# Trimmed my puppy's nails for the first time...what have I done wrong?



## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

I've had a dog before, but he was a smaller dog and his nails stayed very well filed down by the concrete from his walks. We rarely ever had to trim his nails for some reason. 

My new dog, who is slightly bigger already at 4 months and has more of what I call a "big boy" paw, needs his nails trimmed quite frequently it seems. They were getting a bit out of hand, scratching me everytime he sat on me and such, so I gave the trimming a try. I'd read a lot about how to do it, and was careful not to get close to the quick since most of his nails are clear. He didn't like it much, but I finished the trimming with not too much trouble.

But now, his nails are REALLY scratching me. They're much sharper than before! Did I cut them at the wrong angle? Is there some trick to making them not brutal after trimming that I'm just not aware of?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

This is completely normal, clipping the nails gives them sharp edges no matter what angle you do it at. They will wear down in a couple of days  Or you could file them to speed up the process, but it's a bit of a pain.

To avoid this in the future, you can dremel the nails instead. No sharp edges


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

Yeah... I'm probably going to have to invest in a dremel then, hehe. Thanks!


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## My BFF Pet (Jul 29, 2013)

As lil_fuzzy said, using a nail file on the nails will help. I have to do that after clipping my dogs nails. To get your dog to not mind getting his nails trimmed so much, try giving him a treat when you are finished every time.


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

Just a regular nail file? Or are there special doggy nail files to use?


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## ZoliRavioli (Jul 20, 2013)

Some dogs don't like the dremel because it makes a noise & vibrates on their paw but it doesn't hurt to try. if the puppy doesn't like it then u could just use a regular nail filer/ sand paper. sometimes when I trim nails I smooth them out by taking off the sharp edges on the side , you have to cut on an angle & actually try rounding it out because after you cut the nail it is more like a square shape & the edges are what hurt.


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

Yeah, I'm worried that he may not like it. He already barks at the vacuum cleaner the whole time I'm vacuuming, lol.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

aburgess88 said:


> Yeah, I'm worried that he may not like it. He already barks at the vacuum cleaner the whole time I'm vacuuming, lol.


It's nowhere NEAR that loud and the vibration's really minor. Three of my dogs actually fall asleep while I do their nails. One of the other two just doesn't care one way or the other. The huge-butt puppy... is another matter, entirely.


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

Good! Maybe I'll just try it then to be sure. Is it quicker than actually trimming them, or does it take a bit more effort?


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

aburgess88 said:


> Good! Maybe I'll just try it then to be sure. Is it quicker than actually trimming them, or does it take a bit more effort?


Definitely takes longer. If nails are really long, I trim the bulk and then dremel.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

The dremel was one of the best investments we made. And we had bought it months before getting our pup to use for pumpkin carving and engraving and wood detail work, not even dog nails. Bonus! 

Annabel HATED the little trim scissors. She's a bit of a drama queen and all she needed was to see the trimmers and feel me touch her claws (even just with a finger) and she's scream like I was murdering her. With the dremel, the first thing I did was let her sniff it out, then turned it onto the lowest setting and just rested the handle against her paws, letting her feel the vibration and hear the noises without touching her claws. She got used to it and now nail trimming is a breeze. 

I find it much easier and faster to use, but mostly because the screaming is gone. You can get a really nicely rounded tip without having to do any extra filing, too.


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## Emily1188 (Jun 21, 2011)

If the dog is patient enough, you can actually nip away the sharp corners on the underside of the nails after doing your initial cut. I do it all the time on clients' dogs, as long as they're tolerant.

Or, just take clip the nails and then take him for a walk on some concrete.


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