Gundog Training Forum

Her claws have got quite long and one dew claw seems to have grown a bit miss shapen as in its curling up a bit. She started limping a little yesterday whilst playing in the field and on inspection it was bleeding a little so i am assuming she snagged it perhaps. I usually get the vet to do it as i have never tried however in the current corvid climate i am still warey of visiting anyone or going anywhere unless its necessary so considering doing it myself BUT i am not overly confident as i have read that if you cut the quick it can be very painful for the dog.......so, is it easy enough do most folk do it themselves or should i get vet to do it ???

It’s easy enough to learn to do it yourself, but best if you train the dog to tolerate it rather than force it upon her. If the dog has light nails you can usually see the quick, but if you nibble off a bit at a time you rarely hit the quick and if you do it’s just the tip, the dog might yip and it dries up quickly if you put a bit of flour on it.

https://youtu.be/nCJ0wh5cxi4

Naj

Yes, I clip both my dogs' nails. And as Naj says, nibble off is best practice 'till you get a feel for the job. Adding to that, I stay within the curl, the quick is usually back a bit. If she is a little reluctant in you performing the surgery, you can bluff her by just touching each nail with the clipper and no cutting. Down the road, just one treat after the whole job will make her happy. Usual practice for me at nail trimming time is to check ears and teeth too.

I think dog maintenance work is good practice in trust cause in the field cut pads and other injuries will happen. Done on a regular basis, this is one area context seems easy for a dog to generalize. As it so happens, last week, I went to the vet with my ESS for a cut pad. He received 5 staples and the vet reported that he had the attitude of indifference, however, he was still glad to see me once again.

I always do my own I cut them about every 4-6 weeks. I do it much more frequently with little pups not so much because they need it but to keep them familiar with and positive about the procedure. I keep my attitude positive offer lots of praise and dispense treats for sitting still. My dogs actually get quite excited and happy when I get out the clippers. I sit on the front steps to get down their level and they act like it is a high point of the day for them. Very rarely I make a mistake and touch the quick but I have a product called "Super Clot" which stops any bleeding right away. I bet even Vets make mistakes once in a while.

I have noted over the years that there is a big differences between dogs in how fast their nails grow and their hardness. (Same with horses hooves). My CBR's nails grow fast but are kind of soft and wear quickly. My Cocker's are quite hard and brittle. If I don't keep them trimmed short he tends to split them and that can be painful.

I know some dogs can be quite phobic about the process. I am sure due to a poor introduction as with gunfire. I was having dinner at a friends house one night who had a springer he had bought from me. I commented that she was in need of a nail trim. He told me he had to make an appointment with the Vet and have the dog tranquilized to get it done. I foolishly said "get some treats and clippers and let's take her outside and I will do it". About an hour later I was desperately wishing I had kept my mouth shut but once started I felt I needed to finish. She was getting better by the time we got to the last foot but I certainly never volunteered to help him out again

I would suggest you give it a try Ips. Start slow just take off a little bit at a time and keep her happy. You will soon know if it is something you and she can work out.

I accidentally cut the quick of my dog's dew claw, it was silly to attempt it at midnight!! It bled like a stuck pig, I couldn't stop it, so in end had to bandage it up! Was quite sure I would wake up to a dog who had bled out It was pumping, which is unusual.

Yes, vets do cut the quicks sometimes and make the nails bleed but they have stuff to put on it to stop it fairly quickly.

Years ago it was recommended that you kept a styptic pen or powder handy in case you nicked the quick, styptic is the stuff for stopping bleeding if you cut yourself shaving. Apparently it works and is safe for dogs.

I have a record of cutting feet when I trim the hair but, so far, have managed to avoid cutting nails too short, fingers crossed hey!

Ips, if the nails have grown long then the quick will be longer so you won’t be able to take as much nail off. But every time you cut the nail back it makes the quick recede a little so with regular clipping you’ll get back to what the nail should be. Never had this problem when my dogs were kennelled on concrete but since having them in the house I find I need to do it every couple of weeks with the young Viz, a bit longer with the GSP. . As Newf says, it’s often safer to stay within the curve until you build confidence, especially on black nails where you can’t see the quick.

Naj

IPS, mentioned that the dew claws were giving eze the problem. My ess breeder had the vet remove my pup’s...is it a practice not done in the uk?

newf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 1:37 am IPS, mentioned that the dew claws were giving eze the problem. My ess breeder had the vet remove my pup’s...is it a practice not done in the uk?

newf, vets in UK are very wary of taking off dewclaws, it is difficult finding one that will dock let alone dewclaws, i have any rears removed at docking but no longer do fronts on Spaniels and dont have any problems, i think the smaller dogs benefit more from having them especially when climbing out of water etc

Every GSP I have owned has been tail docked and the dew claws removed at same time. Having seen an injury with a dew claw torn due dog working hard, I would not go back to leaving them on. Our Greyhounds who were track dogs had their dew claws removed as well. I had my pups recently completed at the Vet when docking. I also trim the nails in all my dogs and have done it from the first GSP I owned. When watching my dogs quarter over Heather at full gallop I can see why accidents can happen, I have seen them summersault at speed and when going through thicker heather, their stems can be really thick and unforgiven. But this question is just like tail docking, some are for and some are against. I make my own mind up like I do in all things.