# When To Trim Nails



## rjordan392 (Feb 16, 2010)

My dogs nails are about 3/8ths of an inch long. Is it time for him to have a nailcut?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

It depends on the dog. Some dogs have longer quicks (live part of the nail) than others. If you can see a lot of dead nail past the quick thn it's time for a trim if not don't worry about it.


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## Jester's King (Mar 12, 2010)

Also, age of the dog can matter. I like to pay more attention to an older dog's nails because 1. they wear them less on their own when mobility decreases, and 2. longer nails will put more pressure on the joints in the foot which can add to arthritic pain.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I only clip my dogs nails when they start clicking on the tile floor.


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## Eurobox (May 17, 2010)

I try to trim once a week, but one of my dogs is a show dog, so he needs to be groomed often. I do agree with Danemama08, every dogs nails are different. I have one with very long quicks, so his nails constantly look long. I say at least every two weeks unless your dog is on pavement or concrete often.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

I have heard that the more often you trim nails, the shorter the quick will become. Thereby allowing your dog to have very short nails. Has anyone else heard this? And is there any truth to it?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Ania's Mommy said:


> I have heard that the more often you trim nails, the shorter the quick will become. Thereby allowing your dog to have very short nails. Has anyone else heard this? And is there any truth to it?


There is definitely truth to this. I trim Bailey's nails every two weeks...I couldn't imagine not doing it that often or she'd have a really hard time walking.


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## rjordan392 (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks all,
But I am not so sure I can tell the differance between live and dead nails. I never experienced cutting an animals nails before and may try one of those nail cutters that are in the pet shops that claim they are safe to use.
Opinions please?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

What color are your dog's nails? It can definitely be more difficult if they are black, but still not impossible. If your dog's nails are clear/white you should be able to see the quick through the top layer...here's a picture:










Just trim just a tiny bit off the end until the middle of the nail starts to look waxy. That is what I do.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

MollyWoppy said:


> I only clip my dogs nails when they start clicking on the tile floor.


Ditto. :biggrin:


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

MollyWoppy said:


> I only clip my dogs nails when they start clicking on the tile floor.


Yup, Zio's due for his "grooming" when we hear that sound on the tiles.

We do "paws, claws, and shnoz": trim his nails with a dremel (while looking for broken nails, cuts in the pad, etc.); trim his whiskers; check his ears and do a general "check out" all over.

We also tend to bathe him once a week because he has the habit of lying down in puddles to cool off during a run. :tongue:


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## ann g (May 6, 2010)

Ania's Mommy said:


> I have heard that the more often you trim nails, the shorter the quick will become. Thereby allowing your dog to have very short nails. Has anyone else heard this? And is there any truth to it?


I trim my shepherd's nails every 2 weeks and lately I've noticed that I have been able to cut shorter and shorter, and there is a larger area of dead/hollow space so this might be true.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

My one labs starting to sort of slip a bit on the hardwood floor I can hear her nails starting to click alot so time to trim! They also wear the nails out on the cement patio when they walk on it! Which with all this heat they have been in alot now though!


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## Rottnk9s (Jun 28, 2010)

I trim my dogs nails weekly and they are really short. I am a bit OCD with the dogs nails :redface:


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## rjordan392 (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks again all,
I'll be boarding my beagle for a day or two at the vet's. I'll have their assistant trim them.


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## ddenth (Aug 18, 2010)

*toe nail clipping*



rjordan392 said:


> Thanks all,
> But I am not so sure I can tell the differance between live and dead nails. I never experienced cutting an animals nails before and may try one of those nail cutters that are in the pet shops that claim they are safe to use.
> Opinions please?




I seen on tv a rotary tool that grinds the nail instead of clippers much more humane, no pain at all to dog. But looking at this tool, it looked to small for larger breed of dog. So I went to the garage and grabbed my DREMEL, looks just like this rotary tool but larger. Put the sanding wheel on,same as rotary tool on tv but larger. and have been using this for past 2 years. I had to take dog to vet before to have nails clipped and he would fight me all the way. Now I grind his nails down with DREMEL and he almost falls asleep while I do his nails. after grinding he gets his treat and has never been happier. Just a suggestion, a dremel will do the job a lot easier, and without any pain. now neighbors bring their dogs to me to do their dogs nails.


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## Mitchell (Aug 16, 2010)

hi i have a puppy coming and i also have never trimmed in my life. i was going to get the nail clippers with the safety guard is that worth it and how old should the dog be before cutting and trimming is even an issue thanks


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## 3RingCircus (May 24, 2010)

I trim my puppies' nails when I hear them clicking on the kitchen floor.

Before these two pups, my husband used a guillotine type nail trimmer. He didn't really like that kind but it was better than the snippers which split the nail. We had large breed to giant breed dogs.

Bailey and Barnum are giant breed and have dark nails. I do all the trimming because my husband now has RA and his hands aren't as strong as they used to be. I use a cordless Dremel tool and on 2 maximum. Instead of going underneath the nail, I come at it straight on and then dip underneath to smooth it. I finish by buzzing off the top of the nail, just taking the hard shell off a bit. I rub my finger along the edges to check for sharp spots and gently buff them out. I complete my nail trim with some Bag Balm on the pads if needed.

I never push hard against the nail. I also wear glasses because there's a lot of nail dust which comes off.

Before trimming the nails I check the pads for injury, trim the pad fur to flush with the pads and cut a little between and around the nails. If I don't cut the fur around the nails the Dremel will pull it out. _Ouch!_ Another option is to use an old worn out support hose over the paw to push the fur back away from the nail. The nails poke through the nylons. I need to be careful because my pups have webbed feet. 

After I'm done I check ears and clean them and usually do a light grooming all around. Leonbergers love to play spithead so their ear fur needs almost daily brushing. Sometimes I finish with a doggy massage.

Here's a link to a video on Dremel trimming with great close up video:

YouTube - Dremel dog nails, Trimming dog nails with dremel tool, Clipping dog toenails

Start at around 4:30 minutes for the Dremel trimming part.

For a picture of a spithead Leo:

The Spithead Page


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## Eurobox (May 17, 2010)

3RingCircus said:


> Bailey and Barnum are giant breed and have dark nails. I do all the trimming because my husband now has RA and his hands aren't as strong as they used to be. I use a cordless Dremel tool and on 2 maximum. Instead of going underneath the nail, I come at it straight on and then dip underneath to smooth it. I finish by buzzing off the top of the nail, just taking the hard shell off a bit. I rub my finger along the edges to check for sharp spots and gently buff them out. I complete my nail trim with some Bag Balm on the pads if needed.
> 
> Before trimming the nails I check the pads for injury, trim the pad fur to flush with the pads and cut a little between and around the nails. If I don't cut the fur around the nails the Dremel will pull it out. _Ouch!_ Another option is to use an old worn out support hose over the paw to push the fur back away from the nail. The nails poke through the nylons. I need to be careful because my pups have webbed feet.
> 
> After I'm done I check ears and clean them and usually do a light grooming all around. Leonbergers love to play spithead so their ear fur needs almost daily brushing. Sometimes I finish with a doggy massage.


Wow, will you do my nails?? :biggrin:

On a side note, that Dobe in the video had the longest nails I have ever seen, for a dog that has it's nails dremeled.


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## 3RingCircus (May 24, 2010)

Eurobox said:


> Wow, will you do my nails?? :biggrin:
> 
> On a side note, that Dobe in the video had the longest nails I have ever seen, for a dog that has it's nails dremeled.


I guess you want the massage, right? :biggrin:

I think she purposely allowed them to grow long or used someone else's dog with long nails for the purpose of the video.

It was the most detailed video of the ones listed. The first I saw had terrible resolution and was taken with a cell phone video camera.


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