.... first time dog owner and was wondering if anyone cut their own dogs claws , she is extremely placid so i have no doubt she would let me do them , just looking for a bit of advice 
does anyone cut their dogs claws ....
our current dog, no as his have never needed to be done yet
but i did out older dogs claws, she didn't like it being done (which was fair enough, i did manage to catch a quick a few times when i clipped them) but she'd allow me to do it
i often give the dog i walk a quick pedicure too, as hers seem to grow quickly
it's quite easy to do, so long as the dog will co-operate with you
you just need to be careful to cut cleanly and to avoid the quick - if you catch this it can be quite painful for the dog and it will bleed.
easy to do with light coloured claws, but if your dog has black claws, it takes a bit of guess work and hoping you miss it.
with these it's usually best just to take a little off the end to avoid over-trimming
you can get products like qwick stop which can be dabbed on to any over-trimmed claws to help stop the bleeding
but i did out older dogs claws, she didn't like it being done (which was fair enough, i did manage to catch a quick a few times when i clipped them) but she'd allow me to do it
i often give the dog i walk a quick pedicure too, as hers seem to grow quickly
it's quite easy to do, so long as the dog will co-operate with you
you just need to be careful to cut cleanly and to avoid the quick - if you catch this it can be quite painful for the dog and it will bleed.
easy to do with light coloured claws, but if your dog has black claws, it takes a bit of guess work and hoping you miss it.
with these it's usually best just to take a little off the end to avoid over-trimming
you can get products like qwick stop which can be dabbed on to any over-trimmed claws to help stop the bleeding
Originally Posted by xdow:
“our current dog, no as his have never needed to be done yet
but i did out older dogs claws, she didn't like it being done (which was fair enough, i did manage to catch a quick a few times when i clipped them) but she'd allow me to do it
i often give the dog i walk a quick pedicure too, as hers seem to grow quickly
it's quite easy to do, so long as the dog will co-operate with you
you just need to be careful to cut cleanly and to avoid the quick - if you catch this it can be quite painful for the dog and it will bleed.
easy to do with light coloured claws, but if your dog has black claws, it takes a bit of guess work and hoping you miss it.
with these it's usually best just to take a little off the end to avoid over-trimming
you can get products like qwick stop which can be dabbed on to any over-trimmed claws to help stop the bleeding”
“our current dog, no as his have never needed to be done yet
but i did out older dogs claws, she didn't like it being done (which was fair enough, i did manage to catch a quick a few times when i clipped them) but she'd allow me to do it
i often give the dog i walk a quick pedicure too, as hers seem to grow quickly
it's quite easy to do, so long as the dog will co-operate with you
you just need to be careful to cut cleanly and to avoid the quick - if you catch this it can be quite painful for the dog and it will bleed.
easy to do with light coloured claws, but if your dog has black claws, it takes a bit of guess work and hoping you miss it.
with these it's usually best just to take a little off the end to avoid over-trimming
you can get products like qwick stop which can be dabbed on to any over-trimmed claws to help stop the bleeding”
thanks for that , i would rather do it regular than try and go to far at once , any tips on the best clippers to buy , i would need to get them from pets at home or similar ..
If the claws are white, clip to just before the quick (red blood vessle).
If the claws are black, just clip the tip off, leave it a week or two then clip another couple of mm. The quick will gradually recede so - theoretically - you will never cut it.
For the dogs comfort, bend the leg 'backwards' if you get what I mean - naturally bend the joint. Don't lift the paw up to the front. Perhaps you could google for an instructional video as it is hard to describe sorry
Might also be an idea to get a professional groomer to show you first time. Not normally very expensive - £10 to £15. Takes five minutes so a bit of a rip off lol.
Even though doggy is placid, give a scrummy treat afterwards and do it regularly so dog remains co-operative.
It isn't hard once you get the hang of it.
If the claws are black, just clip the tip off, leave it a week or two then clip another couple of mm. The quick will gradually recede so - theoretically - you will never cut it.
For the dogs comfort, bend the leg 'backwards' if you get what I mean - naturally bend the joint. Don't lift the paw up to the front. Perhaps you could google for an instructional video as it is hard to describe sorry
Might also be an idea to get a professional groomer to show you first time. Not normally very expensive - £10 to £15. Takes five minutes so a bit of a rip off lol.
Even though doggy is placid, give a scrummy treat afterwards and do it regularly so dog remains co-operative.
It isn't hard once you get the hang of it.
I've never needed to cut any of my dogs claws. If they get regular exercise then they should get worn down by themselves.
Originally Posted by LaceyLouelle3:
“I've never needed to cut any of my dogs claws. If they get regular exercise then they should get worn down by themselves.”
“I've never needed to cut any of my dogs claws. If they get regular exercise then they should get worn down by themselves.”
My Chinese Cresteds get the same exercise as my Glen. But because the smallest is so light, her nails don't wear down enough so I have to clip them. During summer they get very little walking over hard surfaces - we have fields behind us and a park over the road - so I have to cut the nails on both of the Cresteds occationally.
All three need help sometimes with their front dew claws.
The OPs dog may be a puppy on restricted walks, very light, walked over soft surfaces or eldely. It is always a good idea to get a dog comfortable with having its feet handled and nails clipped - you never know when it will be needed.
Originally Posted by Just_Ash:
“You should never need to cut your dog's claws if you take it out for walks regulary.”
“You should never need to cut your dog's claws if you take it out for walks regulary.”
That is true for big dogs, since having smaller dogs (8kg and 16kg) I have found their claws are not kept down by daily pavement walks of 30-40 minutes. Their main exercise is fields and woods walks.
I recommend taking them to the vet nurse, it costs £7.50 per dog and they get familiar with the nurses and the nurses get fond of them, which helps if they ever need surgery. My dog (age 14) had a malignant tumour removed last year, seeing the nurse has the bonus that she also looks him over between 6 monthly vet checks. He is on a low dose steroid and piriton.
Pets at home charge about £5 but appointments can be tricky (no cats before or after a dog appt) and it is a dog groomer who does it, almost as likely to cut the quick as you are. I do not like the way they are taking business from vets, so biased, but find a good vet and support them. Special diet food etc from my vet is comparable with online prices after paying for a prescription.
Originally Posted by Just_Ash:
“You should never need to cut your dog's claws if you take it out for walks regulary.”
“You should never need to cut your dog's claws if you take it out for walks regulary.”
Rubbish. It depends where they walk. Not everyone lives on / near a pavement !
My dogs go out daily for their runs, but they run on a field. So, their claws grow. They both get their nails trimmed every few months.
I've had dogs for over 25 years and never trimmed a claw in that time. I've had golden retrievers, currently Briards and for variety a Cairn terrier. So that's large, medium and small breeds.
I walk on pavements during the week mostly but at weekends lots of free running in woods, parks and when possible, beaches (sand is great for keeping claws down).
However - 1-2 times a year they go into a grooming parlour for 'the works' and they trim their claws then. My Briards have a double dew claw and this never touches the ground so has to be manually done - twice a year is enough though
I walk on pavements during the week mostly but at weekends lots of free running in woods, parks and when possible, beaches (sand is great for keeping claws down).
However - 1-2 times a year they go into a grooming parlour for 'the works' and they trim their claws then. My Briards have a double dew claw and this never touches the ground so has to be manually done - twice a year is enough though
Originally Posted by Porcupine:
“Rubbish. It depends where they walk. Not everyone lives on / near a pavement !
My dogs go out daily for their runs, but they run on a field. So, their claws grow. They both get their nails trimmed every few months.”
“Rubbish. It depends where they walk. Not everyone lives on / near a pavement !
My dogs go out daily for their runs, but they run on a field. So, their claws grow. They both get their nails trimmed every few months.”
I take my dog on a field and I've never had to cut her nails and there short enough....
Perhaps we could all agree that some dogs, despite the length of walk, need their nails cutting.
As mentioned in my post, all three of my dogs get the same walks. One never needs his nails cut. One needs them doing regularly, one needs them doing occationally. All need their dew claws clipped.
As mentioned in my post, all three of my dogs get the same walks. One never needs his nails cut. One needs them doing regularly, one needs them doing occationally. All need their dew claws clipped.
My nails grow faster than my mums and my sisters 
it's only fair to assume the same happens with dogs - my boys claws grow much slower than our older dogs and the claws of the dog i walk
my boy and our old dog is/was a border collie
the dog i walk is a slim-build labrador
both of them get run on soft ground and walked on pavements, but the boys have never needed doing, and rufs have to be done every couple of months
it's only fair to assume the same happens with dogs - my boys claws grow much slower than our older dogs and the claws of the dog i walk
my boy and our old dog is/was a border collie
the dog i walk is a slim-build labrador
both of them get run on soft ground and walked on pavements, but the boys have never needed doing, and rufs have to be done every couple of months
thanks for the answers , i am just more than a little confussed now !! , maybe they dont need cutting ...
Originally Posted by paulyoung666:
“thanks for the answers , i am just more than a little confussed now !! , maybe they dont need cutting ...”
“thanks for the answers , i am just more than a little confussed now !! , maybe they dont need cutting ...”
Well what are they like? are they in need of a cut? and I would get it done professionaly, cos you have to be careful not to cut the veins in the nails.
cutting the quick isn't the end of the world - it does stop bleeding, but it is uncomfortable for the dog.
it can get infected too, but if you're careful then you shouldn't have any trouble.
if the dog clicks when it walks on a hard surface, then look at the paws when the dog is stood - if the claws cause the toe to be pushed upwards as they are touching the ground, they need a trim, if not then they are probably fine, asking a vet or groomer for an opinion first is a good idea though
it can get infected too, but if you're careful then you shouldn't have any trouble.
if the dog clicks when it walks on a hard surface, then look at the paws when the dog is stood - if the claws cause the toe to be pushed upwards as they are touching the ground, they need a trim, if not then they are probably fine, asking a vet or groomer for an opinion first is a good idea though
Originally Posted by LaceyLouelle3:
“I've never needed to cut any of my dogs claws. If they get regular exercise then they should get worn down by themselves.”
“I've never needed to cut any of my dogs claws. If they get regular exercise then they should get worn down by themselves.”
That's not true of every breed of dog, unfortunately. I have had English bull terriers and staffies. My staffies never needed their claws cut in their lives but the English do. I have had 2 dogs at once, an English and a staffie, and walked them together, constantly - the staffie still never needed his claws cut, the English did.
Elderly dogs may need it more frequently as they become less mobile.
