Submitted by: Jerri Nice D. Torres

Your dogs need regular grooming. And part of this process is cutting your dog’s nails. Knowing how to do it, when to cut them, and how to avoid problems with long nails in dogs are necessary for most dog owners to learn.

Assess your dog. Before you plan on how you are going to trim your dog’s nails, you first need to determine if, indeed, its nails need trimming. Hold your pet in a comfortable position and look at its nails. You will be able to easily distinguish acceptable lengths and those that required to be cut. Also, you will be sure that the nails need to be cut to a shorter length if you hear that they are clicking on concrete or any hard floor.

When ingrown nails have developed, your dog will seem restless. It might look as if it is complaining about pain in his foot. Also, you might be able to notice it limp or have an unequal gait.

Sometimes, you just need to follow a regular schedule. Dogs usually require their nails to be cut about every 3 to 4 weeks. This gap is enough to let the nails grow and to avoid ingrown.

Prepare needed materials. Once you see that your pet’s nails badly need to be trimmed, you can now gather the materials that you need to use. There are several things that you will need to make sure everything goes smoothly. There can be dogs that are not well-behaved and having all the things that you can possibly need nearby will save you a lot of energy and times.

You will need a towel to protect your lap with. Also, you need to use dog nail clippers that cut well. You should only use trimmers that are designed for pets. Of course, they need to be sharp. You might only injure your dogs if the clippers that you are using can’t quite do the job well. Lastly, you will need emery boards to use for filing the nails.

Hold your dog. The most common position while cutting your dogs nails is when you are holding it on your lap. You will be able to secure its body and keep it from moving too much. Also, this will give you easy access to the nails that you need to cut.

Another alternative is for you to hold your dog in a leash. You just secure them in an area and you can now start cutting its nails. Putting your dog inside cages or kennels is also a viable option. But, do remember that for these techniques, your dog can move abruptly. Accidents can occur during these unguarded moments.

Cut well. Aside from using sharp clippers, you should ensure that you are cutting at the right lengths. Take note that too short or very long nails have a lot of disadvantages. Not only will they be uncomfortable, they may also be a cause for injuries.

About the Author: Jerri Nice D. Torres enjoys writing for Petflow which sells

grain free Canidae dog food

and

chicken soup for the pet lover

as well as a host of additional products.

Source:

isnare.com

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