nails

Cahill

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so i trim my dogs nails when they look long.little boy has pink so easy to do.big dog has black ones so i am cautious.

i have found a group on FB (nail maintenance) and learn that some people are trimming and filing several times a week with the aim to get the nails as short as poss. (it seems the quick recedes it you keep at it) the aim seems to be to not hears tip-taps on the floor when they walk.

my own opinion is that it all seems rather excesive and a bit faddy and cant see myself doing it.

what are your thoughts on the subject?
 

thewonderhorse

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Next they'll be obsessing about dog hairs and barking. Seems daft to have animals but people want them to be silent and unobtrusive. In my opinion don't have pets if you cant stand noise and mess. :)
 

Clodagh

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They must be American!? I think you can get cats claws removed over there.
I like hearing the tippety tap of my dogs.
 

BSL

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I didn't know very much about dog nails. Have had labs in the past, was never a problem they just took care of themselves. I now have two chi's. They have regular walks and have plenty of exercise in the garden which has a large patio area, so I didn't think too much about their nails (except keeping an eye on them). One day Kevin (short haired chi) didn't seem well:( skulking round the edge of the room, leaning against the skirting, didn't want to walk, all hunched up. Every now and then he would perk up and be ok, but I was really concerned. We took him to the out of hours vet (it was a sunday ;) ) He was thoroughly examined, nothing out of the ordinary found, so he decided to show the vet how well he was now feeling running around the empty waiting room ;). £140 later, we were driving home, and I had a "light bulb" moment. Kevin didn't like certain surfaces, it was his nails! Long story short, took him to have nails clipped next day. £5.00 later and a bit of time for him to realise his nails had been clipped he was fine. So what I am trying to say, please forgive the waffle, I will be keeping a very close eye on his nails and keeping them as short as possible.
 

chillipup

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Friend of mine used to keep several shar peis and trained them all to accept having their nails trimmed using a dremel
 

PucciNPoni

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They must be American!? I think you can get cats claws removed over there.
I like hearing the tippety tap of my dogs.


FFS! I just love how when people hear of folk doing something that isn't the way THEY do it they assume it must be American!!!

FWIW, there is a good reason to keep nails short - and it's not always to do with owner convenience or whim. Sure it does help with reducing clicking, and it might even protect soft wooden floors. But some dogs have nails that grow at a really fast rate, and maybe they don't exercise on roads - OR - maybe the foot / leg confo is such that they move without dragging their nails.

My bitch has nails (and coat for that matter) which requires trimming weekly. The nails I tip a couple times a week - never to bleed them but to allow the quicks to go back. WHY? Because nails which start touching the ground actually force the foot in to an unnatural position which over time can affect the tendons and change the shape of the foot. She is exercised mostly on grass, and indeed is not a foot dragger. I don't care whether they scrape the floor with their nails (ie noise) but I do care about long term leg and foot health.
 

FinnishLapphund

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Friend of mine used to keep several shar peis and trained them all to accept having their nails trimmed using a dremel

I've seen dremels designed for trimming dog nails in shops, and I presume that it is something you get used to using, but I feel a bit nervous just thinking about using one.


I've heard people say that they think it looks better on a shorthaired dog's paws with short nails. But I've also heard those who wants to keep their dog's nails short, because they want to minimize the risk for the nails to get caught in anything and become damaged, or because their dog have troubles with having their nails trimmed and that it is easier for the dog, if it becomes used to regularly getting a fast nail trim, or because the reasons PucciNPoni have already mentioned, that some dogs seems to have nails which grows like weed (perhaps due to that the dog is mainly exercised on soft surfaces/that it moves without dragging their nails), and/or that long nails sometimes leads to changes in the legs/paws, which in long term can be damaging.

Either way, I think that as long as the nail trims doesn't often/usually results in cutting nails so short that the quick bleeds, it isn't harmful for the dog.

However, if it is done because the owner actually wants a dog that is completely soundless, never leaves any hairs/slobber/mud on furnitures/floors/clothes etc, then maybe I will think that there is a problem.
 

Bellasophia

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i use a dremmel on my st poodle boy,every week or two...I tap the sanding drum on his nails and it keeps them a nice length...he doesn't mind this at all and stands still whilst I do them.It does help that he is used to a powerful hairdrier and clipper noise...otherwise some dogs do find it a bit strange to start with.
for my schnauzer I use the traditional nail clippers as I am worried the revolving dremmel head would catch in her beard..she's such a nosy dog !
I've always thought the tapping noise of nails on the floor occurs when the dogs nails are too long and the goal is to have them just clear of the floor...as pucci says,the overlong nail causes the foot to splay when placed on the floor and can cause many ortho .problems for the dog.
Clodah...Did you know when they declaw a cat the vet actually cuts off the last part of the digit...not just removes the nail..it is a barbaric habit.
 

Cahill

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so, putting aside the fashion/faddy/obsesiveness of some people on the site i mentioned , please tell me more about the pro`s of short nails,is it like horses with long toes?
ty

edited to say i think it would be cruel to tamper with a cats nails :(
 
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Clodagh

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FFS! I just love how when people hear of folk doing something that isn't the way THEY do it they assume it must be American!!!

Take a chill pill! I doubt a dog that has adequate exercise on a variety of surfaces would need twice weekly nail trims, it must be like barefoot horses and a well put together animal self trims if given the opportunity.
On another subject I am sure that removing cats claws is illegal in the UK, yet legal in USA.
 

FinnishLapphund

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so, putting aside the fashion/faddy/obsesiveness of some people on the site i mentioned , please tell me more about the pro`s of short nails,is it like horses with long toes?
ty

edited to say i think it would be cruel to tamper with a cats nails :(


I don't know if it is the same as horses with long toes, and I only remember a basic description about that long nails affects the bones and tendons inside the paw and leg, but perhaps this site describes it better http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/po...e-nails-are-harmful-to-your-dogs-health-video
 

PucciNPoni

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so, putting aside the fashion/faddy/obsesiveness of some people on the site i mentioned , please tell me more about the pro`s of short nails,is it like horses with long toes?
ty

edited to say i think it would be cruel to tamper with a cats nails :(

actually trimming the nails might be considered tampering - but many cats - particularly older ones don't sheath off the outer part of the nails so require a bit of intervention from someone with a pair of nail clippers and a bit of peeling. But in the way that you meant, declawing, no it's a bit OTT.



As for taking a chill pill Clodagh - I am American and have been living over in the UK for many years and some of the things I've seen here with regard to welfare do take the biscuit! I do find it very offensive every time someone sees or hears something that isn't strictly "au natural" that it must be bad and therefore an evil thing that the yanks have concocted.
 

planete

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I check the dogs' nails once a fortnight and trim as necessary. Dew claw nails need the curly end bit removed in case it catches on something, and you would not want a running dog to have long nails as it could make it more likely for the dog to damage tendons in the feet when running. On the other hand, I believe dogs nails are meant to grip the ground when running and cornering at speed so would not want them so short they could not come into use when needed. I look at the dogs' feet after trimming with the dogs on hard standing and am happy if the end of the nails is just a bit off the ground.
 

Cahill

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common sense seems to be-clip to keep tidy and have a good angle but enough left for grippyness.

thanks for all replies :)
 
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