You’ve noticed your pup’s nails are getting a little too long, and you’re looking to trim them. But… now you’ve just got to figure out how to trim dog nails that are overgrown, and most importantly you’re looking to do it without hurting your furry friend.

Luckily, we’re going to tell you exactly how to trim those nails safely and quickly so that Fido can go back to tail-chasing in no time. Mobile Dog Grooming Calgary is offering nail trimming service in Calgary city. Book an appointment now.

Comfort Your Dog

Dogs tend to not like having their nails clipped. This can be because they don’t understand what you’re doing and it spooks them, or they simply don’t like having their nails touched. Whatever the reason may be, comforting your dog with pets and a soft tone of voice to reassure them will help to calm them down.

A calm dog is a still dog, and a still dog’s nails are easy to trim!

Observe Their Nails and Prepare to Trim

A good place to start is to make sure your dog needs its nails trimmed in the first place. Do you hear your dog’s claws clicking on the ground a mile away when they come running for treats? Do you see your dog bite it’s nailing often?

These are common signs that yes, you should give your pooch a trim. These are not the only indicators, though. Some dog breeds have nails which grow in a curling fashion, up into the pads of their paws rather than out towards the ground. This can be very painful for your dog, so make sure to check their nails often even if you don’t recognize other signs.

After you know your dog is due for a nail trimming, you should closely look at their nail to find where to trim. If your dog has lightly coloured nails, you’ll quickly be able to see the “quick.” The quick is the dog’s nail bed, similar to the tissue under your fingernail – you do not want to cut this! Doing so would hurt your pup and cause some bleeding.

If your dog has darker coloured nails and you’re unable to see the quick, don’t worry; you’ll just trim the nails a little differently.

Trimming the Overgrown Nails

Visible Quick:

If your dog has lighter coloured nails and you can see the quick, cutting them is as simple as applying the dog nail clippers and squeezing the handles or using your rotary trimmer to sand the excess nail away.

How long should the nails be you may ask? As long as you haven’t cut the quick and the dog’s nails are not touching the floor, you’ve done perfectly.

Non-Visible Quick:

If your dog has dark nails and you can’t see where the quick begins, cut away small pieces of the nail until you begin to see a (typically dark) fleshy portion. This can be tough to see, so it’s important not to trim too much off at once and risk hurting the dog.

Again, as long as the nails don’t touch the floor and you haven’t nicked the quick – you’re all set.