DIY Doggy Pedicure

The last time I took a pooch of mine to a groomer for a nail-clipping only, the charge was $11.00. Back then, though, I was willing to shell out because I was too afraid to attempt this relatively simple procedure myself. However, since then I’ve gotten pretty good at it; I’ve clipped my own pooches’ nails so many times I’ve probably saved quite a tidy sum.

Clipping a dog’s nails can be scary because if you cut too much nail you risk cutting the “quick”, which is a living nerve that runs through the nail. If you cut through the quick, the dog will bleed (sometimes quite a bit), plus it is quite painful for the sad victim. (Actually, this seems to depend on the dog. Some dogs it doesn’t seem to bother at all, others find it very painful). This, very naturally, makes one feel bad. However, as gruesome as a bad clipping can seem, it won’t actually kill your dog (though your spirit may be another matter).

Despite this, It is worth giving this task a try because you can save quite a bit of money doing it yourself over taking your pooch to a pro. Try it a few times; you should get the hang of it sooner or later. If you really just can’t, then go back to the groomer.

The best way to go about it is to do the back legs first. Stand pooch up on all four legs. Facing the tail-end of your pooch, take your left arm and wrap it around your pooch’s belly. Use your left hand to gently but firmly grasp the left hind leg. Gently pick up leg a bit so pad of foot is pointing up toward ceiling. With the clippers in your right hand, clip a little tiny bit off each of the four nails of the left leg. Put that leg down. Gently grasp the right hind leg with your left hand, without changing your position. Clip a little tiny bit off each of the four nails of the right hind leg.

(The reason groomers start with the back legs is because you never know how a strange dog will react to this treatment. When you start with the back legs, the pooch can’t really see what you’re doing, and it gives them a chance to get used to the strange nail-clipping sensation. Also, if they turn out to be a bit on the snappish side, it’s best to find this out when you’re farthest away from the teeth. This position allows you to quickly get out of the way, as well as protecting your face from bites. If this is the first time you’ve clipped your pooch’s nails be aware of how they are reacting to it - are they calm, squirmy, growly? Some dogs really hate having their nails clipped and need to be muzzled. Don’t feel bad about this, if it’s necessary. It doesn’t hurt them at all, and protects you and your pooch).

Clipping the back legs looks like this:

Clipping the Left back leg nails

Clipping the Right back leg nails

• Still facing tail-end of pooch, with left arm now moved up to wrap around chest, pick up front left leg with left hand, (so pad is pointing toward ceiling-direction) and clip a tiny little bit of the four nails of the left leg. Don’t forget the dew claw on the side of the foot/leg, if your pooch still has one. These can be real problems if not clipped periodically - they can grow in a circle and dig right into the pad. Ouch! Put that leg down, pick up the right front leg with your left hand, and clip a little tiny bit of the these four nails (and don’t forget the dew claw, if applicable). Put that leg down, and you’re done. It looks like this:

Clipping the Left front leg nails

Clipping the Right front leg nails

• If your dog’s nails are really long, clipping a little tiny bit at a time, maybe once a week until the nails are at the desired length, is the best way to go. The reason is that the quick will grow as the nail grows, so it gets longer along with the nail. Thus, you can’t really clip those longer nails as short as you want to that first go-around. You will almost certainly “quick” your dog, and if this happens on all 8 nails (10 including dew claws), you will have a bloody mess on your hands. However, if you work on those long nails a little bit at a time (once a week), the quick will recede along with the clipped nail.

Another great, cheap, and very easy way to keep your pooch’s nails in good trim is to walk your dog every day on asphalt or concrete. The two pooches that haul me around the neighborhood four miles every day never need to have their nails trimmed because their nails get ground down. (One of them does have dew claws, so I have to stay on top of those). I have two other pooches, who are older and small-sized so I usually walk them only about 15 minutes a day. Their nails need to be clipped once a month, and the above method is how I do it.

Now, if you do cut a nail too short and it starts bleeding, don’t panic. Apply pressure with a clean cloth until the bleeding stops. This works fine, but may take a bit of time. Some dogs will bleed longer then others. You can also purchase styptic powder, gel, or pads that very quickly stop the bleeding by causing the blood to clot. I use the brand Kwik Stop, because accidents happen no matter how careful you are (especially with dark nails). The nice thing about Kwik Stop is that it also has the mild anesthetic Benzocaine to blunt the pain of a quicked nail. A little 4 oz bottle of Kwik Stop Styptic gel is $5.99, but it lasts forever. This product is formulated for dogs, cats, and birds (I don’t know if it works on humans if you cut yourself shaving). Apply it with a Q-Tip or a clean cloth, and apply pressure. The bleeding will stop a lot faster then with pressure alone.

Clippers range in price. I prefer the non-guillotine type. I have two pair, a smaller size and a large size. I purchased the larger size for about $10.00 and the smaller pair were about $7.00. But if you only want to buy one pair, buy the largest size, especially if you have lots of dogs of different sizes. You can use the largest size on even the smallest dogs without much trouble.

You may find that the method I described above just doesn’t work with your pooch. Find the way that is most comfortable for you and your friend. I recommend the above because I actually attended dog grooming school (and yes, I did finish and receive my certificate) and this is the way we were taught to do it. This is, in fact, the way professional groomers generally do it, too. So if you want to clip like a pro, this is the way to go.

Also, it would be good to check out a book on dog grooming from the library, because it will show you a diagram of the nail, and what a quick in a clipped nail looks like. This is especially helpful info to have if your dog happens to have dark nails; you can’t see the quick at all through a dark nail like you can on dogs who have white or transparent nails (which makes light-colored nails very easy to clip). So, give it a try, don’t be too nervous (’cause your pooch will pick up on it and be very squirmy), and have some Kwik Stop by your side. You can do it!

P.S. I don’t know why, but back when I was grooming, many Cocker Spaniels (which are lovely dogs) always seemed to really hate to have their feet touched AT ALL. Very difficult to do any sort of grooming in the feet area of many Cockers. So, just a little heads up if you happen to be best friends with this wonderful breed. You might need to take them to a professional groomer, even after trying your best. One of my pooches is half Cocker Spaniel and he exhibits this very same behavior. It takes a lot of patience to clip his nails!

Another satisfied customer at Tessie’s Pretty Pooch House of Beauty.