There are many different responsibilities that a pet owner may have. When you have a dog, you would want to ensure that they have a comfortable place to sleep, plenty of good food and lots of exercise. There are also other things to consider, however, that may not come up on a day-to-day basis. One of those considerations is trimming their toenails, which is something that many dog owners have a difficulty doing.
When a dog is living in the wild, they will naturally keep their own toenails at a shorter level. This is done as they move about over the ground. When they live in a house, however, they don’t necessarily get the exercise that they would if they were in the wild and their toenails can grow quite long. Eventually, this could put pressure on the nail and it could even cause an uncomfortable problem.
One option that you have is to take your dog to the groomer or veterinarian to have their nails trimmed. This is probably the easiest method, although it certainly is more expensive and less convenient than doing it at home. The good news is, it doesn’t take much equipment or experience to trim your own dog’s toenails, and you might be surprised with how easy it is. After you trim their nails one time, you will be a pro at doing it from that point forward.
The first thing that you will need is a set of clippers. It is best if you choose clippers that are in the style of scissors and only use a small size, unless you have a very large dog. You should also be sure that the scissors are kept sharp, or it could cause problems. You might also want to consider getting a nail file or a tool for that purpose to smooth out the nails after they have been trimmed.
The first thing to do is to pick up the dogs paws and introduce them to the clippers. Work with their paws, putting your fingers in between their toes and holding the clippers nearby. Don’t trim their nails for a while, because you just want to get them comfortable with the fact that the clippers are nothing to be afraid of. You should then hold onto the dog’s paw gently and begin trimming the nail, only taking off a small amount at a time.
Continue trimming small pieces off of the paw until you see a white ring with a spot of black in the middle. If you do not yet see the white ring, you can go a little bit closer. You need to be careful, however, so that you don’t cut the nails too short. That is why it is a good idea to continue to trim the nails every few weeks, because you can just trim a little bit off of them and be done with it for that grooming session.
