As a pet owner, you need to know the importance of animal health. Trimming pet nails is part of being a good owner. Generally speaking, your pet’s nails should be trimmed every one to two weeks.

You need to trim your dog’s nails every two weeks for several reasons. Long nails will affect the shape and structure of the toes and feet, and then affect the dog’s legs and posture, just as bad human feet can affect our back and posture. The correct length of nails will help the shape and health of the dog’s feet and reduce scratches on the floor.

Worried about cutting your dog’s nails at home, it will hurt the dog? Here’s how to trim black dog toenails at home

What Is a Quick?

Before we get into the topic, we need to know the meaning of “quick”.

Essentially, “quick” is a blood vessel that provides nutrition to the nails. Its color is different from the actual nails and is also closest to the puppies’ feet.

In most cases, white nails will quickly appear pink. However, in some dogs, the nails and the quick ones are black. This is where pruning becomes difficult.

If you accidentally cut it off quickly, not only will it hurt your cute dog, but it may also cause severe bleeding.

It is also important to know that “fast” will grow as the nails grow. If you wait too long before trimming, you won’t have many nails to trim before you reach fast

Fortunately, blood vessels can grow back according to the length of the nail.

How to Find The Quick on Dog Black Nails

First of all, it’s very simple to find a quick way on the white dog’s nails. The quick will appear pink, while the dog’s actual nails will appear white. This means you will easily see through the shell quickly.

However, if your dog has black nails, his quick will also be black (not pink!). Therefore, you will not be able to see the quick through the shell or from the outside of the puppy’s nails.

First need to find the pulp

When looking for quick on dog black nails, one of the most basic but important techniques is to find the pulp.

In simple terms, the pulp is a black round (but easily recognizable) part of the nail. It’s right next to the quick.

Therefore, if you are trimming your dog’s black nails and reaching the pulp, you should stop because you are almost in touch.

But how do you know that you have arrived or found the pulp?

Okay, let’s suppose you are trimming your puppy’s nails:

After the first few trims, you will encounter a cut surface for a while. Take a step back and check your nails.

If it is still whitish, cut another one.

Repeat until you see a black spout in the center of the nail. That is pulp.

Another easy way to find the pulp is to look under the dog’s nails. You will notice that the puppies’hard nail structure turns into grooves of fleshy or softer internal tissue. The fleshy or soft tissue on the inside of the nail is the pulp.

Next step: find quick

Now, to find the quick, raise the puppy’s paw and look at the center of the nail.

If it has a small black dot in the center, it means the start of quick. Once you find it, stop cutting, because it means you are approaching quick.

When it comes to quick positioning, another important trading technique is to squeeze or lightly press the puppy’s nails—especially the part you plan to cut next. Be careful not to apply too much pressure or squeeze too much to avoid breaking the nail. If the dog responds to stress by yanking its paws, chances are that you are very close to being quick and you should stop.

How to Cut Black Dog Nails Safely

1. Use the right tools

Using inappropriate tools will undermine your efforts to find quick.

If you use an old sturdy blade, you may not get a good nail cross section. Ultimately, this will damage your visibility and make you confused about whether you are cutting enough.

Even with the right tools, you need to make a strong cut, especially if your puppy has hard nails.

When you are too slow in the actual editing process, you may get a rough cut instead of a smooth cut.

To be safe, use a sharp blade and try to get a smooth and clean surface so that you can have a good cross-section for better positioning quickly.

In addition, fast cutting can quickly complete the work, so your dog will not be too nervous.

We strongly recommend nail grinder. They allow you to locate quickly and prevent accidents during the process.

2. Go slow

Although the actual cutting should be done quickly and forcefully, you don’t want to rush through the entire process. If you trim at a high speed, you may be at risk of cutting quick.

You want to trim a small part of your nails at a time. The recommended length is 1/6 inch.

As mentioned earlier, after a trimming, look at the cut surface. If it is white, you are safe.

Continue trimming more until the center of the nail appears black.

Sometimes it will turn pink before fast. The idea is to trim very small parts and drop the tool when it reaches the black or pink point.

3. Styptic powder is must

If you accidentally cut to the quick, expect some bleeding. Sprinkle a large amount of hemostatic powder on the wound, which can effectively prevent the continued bleeding

If you do not have a styptic powder on hand, use flour, soap, baking soda, cornstarch or turmeric powder.

All of these will block the blood vessels and stop bleeding quickly.

4. Pursue a comfortable experience

A nervous dog can make nail trimming ten times more challenging. This means it is a million times more difficult to find pulp. To avoid this situation:

First familiarize your puppy with cutting tools. Make him feel comfortable around the Clippers or the guillotine.

Make sure there is no interference in the room to make your canine friends feel comfortable.

As he crossed the obstacles, he offered snacks and plenty of praise.

During the pruning process, every effort is made to ensure that your dog stays relaxed. In this way, you will have plenty of time to trim and finally locate quick.

5. It is recommended to clip nails to the pulp

By cutting the nail all the way to the pulp, you can make a quick retreat. This is a good thing because it can avoid the problem of overgrowth of nails and can generally keep the dog healthy.

You should be aware that quick always grows out with your puppy’s nails. Therefore, if the nails are left too long, you may be forced to trim only a small amount, and then forced to wait about a week or so for the nails to fade quick before you can trim more.

6. award

Take your time and take a break between each paw, especially if your dog is not familiar with nail trimming at home. Reward your dog with high-value snacks every time you cut a paw. Over time, you can cut multiple paws between rewards. Rest as needed to give your dog (and yourself) time to relax and build confidence.

Your goal is to cut the claws to within about 2 mm of the fast speed. Finally, the nails should be trimmed until the dog is standing on the ground and the nails will not touch the floor.

7. Remember to trim the hair around the claws

If your dog has a lot of hair growing around its paws, consider trimming the hair so that you can see the nails better.

Final thoughts

Trimming the nails of a black dog is indeed a nerve-wracking experience. The fear of the possibility of cutting fast is always there.

Frankly speaking, you may cut quick in practice and cause your dog one or two great pains.

Hope you now know how to find black dog nails quickly.