Nails are the maintenance job owners postpone until a groomer does it under protest, and they matter more than they look. A nail that touches the ground when the dog stands pushes the toe up at every step, changes the loading through the foot and the wrist, and on a tiled Luxembourg hallway it makes slipping considerably more likely.
How to tell they are too long
Stand the dog on a hard floor. The nails should not touch. If you hear clicking as the dog walks, they are long. Check the dewclaws on the inside of the front legs, which never wear down and occasionally curl round into the skin.
City dogs walking on tarmac wear the front nails down somewhat and the back ones less. Dogs walked mainly on grass wear nothing down at all.
The quick, the living part inside the nail, grows longer as the nail does. Cutting regularly encourages it to recede; leaving them long means you cannot shorten them quickly even if you want to.
Build the handling first
Before any tool appears: touch a paw, pay. Hold it for a second, pay. Lift it, pay. Separate the toes, pay. Two minutes a day for a week, with food the dog does not otherwise get.
Then introduce the clippers without cutting: show them, pay; touch a nail with them, pay; make the clicking sound near the paw, pay. Only then cut a single nail and stop for the day.
Give the dog a way to say no. If it pulls the paw away, let it go and try again a minute later with something easier. Allowing the dog to end the session is what makes it tolerate the next one.
Doing it
- Scissor-type clippers or a grinder. Grinders take the nail down gradually and many dogs accept them well, though the noise and vibration need their own introduction
- Take a sliver at a time, perpendicular to the nail, rather than one big cut
- On pale nails, stop before the pink
- On black nails, take small amounts and look at the cut surface: when a small grey or pale circle appears in the centre, stop
- Good light, a non-slip surface and a comfortable position for the dog, ideally lying down
- One paw per session is perfectly acceptable, and for a nervous dog one nail is better than a fight
If you cut the quick
It bleeds impressively and it is not an emergency. Apply styptic powder if you have it, or press a clean cloth firmly for a few minutes. Keep the dog quiet and check it later. Then stop for the day, and next time take less.
One bad experience is enough to make a dog suspicious of the clippers for months, which is the argument for taking slivers.
The dewclaws and the back feet
Dewclaws sit on the inside of the leg, above the paw, and never touch the ground, so they never wear down. Left alone they curl, and in an older dog they can grow into the pad, which is painful and needs veterinary attention. Check them every single time you look at the feet.
Back nails usually grow more slowly than front ones and are often forgotten. Some dogs also have dewclaws on the hind legs, occasionally double ones in certain breeds, and those are the most likely of all to be missed.
If the nails are already very long
The quick has grown out with the nail, so you cannot take them back to the right length in one session without hurting the dog. The approach is small amounts every week or ten days, which encourages the quick to recede gradually, over a couple of months.
A grinder suits this job particularly well, because it removes material in very small increments and the finish is smooth rather than sharp. Introduce the noise and vibration separately from the paws first, with food, so the tool itself is not the frightening part.
How often
Every two to four weeks for most dogs, less if the dog walks a lot on hard ground. Put it in the calendar rather than waiting to notice, and check the dewclaws every time.
Trim the fur between the pads at the same interval on long-coated breeds: it grows over the grip and collects salt and ice in winter.
When to hand it over
There is no shame in a groomer or a veterinary nurse doing it, and for a dog that has had a bad experience, a few paid sessions done calmly are a good investment. Ask them to work in stages rather than finishing at all costs.
For a dog that cannot tolerate it at all, talk to your vet: sedation for a single thorough trim, followed by a proper desensitisation programme at home, is far kinder than four people holding a frightened animal every six weeks.
General information for dog owners in Luxembourg, not veterinary or legal advice. For your own dog, ask your vet, a qualified behaviourist or your commune. How this journal is written and checked.
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