While trimming your dog’s nails might seem like an unnecessary inconvenience, it is extremely important to your dog’s overall health. A dog’s nails should be clipped often enough that they remain short enough to not click on the ground when a dog walks. Long nails that touch the ground may cause discomfort for your dog, and potentially cause problems down the road. If you want your canine to be comfortable and happy, then keeping their toenails at a reasonable length is a necessity.
Here at Dog Sense, we understand that trimming a dog’s nails can be difficult, which is why we offer professional dog nail trimming services at our dog spa. Having a groomer trim your dogs nails can actually alleviate a lot of the struggle and the stress for both you and your dog.
1. Why Dogs Need Their Nails Trimmed
Many suburban and urban dogs today spend an increased amount of time indoors and on soft surfaces such as grass when they are outdoors. When they are on hard surfaces they are normally walking slowly. All of these issues prevent the nails from being filed down from friction on hard surfaces. Long and uncared-for nails not only look unattractive, they also can be harmful to your dog’s health and comfort. When your dog’s nails are so long that they constantly touch the ground, they exert force back into the nail bed, which creates pain and pressure on the toe joint. If not taken care of, this can cause the joints in the foreleg to become realigned and make the foot look flattened and splayed. In turn it can and will affect the other joints and muscles in the body, causing discomfort, pain and possibly even arthritis as the dog ages. Long nails can also be easily torn when dogs are running and playing, especially outside where hazardous terrain and obstacles cannot be avoided.
In extreme cases, overgrown nails can curve and grow into the pad of the foot. However, even if they do not appear to be that out of control, long and unkempt nails can be torn or split, which is very painful for the dog. You’ll know that it is time for a trim when you can hear your dog’s nails click when they walk across a hardwood or tile floor.
2. How Often Should Your Dog’s Nails be Trimmed?
Hopefully the breeder of your puppy started the nail trimming process at birth to help the puppy learn to accept this important grooming process. Even if they did, it is important to practice foot handling and nail trimming early on in your dog’s life starting at its first week home. This way, your dog will become accustomed to having their feet handled and then eventually grow up to being comfortable with their feet and nails being handled. If you are looking to shorten your dog’s nails, trim them once per week. If you’re looking to maintain them at a short length, aim for every two weeks.
A few dogs can go 3-4 weeks, but all dogs need at least a monthly trim. If you have never cut your dog’s nails before, it is advised that you get a professional dog grooming company to do it for you.
3. Professional Dog Groomers in Lancaster, PA
Keeping your dog’s nails short can be overwhelming, frustrating, and time-consuming, but it is something that must be done in order for it to be healthy. Instead of dealing with the frustration of trimming nails on your own, utilize the dog grooming services of Dog Sense. As part of our dog spa, our professionals groomers will clip and grind your dog’s nails. You can choose these services a la carte or as part of a larger dog spa package which includes a bath and brush, giving you a clean dog to take home.
To schedule your dog’s nail appointment, give us a call at (717) 509-5652.
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