When Is It Time To Trim My Dog's Nails?

In the wild, wolves and wild dogs live a nomadic lifestyle, meaning that they walk great distances every day. Due to this, their nails are constantly being filed down by rough terrain and the constant wear and tare of hunting, climbing, and scratching. Your pups nails, on the other hand, are not exposed to this kind of natural damage, and instead, continue to grow. If unchecked, excessive nails can cause medical problems and can impact your dogs quality of life. Thankfully, getting your dogs nails trimmed is quick, easy, and cheap.

At Blue Ribbon Dog Grooming, we offer nail clipping for only $10, no bookings needed.

So just how often do I need to get my dogs nails clipped?

This can vary depending on a number of factors, but a rough guide would be every 6 weeks. Factors that can affect this frequency include: how much exercise your dog gets, how much they wear their nails down naturally, their breed, and how much weight they bare on their feet. If you're unsure weather or not your pooch needs a pedicure, it's always best to consult a professional dog groomer, or a vet. What signs can tell you that it's time to trim those nails?

Dogs with clear nails usually have a distinct, pink vein running through the nail. Once the nail grows roughly half a centimetre beyond this, it's time to visit your groomer for a trim. In dogs with black nails it can be a little more difficult to determine where the vein is. Some indications that your dogs nails need trimming may be that they are touching the ground while standing (this is a general rule and may not be true for all dogs), your dog may be slipping on tiles or floor boards, and in server cases the nail may be even start to curl around.

Myth: A dogs nails need to be trimmed because they get too sharp.

While the length of a dogs nails can make them feel shaper, this is not the main reason why getting your dogs nails is important. In fact, freshly trimmed nails often feel sharper than longer nails, however this is temporary and usually wears off after a day. As mentioned previously, keeping your pups nails trimmed regularly can improve their quality of life and can help to prevent medical issues from occurring. So remember, a dogs nails still need to be trimmed, even if they're not sharp.