There’s no getting around it–some of the tasks we have to perform as pet parents have the potential to be a little unpleasant. From remedying chipped pup teeth to taking your pet to the vet at the appropriate times, the list of musts for our pups is long.

One of those “good pet parenting” tasks? Trimming our pup’s nails.

While many dogs are OK with nail trimming, it’s common for pets to get a little anxious (or even a lot anxious) when it comes time to take out the clippers. If this sounds like you, you might be wondering how you–a loving pet parent who just wants the best for their pup–can make nail trimming easier for your furry best friend.

In this blog, we’ll share expert tips on trimming to help you not just expedite the process but make sure your pup is feeling comfortable and safe every time you bring out the trimmers.

As a bonus, we’re also sharing vital knowledge on what you can do to tackle unruly nails without ever having to bust out the clippers yourself.

KEY INSIGHTS:

• ●Nail Trimming Importance: Trimming your dog's nails is vital for their health and safety, preventing issues like pain, gait problems, and broken nails.
• ●Trimming Frequency: Experts recommend trimming nails once a month, with some variation based on your dog's activity level and nail growth.
• ●Signs it's Time to Trim: Listen for clicking on hard surfaces, observe long, curved nails, and watch for signs of discomfort or altered gait.
• ●Tips for Successful Trimming: Slowly desensitize your dog to the process, use the right supplies, including treats and styptic powder, and muzzle your dog if necessary.
• ●Understanding the Quick: Avoiding the quick, sensitive part containing blood vessels and nerves is crucial to prevent pain and bleeding.
• ●Tools and Techniques: Consider alternative tools like scratchboards and grinders if traditional clippers cause anxiety or difficulty.
• ●Financial Considerations: Pet insurance plans and pet discount savings plans can help offset the costs of vet visits, including nail trimming sessions.
• ●Practice and Consistency: Regular practice, positive reinforcement, and consistency can help make nail trimming a less stressful experience for both you and your dog.
• ●Work with your vet if you can’t trim your pet’s nails yourself, and remember that discount dog health plans can work in conjunction with your dog’s health insurance for extra cost savings.

Everything to Know About Trimming Your Dog’s Nail

Nail trimming is one of those essential grooming (and health-related) tasks that pet parents simply can’t (and shouldn’t) avoid. Trimming your pup’s nails isn’t just a presentation thing–it’s a health and safety thing.

Dogs whose nails grow out too long can end up hurting themselves, you, or others. If you don’t trim your pup’s nails to appropriate lengths, they can deal with consequences like:

• ●Pain when they walk or run from the nail digging into their skin
• ●Gait and joint issues (like arthritis)
• ●Unnecessary catches and tears on the ground or other surfaces
• ●Broken nails that can cause pain
• ●Decreased traction when they walk or run

All that to say, leaving your pup’s nails to grow without trimming could cause them (and even you!) a lot of pain.

When It’s Time to Trim Your Dog’s Nails

Experts say that the best rule of thumb is to trim your pup’s nails once a month. It is noted that some dogs who often walk or run on pavement might need their nails trimmed less frequently–but for most, that once-per-month rule seems to be the best guideline.

Not sure if your dog’s nails need to be trimmed just yet? Here are a few signs your pup’s nails are ready for a good old-fashioned clipping.

1. Your dog’s nails click on the hard surfaces of your floors when they walk
2. When you look at your pup’s nail, you can see a long, slender curve
3. If you have a dog with white nails, you can see their nail extending long past the quick
4. Your dog appears to be in pain when they’re walking, or their gait is impacted

If you notice one (or more) of these signs in your dog, it’s probably time to trim those nails!

Tips for Trimming Your Dog’s Nails

It’s not a big pet parent secret that most dogs out there don’t enjoy having their nails trimmed. Honestly, can you blame them? Unless you’ve spent a ton of time working on nail trimming with your pup (which is not always possible), it’s likely that your dog experiences bouts of anxiety every time you bring the clippers out.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways that you can make your dog’s nail-trimming experience a lot more relaxed and a lot less scary. The catch? It probably will take a little time to see the fruits of your labor.

If you’re consistent, work hard with your pup, and follow along with these tips, it’s possible you can transform your nail trimming experience with your dog into a calm, quick event.

Slowly Desensitize Your Dog to Nail Trimmings

The best advice for making nail trimming a seamless and stress-free process? Take it slow and start by desensitizing your dog to the process. Many dog owners want to get the stress of the situation over quickly. But if you step back, take a breath, and work with your dog slowly over time, you’ll likely have better results in the long run.

The next time you notice your pup’s nails are getting a bit long, try to start the process a week or so in advance. The American Kennel Club recommends a schedule like this to get your dog more comfortable with the clippers:

• ●On the first day, let your dog sniff your clippers or trimmers–give them a treat for sniffing.
• ●The next day, touch the tool to your dog’s paw. Follow up with tons of treats!
• ●On the third day, touch the clippers to each paw and squeeze them so your dog can hear the sound. (Don’t clip anything yet). Reward your dog.
• ●On the fourth day, touch the tool to your dog’s feet and nails again without clipping. Shower them with treats!
• ●The fifth day is all about trimming a single nail. Take it slow, trim one nail, and give your dog lots of attention, praise, and treats.
• ●On the sixth day, try for two nails and follow up with plenty of treats
• ●Day seven and onward should focus on trimming the rest of the nails

While this process might take time at the beginning, it won’t always be a week-long process to trim your dog’s nails. The more familiar your dog gets with the process (and the more he or she learns to trust you), the more seamless the experience will eventually be.

Use the Right Supplies

A nail trimming session for a nervous pup should include a few different tools. Contrary to popular belief, you can’t just snag a trimmer and hope for the best. Create a go-to tool kit for your nail trimming sessions that consists of supplies like:

1. Your nail trimmers of choice (grinders, clippers, etc.)
2. Plenty of high-value treats
3. Styptic powder for quick clotting, just in case you accidentally cut your dog’s quick
4. Did we mention treats?

Having a go-to kit that’s ready for trimming time will make the whole process a little easier and a lot less stressful. This way, you’ve got everything on hand when you start and you won’t have to interrupt the session halfway through to run and grab a supply you might need.

Bring All the Dog Treats

We know we mentioned treats, but we mean it–bring lots of high-value treats. For dogs who are especially nervous about nail trims, you’ll want to provide them with lots of attention and lots of high-value treats. In other words, their kibble might not be enough motivation to sit patiently through the process.

Ask your vet what sort of treats might work best for your pup, considering their dietary needs.

Know How to Trim Before You Start Your Session

Some pet parents mistakenly try to learn the process of trimming on the job. While you’ll definitely improve with practice, and there’s no guarantee you’ll accomplish the task perfectly the first few times you try, it is important to have a fundamental understanding of the process before you start trimming.

The last thing you want to do is sit your nervous pup down and try to hold it steady while you figure out the whole process from start to finish.

Do your research, know where to sit, how to cut, what to expect, and how to avoid causing your pup pain before you ever sit down to trim your dog’s nails.

Avoid the Quick at All Costs

Nail trimming shouldn’t be a painful experience for your pup–but if you’re not careful, it can be. The best way to ensure your pup isn’t experiencing pain during your nail trimming sessions is to avoid the quick at all costs.

The quick–the soft cuticle in your pup's nails–is what contains the blood vessels and nerves that run through the nails. Cutting the quick is when you can cause your dog to bleed and cry out–if you avoid this, your pup shouldn’t experience any pain.

How do you find the quick in your dog’s nails? It depends. For pups with light-colored nails, you’ll just need to locate the pink region in the center of each nail. That’s the quick and should be avoided!

For dogs with black or dark-colored nails, you likely won’t be able to see the quick from the top of your pup’s nail. Instead, look underneath it and try to find the groove on the underside that separates the nail from the quick. You can also try to use a flashlight to see the quick, though this might not work depending on how dark your dog’s nails are.

Muzzle Your Pup During Trimmings

Some pups–even the best-natured ones–get so frightened during their trimmings that they can’t help themselves and try to nibble at your hands or their paws. Work with your vet to determine the right approach for your dog, including discussing whether a properly fitted, comfortable muzzle is a good choice during your pup’s nail trimming sessions.

When used appropriately, muzzles can be a helpful tool for ensuring you keep your dog (and yourself) safe during high-stress but necessary situations like nail trimmings. Again, open up this conversation with your vet to get their opinions and advice.

Provide “Lick Mats” & Distractors for the Session

Sometimes, your pup just needs a distraction to take their minds off their stressor. Consider setting up a lick mat–a silicone mat smeared with a pup-approved treat (like peanut butter without xylitol or additives)–that your pup can lick and focus on during the nail trimming experience.

Licking is an enriching activity for dogs that can help them destress. Plus, having them preoccupied with licking a delicious treat can likely make them less concerned with what you’re doing.

Consider Anxiety Medicine from Your Vet

Though medication isn’t an option for every dog out there, if you have an overly-anxious pup who can’t seem to get used to nail trimming no matter how much desensitization you’ve focused on, you might want to chat with your vet about anti-anxiety medication.

Anti-anxiety meds could help your pup remain calm during stressful times (like nail trims) and keep them from panicking–this allows the process to go a lot smoother and be a lot faster.

Your vet likely has plenty of recommendations for anti-anxiety meds–whether they’re prescription or supplements–for your pup’s specific needs. Make sure you always consult a vet before you give your dog any type of medication.

Practice–Even When They Don’t Need a Trim

If you truly want every nail trimming session to go smoothly, you’ll need to put in the practice–even when your dog’s nails don’t need a trim. Every so often, take the clippers out and let your dog sniff them, touch them to the pads of his or her feet, and reward them handsomely.

The more positivity you can associate with nail trimming, the better your dog will feel about the process. At first, trimming once a month might not be enough to reinforce those positive experiences. Practicing regularly and giving your dog more frequent experience with the trimmers can help cement the associations for them. 

Try Other Tools like Scratch Boards & Grinders

If you can’t seem to get your pup accustomed to guillotine-style clippers, try other tools like scratchboards and grinders. These tools will help you accomplish the same goal–trimming your pup’s nails–but they’ll do so in a different fashion.

With a scratchboard, you’ll have to train your pup how to use these themselves. When used properly, they’ll scratch their nails against them like a cat, manually filing their nails down. Grinders, on the other hand, act like dremels. They slowly grind away your dog’s nails painlessly. Some dogs might be calmer with this approach than with the click of regular clippers.

When All Else Fails, Your Vet (& Pet Insurance Plans) Can Help

Being a great pup parent means taking care of your dog to the best of your ability–even when some of those tasks might not be pleasant (like trimming their nails, for example). If you’re a pet parent who’s more interested in the vet handling nail trims, that’s great–but it can mean a more expensive trip.

Sometimes, vet visits (even the anticipated ones) can end up costing you more than you’d like. The good news? There are ways you can mitigate these additional costs beyond just pet insurance.

Dog health insurance plans, pet discount savings plans, and financial planning can all help make those costly vet visits feel a little less substantial. Sometimes, certain dog discount savings plans will work alongside your dog health insurance plans for additional savings.

Looking for extra savings on the cost of pet care? See how a Carefree Pet membership can help.