Trim a Dog's Toenails
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How To Dog Proof a House
Keep socks out of the dog’s reach. Socks are a favorite chew toy for many dogs. Leave them their own chew toys to play with...or some socks that already have holes. You can also put a tennis ball inside a sock, knot it...and voila...a homemade toy that dogs love. ..:::How To Pet
Feel the "hook" on the underside of the nail, there will be a slight indentation where the extra nail has grown out of the "quick" (see illustration). You can feel this indentation by running your fingernail just on the undersides of the dog's toenails, there is a slight "bump" you will hit, beyond the "bump" is the excess toenail where there is no "quick". ("Quick" is the term for where there is a blood supply to the toenail.)
Feel EACH nail before you make the cut. It is likely that each nail will have approximately the same amount of excess nail to be trimmed. Using the nail clippers, make a straight across snip of the nail just on the outside edge of the "hook". You will be cutting the excess nail only, and not through the "quick".
Give the dog praise and a "cookie" or treat for the successful trimming of each nail. In the end you will have a dog that will not be so unwilling to have it's nails trimmed.
Continue on and trim each nail in the same manner. If your dog is really difficult, do one nail and then aftrer while, do the next, and so on. Let the dog get used to this process gradually.
If your dog is a small breed or a puppy, you can use the human toe nail clippers rather than dog nail clippers.