# my pup needs her nails clipped-but...



## fibigrey (Sep 1, 2011)

Is it safe to take her to a groomer right now? she will be 15 weeks on friday.. She still needs her final round of parvo vaccinations.. Her dewclaw needs to be trimmed asap, its getting really close to growing into her pawpad, and her little nails are sharp, catching on everything....I am not comfortable doing it myself since her claws are black..

I was thinking maybe a smaller grooming shop would be better than something big like petco? but i'm not sure if I should just wait until 2 weeks from now after she gets her last round of shots..she will get her last round at 16 weeks, but I would wait 1 week for full immunity..

what do you think?


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

You can safely trim the tip off the dewclaws, as the nerve in those stay short despite the nail being long.

Or, you could go to the vet's and have them done there. You would have to carry her in and not let her touch the floor, but they disinfect the table and equipment, so it should be safe.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Its very easy to trim a dogs nails. yes even black ones are simple. 

that said, I dont know why so many are uncomfortable with it. its a part of dog owner ship. and a dog whose owners dont teach from the get go that nail trims are fine and not to be feared. are the dogs who need to be muzzled and stress out for no reason at grooming shops and normally need atleast 2 people to trim them and do such a simple thing.

If you still wont do it. carry her in to a shop, hold her while they cut the nails. simple.


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## fibigrey (Sep 1, 2011)

Tankstar said:


> Its very easy to trim a dogs nails. yes even black ones are simple.
> 
> that said, I dont know why so many are uncomfortable with it. its a part of dog owner ship. and a dog whose owners dont teach from the get go that nail trims are fine and not to be feared. are the dogs who need to be muzzled and stress out for no reason at grooming shops and normally need atleast 2 people to trim them and do such a simple thing.
> 
> If you still wont do it. carry her in to a shop, hold her while they cut the nails. simple.


Hey, thanks for the rude comment. You weren't even remotely helpful there. You basically just made me feel like an idiot for asking a question about a "simple" problem that I evidently should just "know" how to do. I do not know how to trim a dog's nails, and I have heard you can make them bleed to death, or cause permanate nerve damage.. I'll pay the groomer $7 bucks to do it for me, thanks. my question was about whether it was a bad idea to take her being before her last set of vaccines. I'm not the "bad" dog owner who makes her dog "fear" going to the groomer, uh, she's only 14 weeks old.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

fibigrey said:


> Hey, thanks for the rude comment. You weren't even remotely helpful there. You basically just made me feel like an idiot for asking a question about a "simple" problem that I evidently should just "know" how to do. I do not know how to trim a dog's nails, and I have heard you can make them bleed to death, or cause permanate nerve damage.. I'll pay the groomer $7 bucks to do it for me, thanks. my question was about whether it was a bad idea to take her being before her last set of vaccines. I'm not the "bad" dog owner who makes her dog "fear" going to the groomer, uh, she's only 14 weeks old.


You cannot bleed a dog to death from a nail trim, nor can you do nerve damage. Those are myths and totally untrue. Can a nail bleed alot? Absolutely. But putting syptic powder on it, (or flour or cornstarch in a pinch) will stop the bleeding, and even if left alone, eventually will stop bleeding. No worries. ;-) Yes, you can take her to a groomer. Like someone said, just carry her in, hold her if you can, and have them trimmed. Call first and make sure they will do it. Petco/Petsmarts usually require rabies vax for anything, and she is WAY too young for that, so I agree with you that trying a non-franchise grooming salon is your best bet. Nail trims on a puppy should take less than 5 minutes. I wouldn't worry about her catching something. She is MUCH more likely to catch something at the vets office, where the sick dogs go. Sick dogs don't come to grooming salons generally.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

fibigrey said:


> Hey, thanks for the rude comment. You weren't even remotely helpful there. You basically just made me feel like an idiot for asking a question about a "simple" problem that I evidently should just "know" how to do. I do not know how to trim a dog's nails, and I have heard you can make them bleed to death, or cause permanate nerve damage.. I'll pay the groomer $7 bucks to do it for me, thanks. my question was about whether it was a bad idea to take her being before her last set of vaccines. I'm not the "bad" dog owner who makes her dog "fear" going to the groomer, uh, she's only 14 weeks old.


 I dont see how I was being rude.
She will not bleed to death, a little baking powder to clot the bleeding, or buying blood clotter will stop the bleeding. no nerve damage will be done either. only real nerve damage is dogs nails who grow so long, curl and make dogs toes splay cause walking issues, pain, and possible nerve damage.

if they could bleed to death. i would have killed many dogs over the years cutting their nails. lol or if it caused nerve damage, again I would have messed up a ton of dogs lives.

I told you how to bring her in. Carry her, hold her, let them snip the nails. pay and leave. simple.

I never said you were a bad dog owner. But you will make her fear having her nails done if you dont train her properly to accept it.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Do you have a friend who trims nails on his/her dog and could show you how to do it? If not, finding a groomer who will let you hold the pup is the next best thing for now until you get comfortable with it.

I don't think Tankstar was being rude - just telling it like it is, honestly. Nail trims are a life-long chore and it's so beneficial to get a pup used to it from the get-go from a lot of different people. If I could start my own pup over again, I'd be trimming little bits off several times a week just to get her used to the handling. I really wish someone had told me that's what I needed to be doing at the time. It's taken me a lot of work and a ton of peanut butter (for both of us!  ) to get my dog used to trims now. We handled her a lot as a pup, sure, and had other people handle her. But I didn't know enough to realize that a nail trim is a whole other experience vs. paw handling from the dog's point of view. And I didn't realize that the grooming she was getting wasn't frequent enough to desensitize her to the experience.

Here is an excellent video on how to get your dog used to nail trims. Won't help with your hesitation about cutting your dog's quick, but that's something you'll get over as you get more experience with it. Sanding your dog's nails with a dremel tool can help you feel a little more confident (I snip the tips with trimmers and then sand).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgEwiH8CeUE

BTW, congrats on the new pup!


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I recommend learning how to trim your dog's nails. It's not a problem to have the groomer do them, but personally, I do Sydney's nails about once a week and no way do I have the time or money to take her in that often. Her nails are also black, so for me the easiest way has been to use a dremel. 

If you search the forum there are a lot of great resources on acclimating a dog to accepting nail trimmings, as well as tutorials showing exactly HOW to trim (even black nails). If you have trouble finding what you need, let me know and I'll link you to the sites I found the most helpful myself.

I would go ahead and take your dog to the groomer if the nails need trimming right now, but for next time I would get a nice pair of trimmers or a dremel and start getting her as well as yourself used to trimmings. It will help you both a lot in the long run and it gets WAY easier the more you do it. A year ago I was afraid to trim any dog's nails, but now I regularly help out friends and family with their dog's nails.


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## Blue_Heeler (Jul 31, 2011)

Graco22 said:


> *Petco*/Petsmarts usually require rabies vax for anything, and she is WAY too young for that, so I agree with you that trying a non-franchise grooming salon is your best bet.


We only require Rabies if the puppy/dog is old enough for it. We do younger puppy nails all the time.


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