Although many do not do it, trimming the nails of dogs is an important activity that ensures your furry friend is more comfortable. In this post, Collar & Harness shares the main benefits of regularly trimming your dog’s nails.
Better quality of life
As you may already know, our four-legged friends are often full of energy, so it is very common to see them playing happily in the yard, running from one place to another, chasing something (or someone) or digging a hole. You don’t have to be a genius to guess that with such activities, it is normal for residues to get stuck on the canine’s nails, which is something that is more likely to happen when the nails are long. This can not only cause paw infections that are sometimes painful, but can also spread germs on surfaces around the house.
Although you will not be able to prevent dogs from being in contact with said residues, it is of the utmost importance that you keep their nails short so that they can play and live their doggy life without posing unnecessary risks. Likewise, when the nails are shorter you can clean them more easily, which is something you should also do if you want your canine to have healthy and beautiful nails.
Prevents injuries
This is another of the most important reasons to trim your canine’s nails, since when a dog has long nails, it tends to feel very uncomfortable and performs its activities in a more cautious way than normal, so it becomes less active in order to avoid feeling pain.
One of the most common examples of how long nails can cause injury is when the nail breaks after getting trapped in towels, blankets or different types of fabrics, which is extremely painful for the canine, and can cause heavy bleeding that in many cases produces a dangerous infection.
On the other hand, keeping them short is essential if your canine lives inside your house, since long nails reduce the canine’s traction on smooth surfaces such as tiled floors. This can increase the frequency of slipping and falling on smooth or wet floors, which can cause bone breaks and fractures.
Save on vet costs
Although this may come as a surprise to some people, similar to humans, canines can also develop ingrown nails, which is something that is more likely to happen when the nails are overgrown. As you can imagine, this is not only uncomfortable, but also very painful for our pet canines. Sometimes the infection may not be immediately noticed if it on the paw’s underside, which results in the progression of the infection to an advanced stage. In these cases, the only solution may only be surgical intervention, which is quite expensive.
How to trim a dog’s nails safely
Knowing that this is something that is usually a bit difficult for many first timers, below we share a series of tips that will make the nail trimming process easy and safe:
- First, you must choose a time of day when your canine is most relaxed to proceed to trim its nails, since at this time they will pay more attention to you and will be less restless.
- If a bath is not a problem for your furry friend, the best thing you can do is to bathe him before cutting his nails, since this way they will be much softer and the trimming process more hygienic.
- Once you have done all the above and are about to start, you should hold his paw gently but firmly to prevent it from making any sudden movements. Although it may seem obvious, it is worth noting that you should not at any point apply too much pressure, even when the dog is resisting, since they can feel pain and will react aggressively.
- Grab your nail grinder and place it over the nail. Nail grinders are safer than clippers since especially for first timers, clippers risk cutting into the raw flesh near the nail, which can cause heavy bleeding.
- Gradually and carefully grind the tip of each nail to leave a smooth rounded finish.
- When finished, congratulate the dog and show affection by petting it or giving it a treat. In this way, the dog will be even calmer and more cooperative in the next nail trimming session.
To learn more and discover the best dog nail grinder, visit Collar & Harness.
