Manicures for dogs
All puppies and dogs require their nails trimming to stop them from becoming too long and painful.
When giving your dog a manicure yourself, never use any house-old scissors or any scissors that are not especially made for your dog’s nails. Pet clippers can be purchased for this job.
This job is a labour of love as the puppy can wriggle and cause you to cut their nails too short. If you’re not careful you can end up cutting the ‘quick’ which is the sensitive area of the nail.
The ‘quick’ is a pink colour, but in a dark haired puppy it can be hard to establish where it is. To avoid any painful upsets cut the nail a little way only until you are feeling more confident.
Try cutting the nails one at a time and if your puppy is nervous play with him after you have cut a couple of nails.
The puppy will have dewclaws which are located on the inside of the front legs, these need clipping. Some dogs do not have dewclaws.
Once you have finished them use a pet nail file to file off any rough edges.
Note: If you are nervous take your dog to the veterinary practitioner and ask them to show your how to use the correct technique required.
