Grooming Tip: Nail Trimming
Foot care is part 4 of a 4 part series on basic grooming you can do with your dog at home on a regular basis.
You can read my grooming story in part 1, HERE
You can read about brushing your dog in part 2, HERE
And you can read about basic ear care for your dog in part 3, HERE
Good clean feet and regularly trimmed toe nails make running and playing on uneven terrain easy on your dog’s whole body.
Grooming Practice Number Three: Foot Care!
Handsome poodle feet don’t always have to be shaved clean. Standard Poodle Bryce is seen here, rocking his stylin’ fluffy toes.
Oh boy. The feet. There’s a reason I left foot care for last on the list.
When we talk about dog feet, it’s inevitable that we’re going to talk about dog nails. And dog nails means… nail trimming.
Queue the moans and the sighs. Everyone has one or two (or many more!) nightmares about trying to trim doggy toenails. But I have good news; learning to trim nails with ease is not only possible, there is an entire army of dog owners who do it every day!
And so without further ado-
Here we go…!
Arguably the most difficult bit to teach our dogs to love is the practice of toenail clipping or trimming.
And, unfortunately, the only way to get our pups to tolerate (and maybe enjoy…?) toenail trims is… you guessed it…
Is to trim those doggy toenails regularly.
My first tip is one to keep in mind if you’re preparing for a new puppy;
Start ‘em young!
Puppy poodle feet are practically perfect in every way!
As soon as your puppy gets home, start playing with his feet. Use gentle pressure and press (again, gently) on each cute little toe. Kiss your pup’s feet, tickle his toenails and do tiny tugs on his nails. Treat him with love and delicious snacks (key word here is delicious don’t skimp out on the praise and treats during a training session) every time he is calm and settled while you play with his feet.
My preferred way to trim dog nails is with a Dremel.
This Dremel found on Amazon is a great tool for trimming dog’s toenails.
The Dremel has many advantages in my book. Most notably the control I have over how much of the nail to file. I can file without hitting the quick. And I can see what I’m doing while filing the nail.
If you’re old enough to remember back to the 1990’s, nail Dremels were all the rage for acrylic nails. If your nail tech wasn’t experienced, you may well remember the burning sensation if she held the dremel to your nail bed too long.
Turns out, science is right; friction creates heat.
And holding a Dremel too long or with too much pressure on a nail can really hurt.
It is important to go slow and be gentle when using the Dremel.
The Dremel company makes some great pet-quality Dremels. These little bad boys are designed for toenails of pets. They are not as abrasive as the Dremel tool we use in a workshop environment.
I love these little Dremel tools!
Now we’ve got our Dremel and we’ve got our pups used to having their feet played with. The next step is to turn on the Dremel but do not file toes. Not yet! The sound of a Dremel is unique. It’s not a common sound and your dog may not be used to hearing it. Have your dog laying down comfortably and turn on the Dremel.
Gauge her reaction.
Each time she relaxes or shows only benign curiosity, reward with delicious treats and lots of praise.
Continue this exercise for only several seconds at a time. At no point do you want a stressed out puppy.
Repeat daily until your pup is so used to the sound, she doesn’t even flinch.
Next step is to touch the Dremel to the toenails of your pup.
Nice and easy. The more patient you are now, the easier toenail trimming will be for your dog.
Even now, don’t worry too much about actually trimming the nails. This is still just training your dog to get used to the feel and the sound of the Dremel.
Once you’re at the point of nail trimming, you’ll find that the Dremel works quickly and efficiently.
It takes no time at all to do a nail trim with a well behaved dog and a Dremel!
In the video clip I’ve provided, you can see Bryce getting his nails done with a Dremel. Bryce is a great example of a dog that needed a bit of reconditioning after some stressful nail trimming experiences. But with patience and consistency, he’s now a confident pro. And nail trimming only takes minutes… with zero tears or gnashing of teeth!
Toenail trimming is a complicated but vital part of all grooming routines. And I could write hundreds of words just about proper nail clipping technique.
But, lucky for you, I’m going to offer something better!
This four minute video gives a bunch of really fantastic tips about exactly how to make nails trims enjoyable for dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHgBvnQ71ss