NAILS

I`ve been asked to cover the very basic task of cutting nails. Really I`m not the person to do this as all my dogs have a lot of outdoor running on a hard surface (tarmac) and I find that nails wear down naturally. But for the older dog, (and in the past for my Cresteds in winter), nails do need attention.

There seem to be two problems about cutting nails.

1. How short?
2. How do I get the dog to submit to the process?

The first point - well, Papillons, unlike Cresteds, are expected to have short nails. When you look at the nail, if it is white, you can see the pink vein of the quick. It is important not to cut into this. It will hurt, and will bleed quite a lot, and your dog will be a lot less keen for the operation the next time you bring out the clippers. It`s easy to avoid doing this with a white nail, but what if the nail is black? Well then it`s a matter for your discretion. The best way is to take off only a little at a time , and work gradually to shorten the nail a little more each time you cut it. Over a few weeks you will get to the desired length.

The second point is entirely up to you. My dogs are not at all frightened of getting their nails cut, and happily hold out their paw. This is because I`m not worried about doing it. If I were at all apprehensive, the dog would quickly pick it up from me and decide that this was going to be a frightening experience, and that he was having none of it. But if I`m confident, he`s confident. You have to convince your dog that this whole process is quite normal and not at all scary.

What to use? Again up to you. I prefer guilllotine clippers, as I tend to find that the scissor type can crush the nail, but other people will tell you the opposite. And there are files, although I`ve never tried them - I think the dog would require quite a lot of patience.

Why don`t you tell me about your experiences and techniques?