Chances are either you or your pooch are anxious about that dreaded nail clipper. Start by showing your pup that it is nothing to be scared of. Let them sniff it and touch their paws with it gently until they get to a point where it is no longer scary (this may take a couple of attempts over a few days).
Once your dog is relaxed around the clipper, it’s time to start the actual grooming. These steps will help you:
- Firmly, but gently, pick up a paw, placing your thumb on the pad and your forefinger on the top of the skin just above the nail. Make sure no fur is in the way.
- Extend the nail gently by pushing your thumb slightly up and back on the pad, while pushing your forefinger forward.
- Now that you can clearly see the nail, clip only the tip, straight across. Don’t clip past the curve of the nail, as you will then cut into the pink area that contains the blood vessels. This is much easier to see on dogs with white nails. If your dog has black nails, look out for the chalky white ring and don’t cut above that.
