The Best Method for Trimming Your Dog’s Nails

Disclaimer: this post is brought to you by Chewy. All opinions are my own, and I only share products I think you and your dog will love.

Raise of paws, who likes having their nails trimmed? Raise of hands, who likes trimming their pet’s nails? Just as I thought, no one.

ammo's guide to trimming dog's nails

It’s a necessary evil though, because having long nails can cause your pet to walk irregularly which can lead to skeletal problems. And we all know that us dachshunds don’t need any more reasons to have back trouble!

Now if your dog has black nails like I do, I’m sure you spend your life in constant fear of cutting them too short and hitting the quick (a soft cuticle rich in blood vessels and nerves that grows in the center of your dog’s nail). If you nick that tiny little quick your dog will scream out in pain, and yes, there may be blood!

ammo's guide to nail trimming for dogs

My mom used to trim my nails at home, but over the years I got progressively worse at having them trimmed – so she started to take me to the vet to have them done every few months. Then a few months ago she decided it was high time I got better at having my nails done, so she set out to condition me to actually enjoy having them done!

The Best Method for Trimming your Dog's Nails

Interestingly, this new nail trimming method was not with the traditional nail clippers, but instead with a dremel!

Over the past 2 months my mom has been working with me to make me more comfortable with the use of the dremel on my nails. While I wouldn’t say I LOVE it, I tolerate it. It saves me from having to make more trips than necessary to the vet or groomer, saves my mom money, and keeps my nails at a healthy length. It’s a win – win!

So since I’m sure you’re all curious just how my mom trained me to be better about having my nails trimmed, here’s how she did it….

How to Trim Your Dog's Nails Safely

The Best Method for Trimming Your Dog’s Nails

Here’s what you’ll need:

This method requires a basic knowledge of clicker training. If you’d like a little introduction you can check out this website or buy an introduction kit to clicker training.*

*contains affiliate links

How to Trim Your Dog's Nails Safely

Starting with the nail file, mom used it EVERY SINGLE DAY for 3 weeks to get me used to having my feet and nails handled. She started by picking up a foot and gently sanding my nails for just a few seconds at a time.

The Best Method for Trimming Your Dog's Nails

Each time I didn’t resist she would use the clicker and then reward me with a small (but yummy treat).

The Best Method for Trimming Your Dog's Nails

After each session, which started out short (maybe 30 seconds tops) she’d give me a big reward. For me that reward has been Natural Balance’s Dental Chews, with Pumpkin & Chicken Meal and Papaya.

How to Trim Your Dog's Nails Safely

The great thing about these chews is that not only do I love the taste, but they’re also helping to clean my teeth while rewarding me for having my nails done at the same time!

Key Benefits of Natural Balance Dental Chews

  • Grain-free formula
  • Unique grooves help reduce plaque & tartar
  • Formulated to support easy chewing & digestion
  • Helps freshen your dog’s breath
  • Antioxidant nutrients to support immune function

You can fetch your pet a bag from our friends at Chewy.com for about $14.

The Best Method for Trimming Your Dog's Nails

After several weeks of practice with the nail file, mom moved onto the dremel. This time she “sanded” my nails without even turning it on. Again, each time I didn’t resist on a nail she would click and reward me. At the end of the session I’d get my jackpot treat, a Natural Balance Dental Chew.

After another week or so it was time to turn on the dremel. Using a low speed to start she’d do just a few of my nails, making sure to reward me quickly for not resisting at all.

The Best Method for Trimming Your Dog's Nails

source

Now once you start using the dremel with it on it’s important to note that you can’t just quickly sand your dog’s nails down in one sitting to the desired length, even if they are ok with it. The quick inside grows with your dog’s nail. So my mom likes to only work on sanding my nails once a week to allow time for the quick of my nail to shorten after the last trimming. (see diagram above for more details)

Ammo the Dachshund Studio Photos

How short should you keep your pet’s nails? According to the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation they should be short enough that they don’t touch the ground when your dog is standing on a flat surface, but long enough to aid the dog when climbing up a hill or digging.

These Paws were Made for Digging // Ammo the Dachshund

Hear that mom? I need them for digging!

While I still have a ways to go to get mine back to the ideal length, I’m happy to say that after weeks of practice I’m now much more tolerant of having my nails done by dremel. While I very much wish I had gotten a video of the “before”, here’s how good I am at it now…

How is your dog about having their nails trimmed? Have you ever trimmed your pet’s nails with a dremel? Do tell! Ammo the Dachshund // Blog Signature // Celebrity

For more information on avoiding the quick check out this article.

Handy Tip: If your dog is resistant to even having their feet touched start without the nail fail and just reward them for letting you touch their feet without pulling away. Also, using a treat that your dog goes crazy over helps too, the better the treat, the more willing they will be to try.

Disclaimer: This post is meant to be informative, but please keep in mind, what works for me may not work for your own pet. Please consult an expert if you are unsure about how to train your pet. Use caution when using a dremel around your pet, and we are not responsible for any injuries that may occur.

Clean Teeth Club – How I’m Doing

Clean Teeth // Ammo the Dachshund

You might remember that a couple of months ago I vowed to get back on the teeth cleaning routine. Well since I started taking better care of my teeth back in early November I thought it was high time I give you an update on how I’m doing. And more importantly what my teeth look like!

Clean Teeth // Ammo the Dachshund

Clean Teeth // Ammo the Dachshund

My regime consisted of eating a TropiClean Fresh Breath Chew (sent to me by my friends from Chewy) about every other day and using the TropiClean Teeth Gel every night.

Mom puts a little of the gel on her finger and rubs it all over my teeth before I go to bed. I was pretty good about making sure I cleaned my teeth every night, but I did miss a few days here and there.

Here’s a closer look at what my teeth looked like before I started cleaning them regularly and after. (P.S. the dark spots on my gums is not some funky gum disease, I’m actually a dapple dachshund and my skin is spotted with pink and black coloration)

Clean Teeth Club // How to Keep your Dog's Teeth Clean // Ammo the Dachshund

Clean Teeth Club // How to Keep your Dog's Teeth Clean // Ammo the Dachshund

Clean Teeth Club // How to Keep your Dog's Teeth Clean // Ammo the Dachshund

Clean Teeth Club // How to Keep your Dog's Teeth Clean // Ammo the Dachshund

So as you can see the large spots of plaque build-up are still there on my teeth – but my vet did say that even when I started cleaning my teeth regularly that discoloration would not go away, but it would prevent new build-up from forming.

Clean Teeth // Ammo the Dachshund

But the good news is that there isn’t any additional build-up on my teeth, and mom thinks that they might be a little less yellow overall from when I started “brushing” regularly. So I’ve decided to keep up with my teeth cleaning routine – hopefully to even prevent needing a full blown teeth cleaning from the vet. In which case mom says we’d look into options that don’t require me to be sedated (like this mobile service in my area) …because what fun is that?

How do you keep your dog’s teeth clean? Ammo the Dachshund