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Pet Care Tip: Trimming Your Dog’s Nails

Pet Care Tip: Trimming Your Dog’s Nails

Often, dogs’ nails are not worn down enough with regular exercise and domestic living; therefore, dogs need to have their nails professionally trimmed to preserve the health of your dog’s paws. If you can hear your dog’s nails clicking as they walk across a hard floor or concrete, they are too long.

Beware of the Quick

The quick in your dog’s nail is made up of blood vessels and nerves. As your dog’s nail grows without consistent care, the quick also grows. If you accidentally cut your dogs nails too short you can hit the quick and that can cause your dog to bleed--a lot. If this happens, you often need some sort of quick stop to control the bleeding. However, professionals can gauge where the quick is and avoid this sort of traumatic event for you and your dog.

Prepare as a Puppy

When your dog is a puppy, it’s the perfect opportunity to get your dog ready for nail trimming as they grow. Part of the anxiety surrounding nail trimming is that some dogs are apprehensive about people touching their paws. However, if you start young, your dog can get used to people touching their paws, and, as a result, your dog will not feel threatened when it comes time to trim their nails.

Prep an Older Dog

Many people opt for adopting older dogs rather than starting with a brand new puppy. If this is your situation, you can still prep your older dog for nail trimming by consistently touching and handling his paws in a positive manner. Some older dogs may be hesitant to allow people to handle their paws, but, if you find your dog falls into this category, you can let her know it is a positive thing by providing treats and other positive reinforcements while touching her paws.


Bark Central can help you prep and successfully groom your dog’s nails. Contact us today to find out how.

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