How to trim black dog nails? Where is the quick on black dog nails? How to detect it? These are some of the questions that always on dog parents minds.
To many dog owners, trimming black dog nails is a nerve-wracking chore as they can’t see the quick and they can’t know when to stop.
They fear the possibility of cutting the quick and hurting their furry son and possibly scaring him for life, Unlike dogs with lighter nails where the quick is much more visible.
That’s why most dog owners resort to the idea of paying a professional groomer to do it or even taking the pup to the veterinarian to get the dog’s nails done while under sedation.
But is this the ideal answer to this situation though?
Of Course Not.
These solutions are very expensive for something that you can do at home by yourself.
You just need to learn the trick and trimming black dog nails will be as easy as it gets.
Here are all the information that you gonna need to boost your confidence to be able to trim your puppy’s black dog the safest way with less stress for you and him
Table of Contents
All You Need to Know to Master How to Trim Black Dog Nails Safely, Easily, And In A stress-Free Way
First let’s start with the elephant in the room, the quick
what is the quick?
Dog’s nails are made of two main parts, The nail itself and the quick
The nail itself is the hard outer shell much like in human nails
The quick is the inner cuticle of blood vessel and nerve
The nail itself doesn’t have any nerve endings, so it doesn’t hurt your pup when being cut. While on the other end, the quick can cause pain, a lot of pain and also bleeding.
For more on how to handle a bleeding toe.
The quick can be identified by its pink color.
If your dog has light-colored nails, The nail will appear white and the quick will appear pink.
If your dog has black nails, Sadly it can’t be identified, it may appear black on black
Let’s move on
How to Know If My Dog’s Nails Are Too Long?
There are two rules here: The rule of the click and the rule of the thumb
The rule of the click:
If it feels that your dog is tap dancing every time he goes into the room. If you can hear your beloved puppy coming from a far unlike before when he could sneak up on you, It’s time for his next trimming session.
The rule of the thumb (pun intended clearly): You should think about trimming your dog’s nails or have it trimmed when you see his nail touching the ground as he stands not before
Tip.
Keep into consideration that dog’s front nails grow on a much faster rate than his back nails so you may want to trim the front nails on a more regular basis
Also, a good indicator that your dog’s nails are too long is when you see him sitting a lot even during his play time.
He may be unwilling to go for simple walks that he used to love. When you realize that, you should know that there is something wrong and that will lead us into the next question
What Happens If My Dog’s Nails Grow Too Long?
- Long nails are painful to your pup whenever he strikes the floor or the pavement with each step.
- Long nails could be hung up on fabrics or get tangled with thready carpets and may get torn off, Ooh that would be painful.
- It would be harder for your fluffy fur-ball to hold a good grip as they walk along slick floors. They may slip and it would be difficult for him to stand straight.
” That would be cute and laughable” you might assume, But to him, it would be painful - If not trimmed, your dog’s nails would curl and grow into your dog’s skin and paw pads.
- And of course, the damage that those daggers can cause to your floors, couch and you yourself
Now let’s move on to the big question that you are here for
How to Trim Black Dog Nails in Easy-to-follow Steps
Step 1. Assemble Your Trimming Tools :
Before you start your grooming process make sure you have everything you will need in one place. Here is basically what you will need
Nail Clippers
There are two types of nail clippers, Scissor style clippers and Guillotine style clippers. They both work very well
Go to your nearest pet store and choose what works best for your dog
Corn Starch or Styptic Powder
Just in case you cut the quick and your dog’s toe starts to bleed, Use either of them to quickly causes blood vessels to contract to slow the bleeding
Treats, Lots of Them
Treats always a sign of a good time. Give your dog’s his favorite treat beforehand to relax him and Believe me, you will need him relaxed.
Please, for your pup’s sake don’t use kitchen scissors.
They are too dangerous for your pup’s skin.
At any sudden move from your dog during the session, you may end up cutting him.
Step 2. Choose The Setting
Try to do the trimming session in a well-lit room or you can take him outside under the sunlight
Your hand will be busy handling your furry friend’s toenails. So it’s a good idea to ask the help of a friend to help you with keeping the dog stand still and relax.
Introduce the clippers to your dog.
Let him play with it for a little while, So he can familiarize himself with it and not freak out when you start using it on his toes.
Step 3. Start Trimming
Hold the paw gently, Position the clippers to cut from top to bottom not from side to side, Cut the nail at a 45-degree angle, Trim a very small length of the nail, about 1/16th of an inch
Step 4. Know When to Stop
After each trim, Look at your dog’s nail head-on.
If you’re still in the “dead area.” It’s safe to trim a bit more into the nail.
You’ll see a white color on the cut surface. This means you haven’t reached the pulp yet.
The pulp is located just before the quick. It is dark in color but able to be identified by a circular appearance.
Continue making very small cuts and looking at the end of your dog’s nail after each one.
As you get closer to the quick, the center of the nail will appear black, and may eventually look pink right before the quick.
Tip.
Another trick of the trade you may use.
Without actually cutting, Apply gentle pressure with the nail trimmers where you think you need to cut.
If your dog reacts to the pressure, most likely you are too close to the quick and you will need to move the clippers further down the nail.
That’s it you have successfully finished trimming, Don’t forget to reward your fluffy partner with his favorite treat and an extensive playtime
How to trim black dog nails was a stressful matter that I struggled with in the past until I tried that simple routine.
I hope I helped you on your personal quest to trim your puppy’s black nails
Feel free to check my other articles on how to get dog hair out of your couch and how to get hair out of your car carpet.
If you got any tips and tricks regarding trimming dogs’ nails that you would like share with us, Please, Feel free to tell us in the comments
Have a nice day and Read you next time.
