How far to cut my dogs nails!

samanni

Hi! my dog has very dark nails. I am so scared about clipping the quick while trimming them. Can anyone look at the pictures of one of his paws and give me some advice about how far to cut the nails?

I cut them three days before I took this picture but I feel they make still be too long.

If someone could maybe post the same pics with a red line or similar showing me how far is safe to trim, that would be awesome and very very helpful!

I've been worrying over this two years. I feel like I don't cut them far enough, but I'm too scared to cut even further.

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Mikey

It's not fun for them to have their quick cut but it's not the end of the world-get some styptic powder (ie. kwikstop) or cornstarch when you trim and if you do cut the quick just pack it with either. (Then profusely apologize with salmon or chicken and thou shalt be forgiven )

To be honest-those nails look great to me!

You can also try a nail dremmel-they sound and look like your dog would run the other direction but I've found not only does my dog prefer the dremmel-but my rabbits do too! (That shows how gentle they are) -they work by filing the nail and it takes longer so you have less chance of hitting the quick.

For black nails get a powerful flashlight to see the quick and you can even use something to mark where you want to cut/file the nail with white-out or the like

fawkese1

i think they look ok to me too. i keep my dogs nails a bit shorter than yours bc i trim them up a bit every week or two. like mikey suggested, the pedipaws or something like it works really well, but it takes a bit for your dog to get used to (he/she will not beg for it like in the commercials) my dog wasn't fearful of it, but he didn't like it, so i just moved very slowly (one toe per day for a bit, and gave him plenty of treats) but you don't have to worry so much when you trim w it
it looks like your dog is very tolerant of having his feet touched though, which is great for you (seriously)

doggyhog

They look great! When your dog is standing, do his nails touch the floor? If so, his nails are too long.

Sheltiemama

When using the Pedipaw or whichever one you choose, the groomers have said just to use it maybe 3 seconds on each toenail so that it doesn't cause the nail to get too hot.

Criosphynx

The trick I use for dark nails is to squeeze the clippers down slowly...if the dog flinches...you are likely too high up


I agree with everyone...they look great.

Lonewolfblue

I don't know how well they work, but I've seen some battery operated clippers where the battery part senses where the quick is and gives a green light where you are safe, orange where it's getting close, and red where the quick is. If anyone's used one of these, what is your take on them? Do they work well, or is it just a gimmick?

http://www.petco.com/product/102745/...t=OnSiteSearch

opokki

My dog has black nails too...I've learned just how far I can go without hitting the quick. If you're not sure, just clip the tips a little bit at a time until you see the "bull's eye" in the center of the nail.

Clipping a Dog's Claws

Mikey

lonewolfblue-we were discussing those clippers on another forum and apparently they usually don't work Which is too bad because they are supposed to detect the quick and would be super handy. But I know there are a few different makes so maybe check consumer reviews before buying?

Fernweh

I agree with everyone, the nails look just fine. I work as a dog bather, so I trim dog nails of all sorts all day and I would say you COULD get a little more length off, but the length they are is decent.

Usually, with black nails you can feel where the nail clipper wants to hook with the nail and you can trim it there, angled slightly up from how the nail would rest on the ground. It's really hard to explain through text.

I think the best gauge you can use would be watching the bullseyes on the inside of the nails. Plus, once you have determined where one quick is, the rest are usually at about the same spot (for front feet, or for back feet), so you can be more assured with your cuts. Good luck!