Nail trimming question

[cleanupyourdogpoop]

I have an older golden. I never trimmed her nail before because I thought by walking her on the pavement, her nails would be filed. Than I read an article in Dog fancy how trimming a dog's nails is very important because if the nails aren't trimmed than the nails will curl up making it uncomforable for the dog. I looked at my dog's paws and the nails were curled but the nails didn't look long at all. I bought dog nail clippers to start trimming her nails. I only trimmed a little off the nails today because I read that the blood vessel will move back down the nails. How often should I start trimming my dog's nail to remove the curling nails.

[geckogirl3]

Dogs that take regular walks on concrete often do keep their nails short, and trimming is not necessary. However, if your dog still has its dewclaws, which some breeders have removed shortly after birth, then you will need to trim these, as they do not make contact with the ground, therefore they are not getting filed down. The dewclaws are the ones that can grow in a complete circle and actually imbed in the dog's pads. That is very painful to the dog and can also lead to infection. If you still have doubts, just ask your vet to show you the proper way to trim nails.

[cleanupyourdogpoop]

I never thought of trimming the declaw nails. Do they bleed when trim.

[geckogirl3]

Yes, they can bleed if trimmed too short.