Does everyone cut their dogs claws? I never have and have never taken him to the vet to have it done, but I've never thought they look like they need doing. Are these claws too long?
To me they look fine but the dew claw looks a little long. I clicker trained Charlie to allow me to clip his nails. x
What a lovely nose he has in that pic! They do look like they could use a little trim, nothing horrible or anything. It's super easy to cut them yourself, but the best thing is to start quite slowly with getting Stanley used to the clippers or Dremel (however you want to do it). If you've never cut them before, clippers are probably easier. You could spend the next couple weeks just touching/holding his paws, then introducing him to the clippers and just touching his feet and nails with them, and then finally taking the tiniest bit off of the nails themselves. Lots of treats at all stages of course. With dark nails, it's easier to take tiny bits off and do it more often than try to lop off a bunch at once and risk hitting the quick. Just to be safe, when you get the clippers, also get some styptic powder. If you so hit the quick even a tiny bit, it bleeds like you've cut off a limb - just a bit a styptic powder will stop it. You could also consider a Dremel - that's what I used on my dogs before I started traveling and couldn't carry it with me. It takes more for the dogs to get used to and you need to be careful not to overheat the nail (if you've ever had your own nails done you know what I mean) but I liked it because it gave a nice smooth finish to the nails and didn't need to be done nearly as often as using guillotine clippers.
The vet showed me a handy trick for checking their nails. Have your dog stand up on a hard floor, slide a business card (or similar) towards their paw. If the card slides under their nails and hits their pad then the nails are fine. If the card hits the nails and doesn't slide under, they need a trim.
They look too long to me too. I was surprised in our first agility class introduction to the frame when the instructor told us every dog in the class had too long toenails. Too long is slippery for them. Here I, and some others, thought it would help them climb up. Nope, we were told no, it doesn't. If I held Oban's feet as you are in your photo you would barely see his toenails. You won't be able to get Stanley's nails short as his toes right away because likely the quick has grown along with the nail. They'll bleed and it will hurt if you try to take too much off. Even though he is black (so is my dog) you can see the quick if you pick his feet up like you would a horse. You standing over top of him, facing his tail. I did lots of playing with feet when my boy was a puppy and that's a good way to start, no clipping at all, make him think it's fun. WE played This LIttle Piggy, lots of treats, to start. I clip every week whether I need to or not. The times it's sort of a fake clip I think helps to reinforce the not hurting. I do sometimes hurt but I'm forgiven but some dogs will freak all the heck out if you do. ETA: This Lab website shows you what the quick looks like from underneath on a black dog. http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/grooming.html
Thanks everyone! He's going to be neutered in a couple of weeks ( ) so I might just get the vet to do it while he's asleep and work on desensitising him at home for a while. I always play with his paws because I love them so he doesn't mind me touching his feet and I'll just work on him letting me near with the clippers
Every dog has different claws. You can't tell by looking at them whether they're too long or not. The rule of thumb is, if they make a noise when the dog walks on a hard surface, then they're too long. This can cause joint problems, even if they're slightly too long, as the dog rocks back to avoid them touching the floor. If you've ever had too-long nails in snug shoes and have felt how sore that can make your toes, you'll understand why. It's really not difficult to trim them. I do my dogs' nails every week. Willow is a work in progress, because she's so sensitive and has regressed recently, so I'm having to go back a few steps with DS. I have some new clippers, by Millers Forge, which are cheap but really, really good. They're really quiet, and you can take off tiny slivers at a time, which means that you don't put as much pressure on the nail (which the dogs tend to hate) and you can ensure you don't hit the quick. I use what's called "the alternative cut" with mine, which means you cut at weird angles, but it's more effective at getting long nails short. We don't do much walking on pavements and their nails (especially Willow's) grow like weeds. There's a great FB page called "Nail Maintenance for Dogs", which has loads of information if you're interested.
Thanks @snowbunny I'll definitely have a look at that Facebook page & those clippers For the first time ever I want him to wake up so I can listen to his feet
Yes, this works best for me, too. Also my Rottie breeder told me long ago that if you need to cut quite a bit, it's better to cut just a little bit, wait 3-4 days and cut a little bit more. Rinse and repeat until the nails are the length you want and then trim once a week. Apparently doing the cut-in-stages thing gets the quick to shrink back down into the nail, so eventually you can get them down to where you want them without ever hitting the quick.
Yep, that's the good thing about the alternative cut line. You cut close to the quick and preferably expose it, without nicking it, so it recedes. even if you don't get close enough to expose it, though, the line you cut means that just a bit of walking wears the nail down faster.
And, even with black nails, taking tiny slivers off, like you can with the Millers Forge clippers (or Dremel), you can see the quick as you approach it, because the colour and texture of the nail change as you get close.
He's just wandered and we've got definite clicking. I'm glad I asked if it could affect his joints. I'll get right on it!
The only colour change I've ever seen in Ella's claws was when I sliced through the quick and our lounge room suddenly looked like the set of a horror movie
Yup, as you get close to the quick, you'll see a darker circle appear in the centre of the nail. I'll see if I can find a picture for you...
It's horrible, isn't it? This is why I never cut nails without styptic powder next to me. I've had the same little jar forever, but when you need it you need it, and nothing else will do. Otherwise...set of a horror movie!
I bought a really big nail clipper cos that's what the guy at the pet shop told me was right for Snowie's size. It sure is sharp and strong - just slices through the nail, nice and clean, no ragged edges. But it's a pain to maneuver cos it's so big. The vet had a small one and I saw how easy it was to use, altho the cut wasn't as nice and clean. I used to cut Snowie's nails while he was lying down, thought the relaxed position would make it easier. I don't remember why I tried a different position and, wow, so much easier. While lying down he would sometimes pull his paw away, a normal response, not because he is anti nail clipping. The better position is when he's standing and I stand sideways on facing the same direction as him. I lift his front paw up in front of him and trim away. He does not pull it away. And I feel I get a better view of the nail in relation to his paw. I always cut the nail at an angle - is that the alternative cut? How to describe it? The top is cut further back than the bottom. Then, when he walks, the bottom should wear away more easily cos it's thinner. I got this advice off YouTube from a vet who manages the health of a top agility dog team in the US.
Yup, so you cut so it angles up, so you take more off the top than the bottom. You then take slivers from the sides, or use a Dremel to round it off, to expose more of the quick so it recedes. In the freeze-frame of the video above, she's marked the traditional cut, and is about to draw the alternative, so from where her pen is, to the point of the quick.
