Our New Year's Resolution: A Nail a Day

We normally don't do New Year's resolution. This time, though, we decided to make an exception.

Wait a minute, is there anything we don't already do for our dogs?

Believe it or not, there is. Well, not that we don't do it, or rather, have it done, it just hasn't been done well enough.


Can you guess what it might be?

We take our dogs for walks plenty, brush their teeth twice a day, always work on improving their diet and health ...

The one thing where our efforts were sub-par is nail care.

Not that our dogs are not good about getting their nails trimmed. They don't like it but they put up with it. It's not the dogs, it's us. We have a nail-trimming phobia.

This had been fine for a long time because of Jasmine's frequent visits to one vet or another.

The nails got always trimmed then, by the vet or a vet technician. All was good.

Now, though, our visits to a vet are not frequent enough to keep the nails nice and short. And that's a bad thing. Long nails cause poor posture which can lead to pain and injury.

To reduce the stress on everybody and also to build a routine, we decided on the nail a day approach.

After all, every two to four weeks isn't really much of a routine, is it? It's not frequent enough to become one. And then all nails would have to get done.

Doing one a day, it's over quickly and it will become part of the things we do all the time. It will also allow us trim a tiny bit at a time, decreasing the risk of getting into the quick.

Four days so far, four nails trimmed on each dog.

The more we do this, the more it'll become a new normal. And the dogs' nail will be as short as they ought to be.

What is your New Year's resolution for your dog?

Related articles:
What’s The Most Common Problem I See In My Canine Patients? 

Further reading:
Proper dog nail care can significantly improve quality of life!

Comments

  1. Great plan !
    We should do that for Tilde too, her nails grow like crazy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So far everybody is pretty happy with this plan and not too much stress on anybody. And we're on the way to short nails.

      Having to do all the nails at one sitting was just too much stressful of an idea and it just kept being put off.

      Delete
  2. I love this idea! Much less stress for you and your dog. Just wanted to add that cutting dogs nails after a bath is much easier because they are softer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True, good idea with the bath. Though our guys don't get too many baths. But after a walk on a rainy day or a swim would probably work better too.

      Delete
  3. Wow - that is a super pawesome idea! A nail a day plan - we're gonna try it with our nail-clipping dislike pup!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have to admit that the bipeds here probably hate it more than the pups. This way is not as dreaded of an event and it's over quickly enough. Faster than anybody can get stressed out about it.

      Delete
  4. That's a great plan. I am too nervous to cut Chuy's nails so I always take him to the vet where they do it. One at a time is a great way to look at this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, that's what we've always done too. But this way we can cut just a tiny bit at a time and the quick recedes with the nail being shorter.

      Delete
  5. I love that idea! I plan on sharing it with my grooming clients who have a tough time keeping the nails short in between grooming app'ts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think there are only a few people who don't dread this. I know that when we had it done by a vet tech, they didn't do their own dogs' nails either, rather did them for each others dogs! :-)

      Delete
  6. This a great idea, and one that makes a daunting task more approachable. I am lucky to have one dog that cooperates perfectly for trims (sometimes I do it while she is sunbathing on the patio). My other dog is a bit more challenging but hers stay fairly short from all the running around she does!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our dogs actually cooperate too. But we dread it. So it's at least as much for us as it is for them :-)

      Delete
  7. I have nail trimming phobia too! Luckily the girls have pink nails so it is very obvious what needs to be trimmed and how far I an go but I cringe and close my eyes as I press the clippers down.

    It used to not be a big problem but now that they run in the yard and not go on walks on the street as often ther nails don't stay trimmed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, pink nails are a big advantage. There is a way of telling where the quick is on dark nails too, but it involves a lot of small cuts until a white dog shows. Which makes the procedure even longer.

      Gotta wonder how do wolves keep their nails trimmed ;-)

      Delete
  8. Bailie and I want to get our first titles in nose work and tracking, but nails is an ongoing saga at our house. Mom is working on it all the time and we are getting better about the dremel, but it is not easy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It no fun, is it? We did get a dremel but didn't work up the chops to use it yet :-)

      Delete
  9. What a great resolution. I'm trying to add daily brushing into our schedule. Just a ten minute brush each day would make my weekend brushing easier :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Daily brushing is awesome too. Not just for coat but for neural transmission, blood flow ...

      Delete
  10. I'm fine clipping the cat's nails but dog nails make me nervous. Thankfully Henry and Reese require regular grooming and our wonderful groomer looks after that for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing like having somebody else do it. We always had it done at the vets. But now we don't go often enough for that and drive up there just for that is unreasonable up here.

      Delete
  11. Excellent idea!

    So much less stressful for both the dog and the human.

    Which reminds me, Ginger and I need to do some more nail trimming practice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's the most dreaded part of grooming care, isn't it? Glad we have a solid plan now, which seems to be working.

      Delete
  12. We've been doing this forever. One nail, each per day. If I get up some energy, I might try a whole paw. (Koly says I'm the worst). Consistency totally pays off and where two years ago it took two of us to rangle Koly for nails, now he sits nice and lets me dremel a nail or three without much drama.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I always keep my doggy's nails trimmed, when she jumps up on you they really hurt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great job. So important for them to have the nails nice and short. And yes, the fact that it won't hurt when they jump on you is a bonus.

      Delete
  14. Now why did I never think of this! I'm going to try it! Ty HATES to have his nails done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know how it goes! :-) It's going well here.

      Delete
  15. Being better at nail trimming is one of my New Year's Resolutions and I never thought about doing one a day. This sounds like an interesting idea and Haley might not mind it as much since it would become routine and over with quickly. Great idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Elaine. Yeah, that's why I came up with this plan. So far my observation is that it's over long before anybody can get stressed about it. And since it happens every day, it'll become "normal". Six day, six nails down :-)

      Delete

Post a Comment