How to Clip a Dog's Nails

  • By Poochie Butter
  • •
  • 10 Aug, 2020
  • •

A Quick and Easy Guide

Few dogs like getting their nails trimmed, but this is a necessary procedure, and for more reasons than plain aesthetics or ruined furniture.

Overgrown nails may also:
• Split and break, causing pain.
• Affect your dog’s posture and eventually cause serious problems like joint issues and arthritis.
• Leave scratches on you, your family, and any visitors.

So how do you keep your dog’s nails trimmed in a regular, effective, and non-traumatic manner – without putting your pet under anesthesia?

Read on for some helpful tips.

Reduce the Need for Clipping

You’ll need to clip your dog’s nails less often if you take them out regularly and let them run about on rough surfaces such as pavement, concrete, or rocky terrain. The exercise will naturally wear away at nails, keeping them from growing too fast.
There are also some nifty methods for keeping the dog’s nails at optimal length by filing them, such as rough-surface nail trim mats and sandpaper-covered filing boards the dog is encouraged to paw.

Classical Conditioning
Pavlov had discovered this a long time ago: our brain may make a connection between any two stimuli, which affects our behavior. For many dogs, nail clipping is associated with uncomfortable restraint and a forced procedure.

What you want is to have your dog associate that nail clipper with something they love, like a very special treat. You start slowly, by simply picking up the clipper while feeding the treat to your dog, then gradually work towards touching their paw with the clipper and, eventually, gently trimming their nails.

Of course, this will only work if your dog is comfortable with having their paws touched in the first place. If they dislike having their paws handled, you’ll need to resolve this issue first.

Have Everything Ready
When you begin the nail-clipping procedure, the last thing you want is to have to dash away for necessary equipment just as you got your dog settled.

Make sure you have all the essentials on hand:
• Nail clippers or grinder
• Scissors
• Good lighting; if your dog has dark nails, you may opt for a head flashlight, or have an assistant hold the flashlight for you.
• Treats

Be Extra Careful
The inner part of your dog’s nails is supplied with blood, and if you accidentally over-trim, you could cause bleeding and severe pain. Then all the work you’ve done on positive conditioning goes down the drain – it will take a long, long time for your dog to let the clipper anywhere near them again.

If you aren’t sure where the blood-supplied area ends, use a flashlight. If your dog has dark nails or you can’t easily define the cutting range for some other reason, it’s better to err on the safe side and clip away the bare minimum to keep your dog comfortable, then file the nails down a bit more.

Always cut parallel to the bottom of the nail rather than from above and down.

After-Clipping Care
You may want to complete your nail-clipping session by trimming your pet’s paw-hair and softening the skin with paw balsam. Don’t forget to give your dog an extra treat at the end to maintain a positive association.

For optimal nail length, repeat trimming every two weeks. If you keep your trimming schedule regular, the blood vessels will retreat into the paw with time, making your job easier.

Nail trimming is an essential part of your dog care routine, so you want to do it right. Once you take the daunting factor out of the procedure, you can make it into a fun, special grooming time your beloved pet enjoys.

Want a fun and healthy way to get your dog to sit still during clippings?

Try the Poochie Butter lick pad: https://shop.poochiebutter.com/products/poochie-pad-lick-mat-for-dogs
Use one-time coupon code PBLICKPAD15 for 15% off your lick pad purchase.

Wondering where we got this information?

Our sources:

https://andreaarden.com/dog-health/how-to-train-a-dog-or-cat-to-let-you-clip-their-nails/

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/nail-clipping/force-free-nail-trimming-techniques-for-your-do...

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/take-the-stress-out-of-trimming-your-dogs-nails?page=2

https://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-behavior/my-dog-afraid-nail-trimmings

Are Dogs Allergic To Peanut Butter? 

By Henry Warner • July 11, 2020

We know that dogs love peanut butter, but recently, people have been claiming that this sticky treat is toxic to dogs. Could this be true? Should you feed peanut butter to your dog? Let’s set the record straight.

The toxic ingredient isn’t the peanut butter itself, but rather the artificial sweetener xylitol. Even a small amount of xylitol can poison your furry friend. Unfortunately, many “sugar-free” brands of peanut butter contain this ingredient. Here’s how you can keep your dog safe.


Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. As little as 1.37 grams of xylitol can cause hypoglycemia, which can lead to disorientation and even seizure. A larger dose of xylitol causes severe, irreversible liver damage. By contrast, it takes 150 grams of dark chocolate to cause the same effects.

That means you must be certain that the peanut butter you give your dog has absolutely no xylitol. Don’t be fooled by product labels that say “all-natural.” They can still contain this ingredient, and even a tiny amount can cause severe health effects.

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