Should I Cut Dachshund’s Nails?

4 Steps to Rid Your Dachshund of Her Nails

When it comes to nailing down your furry best friend, there are quite a few mistakes you can make to bring you down. We’ve rounded up a few dos and don’ts for your doggy training, so you can clean up your act and protect your pet (and wallet) from these often unavoidable mistakes.

Don’t Undercut Your Dachshund’s Feet:

When it comes to nails, there’s a tricky balance between keeping your dog’s paws clean but not overly so. Don’t trim nail beds so tight that the flesh stretches and stretches in pain. From a doggy, you might not notice the bones getting severed, but from a paw perspective, the painfully compressed tissue can cause paw fat tissue to shed uncontrollably. Snip a section at a time, if your pup is itching, bruised, or simply uncomfortable, but do leave a few nails and some of the other pads uncovered as encouragement for growth.

Don’t Make It Complicated:

A history of long nails isn’t always a good sign, but it can be if the nails are incredibly clawed and eventually break off entirely or if the paws are so short that the claws attach to the skin and ultimately cause infections. There are a few things to keep in mind if you’re concerned about your pet’s nails:

Listen to Your Pet:

When it comes to snipping your pet’s nails, be a bit more mindful than just clipping it directly on the toes. Start with the paw and then move to the rest of the paws. Do a superficial cut and see if there’s any “waggle” in it. This tells you that there are probably a few remaining nails to trim or shave. So just be slow and gentle. You don’t want to come in and just cut all of the nails off with one stroke.

Don’t Go All Sock It:

If you’re caught snipping your pup’s front paws, you might have your child’s attention, but you’re not doing her any favors. A snip cuts and slices the skin that protects the front of the paw, and before your dog has any chance of recovering, the skin peels back. Although this is meant to stimulate skin regeneration, the issue is that the skin will never fully recover and will continue to be replaced by a new layer of skin, further impeding the growth of the next skin layer. If you do decide to keep your pet’s front paws long, be aware that it can sometimes cause a flare-up of “stripy sores” as the skin grows back to more normal size.

Do Give Your Pet Vitamin C:

Nails are about 10 times more sensitive than skin, and without a strong, long nail bed to protect it, the nails can become much more prone to snapping. With that in mind, make sure to give your dog a vitamin C supplement so that she can continue to maintain strong nails and a firm footing.

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Take Time to Go Over Your Dog’s Training:

Before you can fine-tune your pet’s walks, and ensure that your dog has learned the correct routines, it’s important to understand that it’s not always the trainer or the dog. Sometimes, there are things that are unique to your dog that, although your pup doesn’t seem to understand, will ultimately mess up the routine.

For example, some dogs get hangry or hungry more easily than others, and not all dogs wear the same color socks, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t still need to take their walks. Before things go haywire, make sure to talk to your dog about what the routine requires and think about what helps the dog feel calm, happy, and balanced. If it makes the dog happier and feels more comfortable, why not do it?