Trimming puppy's toenails

[Posey]

As owners of a Cairn you are well aware of how fast their toenails grow.

What type of trimmers do you use if you do your own puppy's nails. The regular squeeze type doesn't work very well on Nicky's nails. Any suggestion appreciated.

Posey

[Susan]

The worst problem with trimming their little nails is that they're black, and it's so hard to judge how much to take off. It's a lot easier to get them trimmed by your vet real good and then try to keep them filed down after that with a metal nail file. If you keep up with the filing, you won't need to trim them at all.

Susan

[Posey]

Thanks Susan, on Animal Planet they had a program about Cairns and this breeder used an emery stone ran by a little hand held machine.

I might check that out next time I go to a pet store.

Posey

[Melanie]

I try to trim Max's nails once a week. He is 8mnths old and I forgot how fast those little things can grow. He actually sits very well for me, I found a trick where I put a fluffy towel in a squishy bean bag chair. He already knows when he sees the trimmers that he needs to go to the chair. I gently flip him on his back and since he sinks in he can't usually get out!! Works great.

[Posey]

Hi Melanie, are your puppys nails black? and do you use a dog nail clipper? You know those kind that surround the nail and cut it. And if the nails are black how far back do you know to cut?

Thanks

Posey

[Guest]

Yes, Max's nails are black. Actually all my dog's nails in the past have been black and I have cut them all. If you stay on top of them you can actually see the "quick" on the bottom of the nail that you do NOT want to cut. (It has a rather white/clear look to it. A good idea is to have some powder made specificially for the cuts of "quicks" to stop the bleeding.

The nail clipper I use is your typical Wal-Mart dog clipper where you put the dog nail in the the blade pushes up as you squeeze the handle. You can actually see where the blade is cutting, so I always take less than to much. Remember, if you happen to catch the quick it isn't the most horrible thing in the world, but it does cause the dog to yelp out. It will probably make you actually feel worse than the dog.

Let me know how it goes. Just try to get your pooch to stay still or it is next to impossible to do it the right way. Once you get used to it, you will be a pro at it. Good Luck! :wink: