The Vet Practice

Regular nail trimming should be part of every dog's grooming regime and in reality - should be an easy thing to do.

However, we find that many pet owners either don't like doing this themselves or simply can't get their dog to co-operate.

All dogs need to accept being handled and groomed by their owners from an early age.You should be able to examine your dog's mouth, feet and ears and handle her feet, trim her nails, give her a bath and brush her coat without fuss or objections. After all - you are her leader and she should respect and trust you to do this.

In reality, grooming should be a pleasurable experience. Dog's generally love being handled and stroked by their owners and it reinforces the bond between the two of you.

Nail trims are best done when your dog is in a relaxed position. either lying down or sitting beside you. Gently pick up and examine each paw and reward her with a pat each time she allows you to do this.

Using a nail trimmer trim the ends of each nail. Don't be nervous doing this as this feeling can be projected onto your dog making her nervous as well. Don't be tempted to cut off too much of the nail at a time. Do small trims regularly rather than longer trims less often.

This reduces the risk of cutting into the "quick" which contains the blood supply to the nail and makes the nail bleed.

If your dog has white nails it's easy to see where the blood supply ends. If your dog has black nails you can't see the outline of the blood supply so just take off a little at a time. Apply some pressure with the nail trimmers first before you cut. If there's no response then it's probably O.K to trim to here.

Reward your dog after each succesful examination and trim with a pat or a treat.

If your dog is regularly sent to a groomer then a nail trim is usually part of this service.