drops", this stings, but is highly effective,

cornstarch or flour can also be used in a similar manner,

you can press the affected nail into a bar of mild soap,

for minor problems, simply applying pressure to the tip of the nail may be effective.

Some dogs have black nails. To tell how to cut these, turn your dog's paw over and look where the nail has a thicker section than the growth area. Use this as a guideline when trying to figure out where to cut the nail. They won't give the appearance of clearer at the top of the nail, so you have to be very careful that you go by the thickness of the nail when the paw is turned over. Any part of the nail that is thick is the "Quick" in this case and should not be cut. This is the part of the nail on the bottom that grows from his paw. The skinnier part of the nail is the new growth, that you can cut without fear of cutting your dog. You can also try using a torch (flashlight) which sometimes shows where the quick is located.

Some dogs do not like having their nails clipped. Take some wooden matchsticks, and cut the matchsticks to get your dog used to the sound, giving her a treat with each cut. Handle your dog’s feet several times a day, giving her a scrumptious treat as you touch them. Then take the nail clipper out and put it on the floor near your dog. Give her a treat every time she looks at the clipper. Pick it up and slowly bring it closer to her giving her treats the whole time.

Hold your dog‘s foot and put the matchstick underneath her foot and cut the matchstick. When she gets used to this, then put the clipper to her nails and pretend to cut them.

As a rule, I stay away from the nails. I'm too afraid of hurting him I leave it to the professionals in that way if they do accidentally hurt him then I won't be the bady

With my brood I had to learn how to cut their nails myself.

I start with my puppies at about 3 wks with a small kitten nail clipper and by the time they go to their new homes, they are quite used to it.

I do mine myself. the black nails sometimes cause a bit of nerves but im happy to just leave them SLIGHTLY longer than too short.

I clipped Taylor's the other day and she yelped and i really thought i had hurt her but it turned out to just be the sensation of her nails! I do my parrots too somehow! That can be quite a battle!!!!

Thanks for the great info, Janine! I also have to trim their nails myself since I don't take them to a groomer. Luckily, where we live now, the dogs exercise on concrete a lot and their nails stay short. Occasionally I'll find one or two nails that need to be trimmed, but that's it.

I hate trimming the nails, even though I have been doing it for years and I haven't quicked either of them. It's just not a fun thing to do, but it needs to be done! I've seen neglected dogs with nails that curl around in a circle and grow into the skin!

I also cut my parrot's toenails when they get too long His toes are much easier because they are a light color, but he isn't as well-behaved as the dogs!

Thanks Janine!! Very useful.

I am also to scared to do it myself at the moment. They do it at the groomers.

Ladies I am in awe...I just dont have the courage to trim my parrots nails
Maybe Im just a coward hehe.
I take her to Bird brains and go in the shop to buy her a treat while they do it and trim her wings.We then all happlily bounce out
in one piece

Gosh maybe Ill pluck up courage ..will let you know
Have a good week everyone Janice

YORKIE-PORIUM
Home of Arelli Yorkies & Posh Pooch Products

a year ago my parrot would have taken my finger off! in fact wheni tried clipping his wings he would end up up the blinds!

the lady in the store told me to put a towel over him so he was completely covered (dont suffocate him of course!) and then pull each wing out one by one and trim. works like a charm. now he is a follower and im the leader so he won't dare bite me and allows it uncovered. i use normal nail clippers on him. we dont have anyone here to do it for me and i figure why pay when i can do it myself. Like Marilise says, at least the bird has light coloured nails and you can see the vein!

It's super stressful when you accidently hurt them. i know when i clipped his wings once he moved and i trimmed it fractionally short and it knicked the vein...he is birght yellow so you can only imagone how the bloodied stains looked! and boy oh boy did it bleed like he had been shot! I used flour to stop bleeding, also helps

I always clip my dogs nails - but I know as a child how much a hated that feeling of having my nails cut and the "raw" feeling it leaves behind for a little while. I know if clipped incorrectly it can twist the nail and cause them discomfort or of too short can cause bleeding.

So today i was in Dischem (and i must say they have a great pet display!) and they had a tool that files the nails instead of clipping them. From what i could see you would put the nail against the file, switch it on and it grinds them down and claims to be pain free and comfortable. Any ideas on this?

If I can get one of these i would do their nails myself. For now the parlour trims Ciara's. Mika's was done before I got him. Not sure if I should send him to the parlour at such a young age?? It might just be too traumatic for him. I think his ears will need a trim soon.

Wow! That's interesting! I definitely need to get one of those. I have one yorkie who has funny growing nails! And I'm so scared to cut them so that file thingy will be ideal! I'll have a look-out for that. I didn't even know DisChem has a pet section! I'm interested to see what they sell! Thanks TaylorWoods!

Dischem has some very nice Pet wipes for eyes & ears as well, I bought some and it is great.

I also never knew that Dischem had a pet section. I dont really pop in there that much! But now I will definitely have a look at it!!!

I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!! We don't even have a "Fruit and VEG" not to even mention a Dischem!

I think it was R199 if i was looking at the right label. they even have Wahl pet clippers (R495) at our one and all the natural medicines for calming and arthritis etc. and they are cheap! I also buy the wipes, they are R10 for a pack of 30 and you get different ones for ears and eyes, body etc.

I had normal dog nail clippers which i stupidly left at home when i moved out because my Jack Russell stayed behind with my folks because my flat wouldnt allow him and after he passed away my parents got 2 more Jack Russells and my mom has claimed the clippers as her own! She tells me I can pop over and use them on my dogs as long as I clip her dogs nails at the same time because she can;t get them to sit still! So i normally used normal human nail clippers but they only worked on the puppy's nails while they were small...now they twist the nail too much because they arent strong enough So perhaps I will buy one of these rather...i always under trim the nails because they are dark and I cant see the vein and im scared to hurt them.

Im interested in the clippers too when i have the money because I know human clippers cut too close to the skin.

I suppose every shop has a different selection, but with ours it has definitely improved and they have loads of new stuff at very reasonable prices.

Shame Amoureux, maybe I will have to arrange to send one to you! Or perhaps we can ask aPetsLife to try and stock them???

I'll talk to A Pet's Life. That's what I like about them - they will stock anything we ask and most importantly, they can actually supply all our members because they aren't limited by area.
I don't know if our Dischem will have this nail file tool, so I might have to order one from A Pet's Life.

It's a new product in our Dischem. but have a look you never know!

A Pet's Life is great like that, and very prompt and helpful from my experience. sometimes it's worth paying the packaging and knowing you are getting something good.

Thanks TaylorWoods, if Marilize can let us know what A Pets Life says I will order one, if they can not help I would very much appreciate it if you could help me get one.

lets see if a pets life can stock them otherwise you and I can make a plan and I will send it up to you no problem Im there every week so I can do it any time for you.

now i REALLY want to try this thing! i thought the concept would be shot down but im glad everyone thinks it's a good idea!