How to trim puppy’s nails or brush his coat? It is the important questions for all the new puppy owners. As you bring home a new cute member in the family, there is lot of excitement, thrill and happiness. So, people often forget about some of the seemingly small, maintenance issues that are associated with the adorable and cute bundle of joy and energy.
How to make your little, restless puppy sit long enough to get his nails trimmed? How to trim them without causing them undue pain or stress?
If you have an active puppy that goes out often, his nails will wear out as he walks and will not require you to cut his nails. But if this is not the case then you need to cut them on your own with the help of little practice, patience, and few tricks.
Puppy’s nails grow fast therefore it becomes necessary to trim them regularly. Trimming of dog’s nails is crucial as when the nails grow too long; they get torn or split. Long nails can get entangled in wood decks, gaps, in carpets or various other surfaces leading to a tear.
I have written the tips based on my experience of getting my four-month-old puppy, Toto to cut her nails. I was lucky as Toto loves food, which made the nail trimming process more simple and enjoyable for us. I used cheese as treat for Toto as he loved cheese. You need to make sure that the food you chose as the treat is one of the dog’s favorite and you should give it only as reward while nail trimming. Here is a 5-step guide written by me. All you need to do is follow these 5 steps and trimming your pup’s nails will become an easy and hassle free task.
Things You Need
Nail Clippers
Scissor-style clippers are the best to get clean cuts. Scissor clippers can be used for dogs of all sizes. These are the best dog nail clippers. You can use them to make clean cuts of thick nails of large dogs. It is more flexible to use and you can cut from various angles.
Claw File
Claw file to smoothen the edges or to be used as alternate to clippers. A nail file is A nail file is used to grind and shape the edges of the nails. They are mostly used after the nails are trimmed with nail clippers.
Food treats for the pup to reward him/ her. Whenever your dog is afraid or nervous about something you have to do to him, you need to provide positive rewards. I also use food which is the best food for dogs.
5 Steps That You Need To Follow To Cut The Nails Of Your Puppy
#1. Preparation
You need to make your pup comfortable with your touch. Ask him to give you the paw and then hold it in your hand. If your dog doesn't pull it away and lets you do it then reward him with a treat ( a game or caress). Repeat the exercise and then start to touch his paw and examine it. Run your hands up and down his legs and hold his legs gently every day for a week or more. The dog will get relaxed about letting you touching his feet.
#2. Adopting The Right Position
Depending on the size of your puppy, the best position to cut the puppies nails is not the same. It is advisable to make the puppy sit on its knees to control its movements.If you have a heavy or a very active puppy, then you should make it lie in front of you to easily grasp its paws.
#3. Find The Part To Be Cut
Light colored claws of the pups are easier to cut as compared to the dark colored claws. This is because in the dark colored claws, the nerves and blood vessels supplying the claw are easily visible.
Therefore there is a great possibility that you may cut that part and cause bleeding.To locate the root of the nail, use a lamp to illuminate the underside of the claw. Mark the cut of the claw with a silver marker and cut the nails accordingly.
#4. Trim The Tip Of The Nails
In the case of white nails, you can easily trim the nail tips without touching the danger zone, but if the pup’s nails are opaque or dark, then you need to clip off the hook-shaped tip of the pup’s nails with the help of the clipper carefully.
If you are scared that you will hurt your puppy with a claw clipper, the claw file will become a good solution. A nail file is a tool to grind and shape the nails. Nail files can be crystal, ceramic, plain metal files or emery boards. One of the easy and great way is to encourage your puppy to scratch the emery board.
#5. What To Do If The Toenail Is Cut Too Short?
If you cut the quick, then you don’t have to panic, it will bleed and your dog may yelp but apply direct pressure on the area by holding a tissue on the area for a few minutes. If it doesn’t stop the bleeding use Styptic stick or powder. If you don’t have either you can use cornstarch or ordinary flour.
FINAL THOUGHT
As a pup owner, we try to avoid trimming our pup’s nails, either because of the hassles involved or due to the thought of making them bleed. Follow these steps to make sure that you successfully cut your pup’s nails without causing much trouble.
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