Dog owners know that clipping a pet’s claws is not an easy task. Therefore, many of them prefer to contact a veterinary clinic and entrust the procedure to a specialist.
But if you want to learn how to take care of the four-legged yourself and strive to learn how to trim the dog’s claws, the following information will be useful to you.
Claw anatomy
Before answering the question of how to cut the claws of a dog, you should familiarize yourself with their structure. The correctness of the actions during the procedure will depend on this knowledge. There are three types of claws in dogs:
- Feline - their tip is bent.
- Bent - arcuate shape.
- Hare - straight and sharp.
The first and second species are characteristic for service breeds, and the third - for ornamental.
Claws are important to the dog. They affect the setting of the paw and its adhesion to the surface during walking and running.
The effects of long claws
What will happen if you do not cut the claws of the pet? If the animal is actively and often on the street, then nothing bad will happen. But if the dog is a decorative breed and does not move much, the consequences can be disastrous. Lack of clipping can lead to such problems:
- With musculoskeletal system. Long claws resting on the floor put their fingers in an unnatural position. Each step will be difficult, and clubfoot will begin. A shift in the center of gravity will lead to joint deformation and changes in the spine.
- Severe injuries. Most dogs have a fifth toe on their forefeet. If you do not cut the claws, a long bent claw can catch on something and cause injury to the animal.
- Loss of balance while walking and running. Short claws provide support while moving, and long claws upset the balance.
- Knock on the floor while walking. This is a trifle, but can cause significant discomfort to family members, for example, at night, when the animal gets up to drink.
Necessary tools
How to trim a dog’s claws? This question is not simple, and the process itself is very delicate. Often dogs are afraid of clipping, and therefore have an active resistance, which greatly complicates the procedure. Therefore, you need to prepare in advance and tune in to cutting the claws of the animal.
Ordinary scissors will not work. Special claw cutters have been created for dog claws. When choosing a tool in the store, you should pay attention to the material of manufacture. The harder the metal, the slower the blade will blunt. At a minimum, steel should be preferred, brass even better.
Next, we look at the metal coating and the shape of the pens. Blades are treated with chrome - this is the best option. It’s bad if the tool is not covered at all, it will eventually cause rust.
Handles should be rubberized to provide comfort to the wearer when cutting.
A claw cutter is selected depending on the size of the pet and the thickness of its claws. All tools are divided into two types:
- The first variety resembles scissors or pruners. Claws are trimmed, pinching them between the blades of the tool. Squeezing the handles, cut the claw plate.
- The second variety is similar to cigar scissors, they are also called guillotine. The claw is placed in the hole, squeeze the handle and cut.
There are also claw files. For dogs, they are made with a large spray.
It is also worth mentioning about electric tools. Such clawpots have a grinding stone, with which you can grind the claws to the desired length. However, the disadvantages of the tool should be taken into account. They are expensive, during operation they make a noise frightening the dog, and the claws are heated by friction. So not all pets will agree to such a manipulation.
What else is useful?
Before trimming the claws of a dog, in addition to tools, also prepare:
- Alcohol to sterilize the instrument. The cutting parts of the claws should be wiped with any alcohol-containing compound.
- Special powder to stop bleeding. It can be purchased at the pet store.
- A treat for encouragement or distraction. Pieces of boiled meat or your favorite dog food will do.
- Well, and probably need an assistant to hold the animal.
Find the right moment
Before answering the question of how to cut the claws of a dog, it is also important to figure out when to do this at all. Of course, the dog should be in a calm and relaxed state. It is better if it will be after a walk or a hearty dinner, when the animal does not show aggression. Then the dog will be able to wait until the end of the procedure and will not show resistance.
Many breeders are wondering how to cut the claws of a dog at home and not injure the animal. It is important to support the pet, so the owner must cheer and calm the dog. You need to talk with the four-legged calmly and confidently. The plate should be cut carefully, a little.
If this is the first procedure for a dog, the pet should be prepared for it in advance. First, the owner needs to take the dog by the legs and just hold them. The pet will get used to the touch and will not be nervous.
Then you can proceed to get acquainted with the claw cutter. You need to take it and put it on the legs of the four-legged.
Pruning process
Having prepared the instrument and calmed the animal, you can start the procedure. It is very important for the owner to know how to cut the claws of the dog. In the process, it is worth considering several points:
- First, determine the location of the cut. It is important not to touch the live part of the claw. If the claw plates are in light colors, then this area is a pinkish strip at the center of the claw. Dark dogs get harder - you just have to not cut their nails too short.
- You need to cut at an angle of 45 °. At the same time, they remove a little bit, 0.5 mm each, so as not to hurt the blood vessels.
- When performing the procedure, do not touch the area between the claws. This tickles the animal and the pet will break free.
- Do not squeeze the dog's paw strongly, otherwise the animal will try to escape. The pet must understand that you do not want to harm him. Let the movements be confident, but careful.
- To cut the claws of the dog on its hind legs, the animal is placed on its side. Some owners use the help of someone else who can keep the dog in the process. It is very inconvenient for one to do this: if the animal twitches and tries to escape, it can cause itself injury.
This is a brief guide on how to cut a dog’s claws at home.
The nuances of the procedure
Before engaging in dog clipping, you need to study their shape and understand how best to cut them, how much to retreat from the edge. It is important to learn the haircut technique. Cannot be cut at a large angle or from the side, this can lead to delamination.
You need to cut from top to bottom. Not all nippers for dog’s claws understand where the tool touches the claw, so you should be careful not to cut the excess and not touch the living part of the plate. It is better to leave too much than to hurt the animal. After all, an injured dog will never agree to a similar procedure.
After trimming, the edges of the claws become uneven. To give them smoothness, you should grind them with a file.
It is important to understand that not every dog needs to cut its nails regularly. It depends on the activity of the animal, breed, thickness of the claw plate. Some dogs manage to wash their nails naturally while walking. Therefore, the question of how often to cut the claws of a dog is purely individual. Nevertheless, it is worth stopping at it.
The frequency of the procedure
Some dogs require clipping once every two weeks. But this is more an exception than a rule. The average frequency is once every one to three months. To determine the need for clipping, you can visually.
As already noted, the claws can grind while walking. But this does not always happen. The need to trim the claws will tell the change in the gait of the dog, difficulty walking.
It is also dangerous to leave unnecessarily long claws that are not trimmed because the animal can break the plate by accident, while being injured and other health consequences.
In addition to claws, you can use grinding tools, which were mentioned above. They grind off the claw and lengthen the period until the next haircut. The principle of their action is the same as that of a nail file.
First Aid Injury
What to do if during pruning the owner touched the live part of the claw and bleeding started? At the same time, the dog experiences pain, and an infection can get into the wound. Therefore, the place of cut should immediately be treated with powder to stop bleeding. Use peroxide, iodine, green stuff is not worth it, these fluids will aggravate the pain.
If the animal breaks out, do not restrain it, let it run away and calm down. This will reduce the level of pain. And the owner during this time will be able to prepare the powder. If it is not, you can sprinkle the wound with ordinary flour.
It is worth talking to a pet, reassuring him, treating him to a treat. The wound is treated with hemostatic powder. After this, the dog needs to lie down so that the bleeding stops.
If, after the stress, the dog does not allow to cut its claws, it may make sense to take it to the veterinary clinic to perform this procedure.