Have you ever watched television and counted the number of commercials that stress the importance of caring for your skin? There are more lotions than the fingers on your hands and they all stress how great their product is for your skin and more importantly, to your nails. It would seem that after all the years of neglecting them as children, great nail care is important.

Of course, this article isn’t about the importance of great nail care for people and is in fact about the importance of great nail care in your dog. Many owners are unaware of the importance of well-maintained nails and the trimming of nails is one of the many grooming needs that are often overlooked. We are often told that nails will wear down over time but the simple fact is, nails usually don’t wear down and when they do, it is usually at a much slower rate than is best for your pet.

Not grooming your dog’s nails can lead to many health problems for your dog. One of the most common problems is the nail splitting or tearing. If a nail is left to grow too long a dog can snag it on debris or flooring and rip it right off. This means a lot of pain for your pampered pooch and it also means a high vet bill for you.

After splitting and tearing, unclipped nails can lead to other long term health problems. When a dog walks, he places most of his weight on the pads of his feet; when the nails are too long, the weight is distributed differently and it causes the dog to use a different movement when walking. This may not seem like a big deal but it can lead to lameness and it can put strain on the joints, which may develop into long term joint problems.

It is important to trim your dog’s nails on a regular basis. This does not have to be a weekly clipping but you should clip them at least one time per month and the more you trim your dog’s nails, the more accustomed he will become to it.

There are a variety of nail trimming products out there and you can use traditional clippers that can be found at any pet store. When you clip your dog’s nails, make sure that you never go below the quick, the vein found in the nail. Simply trim the tip of the dog’s nail. If the nails are really long, trimming the tip every few days will cause the quick to recede down the nail and you can eventually clip your dog’s nail down to a comfortable level. If you are using clippers, you will need to file the sharp edges on the trimmed nail before your nail care is complete.

When you do use a traditional nail clipper, make sure you have something handy, such as tissue and cornstarch, to stop the bleeding. If you avoid the dark area of the nail, where the quick is, you shouldn’t have a problem but sometimes accidents happen and you might cut the quick. This is always heart wrenching and nerve wracking since the nail will bleed significantly but by applying pressure and dipping the nail in cornstarch, it will stop quickly.

Personally, when it comes to clipping my dog’s nails, I prefer to use a dremel tool with a grinder bit on the end. You can purchase pet nail dremels but it is not necessary since a regular dremel will work. Before you start trimming your dog’s nails with a dremel, make sure your dog is used to the noise and having his feet handled. Once he is ready, all you need to do is make quick swipes at the nail with the grinder. Don’t place it on the nail for a long period since it will heat the nail but instead, make short strokes along the nail. You can shorten the nail, clean off any sharp spots and if you happen to catch the quick, it won’t bleed.

And then your dog’s nails are properly cared for. A great rule of thumb for determining if your dog’s nails are short enough is if you can hear a click, click as he walks across the tile, then they are still too long. Now you are aware of the importance of great nail care and I’m sure your dog will love all the extra pampering, even if it doesn’t seem like he does.