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A puppy should start
getting his nails trimmed no later than two weeks after
he arrives at his new home. Unfortunately, many owners
put off trimming a puppy's nails for months. This is
understandable, since most puppies -- like most adult
dogs -- dislike getting their nails trimmed. Owners
don't like nail trimming either, primarily because
they're afraid of cutting their pet.
However, there is a
definite down side to putting off the inevitable nail
trimming. Sooner or later, the puppy is going to have to
get his nails trimmed anyway, and it will be much more
difficult for a pet to be introduced to this grooming
ritual at one year than it is at three or four months.
Secondly, as a dog's
nails grow, the blood-carrying vein inside them (called
the "quick") grows along with them. So, keeping nails
trimmed keeps the quick inside short, which reduces the
risk of cutting them and drawing blood.
Trimming even very small
pieces of a puppy's nails every week will encourage the
pet to accept this important grooming ritual. Exercise
caution when clipping puppy nails, since they are very
soft and small. In light of this, you may want to start
trimming with a smaller clipper than will be used
eventually on the adult dog. For very small breeds, it
might be best to start with human nail clippers before
moving up to guillotine style dog nail clippers later
on.
It is recommended that
you buy styptic powder or gel before trimming a puppy's
nails. This powder will coagulate blood to stop the
bleeding if a quick is nicked during trimming. When the
quick is cut, put styptic powder on the end of the nail,
and hold it there, applying pressure for 30-60 seconds,
or until the bleeding stops.
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