Nail Clipping

[Houdini'sMom]

I never know how far to trim Houdini's nails. I'm afraid of getting too close. However,
they still seem long. Any suggestions?

 

[Sabrina]

can you post a picture of how long they are? Are they black?

 

[Houdini'sMom]

Yes, they are black. I will get a picture and post it.

 

[Houdini'sMom]

 

[Sabrina]

Yes they are a little long...I hate trimming black nails!!! And unfortunately, it becomes somewhat trial and error....another option is to use a dremmel which will file them down instead of trimming....in the 2nd picture you posted, that longest nail could probably be trimmed another 1/4 inch or so....and another option (sorry just rambling) would be to take him to a professional groomer and see how far they trim the nails to get an idea of how much they can be trimmied without hitting the quick...those groomers have a bunch of tricks on how to trim them as far as possible, even the black nails....the thing about a puppy is you dont want him to HATE getting his nails trimmed the rest of his life...bring lots of treats when you go to trim his nails, that way even if you do clip too far, you can just stuff his mouth with treats so he will hopefully forget all about it

 

[Sabrina]

Houdini is adorable by the way!!!!

 

[Houdini'sMom]

I will try trimming again. I think what I really need is a larger pair of clippers. They work fine for Shorty, but Houdini's nails are ten times bigger than Shorty! The clippers are kinda old, I think it's just time to get a new pair. Maybe will try the file method while he's young. I have a friend who has one, I'll borrow it!

Thank you, btw, we think he is adorable too! And what a lover boy! I've taught him to give a kiss when I say kisses, kisses. He also knows it in french too as bisou bisou! LOL

 

[morrigan05]

i just take off the very tip of the nail and my dogs do fine. i have a funny EM female pup though. she doesnt like her front ones trimmed but she doesnt mind her backs at all. usually its reversed.

 

[Mongo]

If you are nervous to hit the quick, you can always just file off a little once a week. And IF the quick has grown(if you do not trim for a long time the quick will start to grow) this will also help move it back. My older dog Sadie has black nails and I just dremel until she starts to get a little uncomfortable, which tells me Im getting close to the quick.

 

[Ralo]

We use a dremel and just look at the tip of the nail you can tell when you are getting close.

 

[Little Monster]

Here are my toe nail trimming rules of thumb: the back nails are almost always shorter than the front. You can't usually trim as much off (tip them only). With the front feet the two middle toes usually grow longer than the outside toes, so you can cut more off of them. When trimming black nails, the best way I can explain it is to look at the shape of the nail. You can usually cut just after the nail starts to change shape and get pointier. Hope this helps!

 

[Gemsmom]

Our bullmastiff has black nails as well. Little Monster's tip on black nails is what we go by and have never had issues. When we first got her I had the vet do them when we would come in (which is frequent as she has to be weighed monthly for her heartworm preventative and then shots, etc.) The nurse explained that the shape changes a bit and that is where you should trim to. We have never had an issue with getting into the quick. I know it's nerve racking though b/c you don't want to hurt them and black nails are intimidating at first.