The one thing many dogs and dog owners are most afraid of is trimming dog nails. It’s another responsibility you have when you have a dog. You know it needs to be done and it can be a difficult task as some dogs are not too happy to have their paws touched.

If you get a puppy it is important to “handle” the puppy from head to toe frequently. This gets the puppy accustomed to being handled on different areas of its body. Pay particular attention to your puppy’s paws. Its important for you to gain their cooperation when the time comes and trimming dog nails is necessary it will be easier. Nails on a puppy grow fast and trimming dog nails will be necessary more often.

With an older dog such as a rescue dog who has never been held or touched getting it to cooperate may take some time and may be more difficult. Often a rescue center gets a dog with poor hygiene, covered with dirt and feces, and its nails may have never been cut and are extremely long.

Trimming dog nails may require the dog to be muzzled and the dog may have to be held down to get it’s nails cut. The dog may already have ingrown nails that are painful and just doesn’t want to be hurt anymore.

Once you get the dog its becomes your responsibility to groom the dog down to its nails. Your vet or groomer can show you how to do it properly so that you do not injure your dog. Trimming a dogs nails should be done at least once a month.

They should be short enough so people like me with hardwood floors don’t hear that clacking sound when the dog walks across the floor. Trimming dog nails requires you to have the proper equipment. There are several types of nail trimmers on the market.