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How short is too short? - Dog nails

19K views 27 replies 20 participants last post by  Amelia_ 
#1 ·
So tonight after trimming Lazlo's nails, my S.O. asked me why I felt like I needed to cut them "so short".

I wasn't sure how to reply, since his nails don't seem particularly short to me...There are people on this forum who trim their pups' nails to half the length I keep my dogs' nails.

But to answer his question, I said I keep them on the shorter side because I prefer how they look, and because I've seen dogs whose toes spread due to the length of their nails, and I really want to avoid that. (For perspective, I cut my dogs' nails just short enough that they won't click on the tile for a couple days. No shorter.)

Anyway, here's my question for you all: What other reasons are there for cutting a dog's nails as short as possible? And why do some people grind them down to nubs?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.
 
#3 ·
Agree. Bleeding is too short.

I keep my dogs nails short because it drives me CRAZY to hear nails clicking on the hardwood floor. Also, Siri is showing and its customary to keep them short. Helps the look of the feet.
 
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#4 ·
Side know for nails is if you left them grow up to long they will bleed while they are still long. You will have to keep trimming them over time to get the quick to get recess.
Some people like to grind them so they can round the corners a little or at less what what I have seen. The edges do not seem to be has sharp. When grinding you do have to worry about the grinding stone heating up.
 
#5 ·
How sort it too short...I like it to see some nail there, but I dont like them anywhere near the floor.

I like Rupert's like this:



I never make them bleed, I just trim them with clippers twice a week. I dont like them to interfere with movement, click on the floor and I think they look nicer. I just do them at the same time as brushing their teeth and general grooming :)
 
#16 · (Edited)
Lazlo hates having his nails done, despite the fact that I have been trimming & grinding them once a week since he was two months old and have never quicked him. :rolleyesww:

I think that's why my S.O. got snippy with me about the length -- he was already irritated from having to deal with a nippy dog. However, I did point out that the shorter I go with the nails each time, the less often we have to do them. :D

On a separate note, thanks everyone for your replies. Looks like most people clip or grind their dogs nails as short as possible for the same reasons I do.

Greenkouki and Amelia: How did you get your pups' claws that short? Wow. My dogs' nails don't have nearly that much ground clearance!
 
#8 ·
Nails clicking on the floor drive me crazy--keeping them short all the time is easier than letting them grow out and then trying to get them shortened up without hitting quick.

And I show my dogs--short nails make a good foot look even better and and a mediocre foot look as good as it can.

I'm dog sitting this week for a friend with three Dobes and a couple of little dogs and a cat and I have custody of another Dobe for someone else until the first of next week. They all clicked on the floor when this dog sitting started last Saturday--now no one clicks and all of them have had their nails ground at least twice and I'll probably get one more grinding in before their owner comes home and the visitor goes home.

(Where's my own dog, whose nails are dead short all the time?--his breeder borrowed him for awhile--she figured it was a good time since I had all these other dogs to entertain me while he was gone.)
 
#9 ·
For myself, I like to keep *******'s on the shorter side. I worry about them splitting and her getting an infection. I also don't want her to feel discomfort. When I first started clipping them, I took ******* to my vet and had him help me. She is the first dog I have ever clipped nails with. Having my vet show me and let me do it a few times made me feel more comfortable.

Speaking of, *******'s nails look atrocious! Thanks for the reminder! Come hereeee Jasmineeeee ..... time to get your nails diddddd.....
 
#12 ·
If I had a dog, the nails would me short so they can't click on the floor. Floor clicking drives me nuts, not to mention the skid marks if they run!
 
#13 ·
Several reasons why I keep the nails short:

1. I show my dogs and the nails need to be short for the ring
2. Longer nails that click on the floors, especially hardwood can indent the floor and really mess up the hardwood and can also scratch up the floors
3. If you let the nails get too long, it can actually affect the way the dog walks
4. A friend of mine once had a dobe with long nails, he was running one day thru the woods, caught one of the nails on something and completely ripped the whole nail out of the nail bed :( - it looked very painful
5. Personally, I think it looks alot better for the nails to be short
 
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#14 ·
Several reasons why I keep the nails short:

1. I show my dogs and the nails need to be short for the ring
2. Longer nails that click on the floors, especially hardwood can indent the floor and really mess up the hardwood and can also scratch up the floors
3. If you let the nails get too long, it can actually affect the way the dog walks
4. A friend of mine once had a dobe with long nails, he was running one day thru the woods, caught one of the nails on something and completely ripped the whole nail out of the nail bed :( - it looked very painful
5. Personally, I think it looks alot better for the nails to be short
To bold part, oh my God, I'm going to go dremel now. What a nightmare!
 
#26 ·
I feel the same way. I'd like to have my rescue kitty RE-clawed and Hades and Snoop declawed. The clicking. I can't take the clicking!! They just got their nails done so I bought myself a few days of peace before it starts again. The worst is when you just want a nap and they want to both wander around the house :facepalm:


Sent from Petguide.com Free App
 
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#18 ·
I get Odin's nails clipped every 4 weeks at the vets office. I can't clip his nails myself. I have had trainers, behaviouralist even dog psychologist try and help. Nothing!!

My local vet is really good with him and can get it done with 2 vet techs in about 10min. Odin comes back out happy with his tail wagging, taking treats and pets from all parties involved, but it sounds like they are skinning him alive when it is getting done.

He doesn't associate the vet with anything negative always happy to go in and say hi. What a goof.
 
#22 · (Edited)
This is my corgi! I was a pet groomer for 6 years, and now, I can't even trim my own dog's nails. When we take her to the vet, she doesn't give our vet the least bit of trouble with nails!


We keep nails trimmed fairly short, but without making them bleed. I do it because the less trimming we have to do, the better. :)
 
#21 ·
To get mine short, I just did them every other day to begin with and applied preparation H to the ends.
Does the preparation H work to recede the quicks if you don't go short enough to draw blood? Otherwise how else would the product work on the quick if you don't go down to it?
 
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#20 ·
I've gone to dremeling every other day. I do not like "ticky, ticky, ticky" on the floors. When I go to training, I see (hear) dogs nails on the rubber mats and it's like running your nails down a chalk board to me. Emily is almost 4 now and I make her down on my grooming table and "lay over". Much, much easier to do. Does she like it? No. But she tolerates it. Takes about 30 seconds now. It is so much easier to start dogs when they are pups. To me, the pictures show a correct nail length.
 
#24 ·
I keep them short primarily so they do not split when Shannon plays ball. If I don't keep up, inevitably we have an issue. She is a maniac when it comes to ball and pounces on it like the ball is the devil. Full speed from 30 yards out to a stop in a split second digging into the dirt. Secondly, because I hate the clicking on the floor.
 
#27 ·
Before you hit the quick to draw blood there is the "meat" part which is softer then the actual nail...

When I did the Prep H on Jonesy's nails, I would get to the meaty part and then apply Prep H... But I didn't find that it helped anymore than just doing them every 3 days...

Found a picture



edit:

On the kitty thing... would be kinda neat if dogs had retractable claws :p
 
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