Hi - can anyone tell me how easy it is to clip black nails??

My Westie pup does not mind his paws being handled - positively loves his front paws being stroked and manhandled....

We have always clipped our Guinea pigs nails with a notched clipper- but they are translucent so you can see the quick....

Do you clip doggy nails the same? To the curve? Do they bleed a lot if you go too far? We use cornflour on the guinea pigs if they do bleed (but they rarely do). Like the piggies, does the quick retreat the more they are clipped - so little and often rather than an occasional big job?

Any advice? Seems daft to pay for it to be done if it is a job that can be done at home.

I always trim my dogs nails myself, they grow so fast I have to do them every week, but I am a bit OCD over long nails.

I use guillotine clippers as they do not squeeze the quick like the plier type do.

the best ones I have come across are by Resco, much better and stronger than the ones you can buy at PAH etc.

If you do a nail a day, it becomes less of an event and you can start by clipping matches near the toes.

If you do get the quick, it is not a disaster, the quickest, easiest and least messy solution is to stick the nail into a bar of soap.

If you leave nails too long then the quick grows with them, so little and often is best.
ClickerSolutions Training Articles -- Nail Trimming for Sensitive Dogs

Thank you for that - just a bit nervous because they are black - so going in blind, but will give it a go. A nail a day sounds a good starting point!!

The link gives some sound advice too - we have used the clicker since we got him so that we can touch/manipulate his feet/ears/snout/tail and open his mouth without him snipping at us (vet advised us to do this) so hopefully he will already have the good vibes when we start to do nail trimming this way.....

Thanks!

One of my dogs is fine with it - the other not so keen.
I agree with Smokeybear (above) but I am using this technique to make my other dog more comfortable with the process...

tab289's Channel - YouTube

Naomi xx

I dremmel my dogs nails and as a puppy I would do them 4 or 5 times a day to start, just touching on the nail and then treating

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I use these:

I really like them and I have never caused Mia to bleed even though she has some black nails. She needs hers done ever week to 2 weeks. What I tend to do is have her lie on her back and lift her paw towards my face so I can see the underside of her nails and then it tends to be quite easy to see where to cut . It probably helps that she has such big feet though so it is easier to see what is going on!

dunno why but those things scare me lol. i use wilkos nail clippers similar to Resco's.

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love me love the dogs

Heh. They are fairly chunky things but that's why I like them... they do the job quickly and easily without me having to put a lot of pressure on them or worrying that they will snap!

I have cut all my animals claws including the dogs myself.. Only one who creates is this current Dalmatian.At home his acts like a wally, but I can however take him to the vets sit him on the floor and do it myself with no drama

I use the same clippers as SetNights They cut easily.

My Zipper is about the same size as a Westie and has black nails.

I wrap him up tightly in a towel and let one paw out at a time - it keeps him calm and stops him wiggling.

I trim a little bit at a time as I can't see where the quick is - you can see on the underside of the fresh cut if the quick is close, so I check the claw and cut a little bit more if I feel I can.

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A dog Possesses Beauty without Vanity,Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, And all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.