Healthy Behavior for Paws and Claws

Proper dog paw care

Proper paw care will keep your dogie dancing and help prevent unnecessary pain and infection later on. Most dogs don’t like to have their paws handled, so go slowly one paw at a time and make paw handling a part of playtime.

Remove mats of hair from between the toes and pads of dogs with hairy paws; if ignored, the mats can become as hard as rocks. Then, using scissors, trim the hair between the pads and between the toes so it is level with the dog’s paw.

Regular walks on a hard surface may keep a dog’s nails worn down. However, most domestic dogs will need to have their nails clipped every few weeks. If your dog has dewclaws (the smaller claw on the back of each leg, higher than the paws), those will always need clipping. If the nails or dewclaws are allowed to grow, they may curl inward into the skin and cause a painful infection.

Use nail clippers designed specifically for dogs. One type, known as the bamboo guillotine style,nail clippers has a round opening for the dog’s nail and a blade that slides across to clip the nail.
Trim only the “hook” end of the nail. Clipping a nail too short can be painful and may cause bleeding. Frequent trimming of a small amount of nail always is better than waiting until the nail is long. Never trim into the quick the live portion of the nail.

Tip

when you get a new puppy start touching all the paws gently and often. This will get the dog use to his paws being handle and make it easier to cut nails trim the hair between the toes and clean the paws when they come in from outside.

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u-groom 7-Piece Pet Grooming Kit