Dog Training Nation

In Dogs We Trust

You are here: Home / Archives for Health

Dog Nail Trimming Tools

by

Dog Nail Clippers and Styptic Powder

Dog Nail ClippersBefore we start trimming our dog’s nails, it’s important to choose and understand how to use equipment for best results. Don’t forget, plenty of treats should be used when introducing nail trims and clippers and when using styptic powder.

Choosing Nail Clippers for Your Dog

When choosing dog nail trimmers, look for the:

  • Correct size of hand-held nail clippers in proportion to your dog’s nail size.
  • Sharpness in the nail trimmers. If dull, they will squeeze the nail instead of trimming it, which causes pain.

Plier Style Nail Clippers

After using different types of nail trimmers, I find the plier style works much better. The guillotine style tends to squeeze the nail before trimming while the plier nail clippers cut the nail instead of painfully squeezing. For dogs under 40 pounds, small plier style nail clippers are easier to use, as they fit between the nail and pad area easily. For dogs over 40 pounds, large plier clippers are wider with a large nail trimmer circumference to trim a large nail without squeezing.

VIDEO: Choosing Dog Nail Clippers

Styptic Powder

Since quicks are the blood supply for your dog’s nails, they will bleed if cut and sometimes even if lightly nicked. It’s best to have styptic powder handy when trimming dog nails to stop bleeding quickly. Styptic powder contains coagulant ingredients, which stop bleeding quickly. Some brands contain benzocaine, which also blocks pain.

Using Styptic Powder

If your dog’s nail starts to bleed, don’t panic. Pinch a small amount of styptic powder between your thumb and index finger. Now, press powder against the bleeding nail and hold. Most dogs will try to pull their paws away, as it hurts.

Prevent a wrestling match and drop your remaining treats in front of his nose so he’ll munch away while you’re holding styptic powder in place. After one to two minutes of pressure, the nail should stop bleeding. End your nail trim session for the day and bring your dog outside for a quick potty break. This allows you both a chance to unwind and prevents your dog from licking his hurt nail, which can cause bleeding to start up again.

Why Dogs Dislike Nail Trims

by

Fear of Nail Cutting

Dog Nail Trimming
semenovp/Deposit Photos

Oh, dogs have plenty of reasons to hate nail trims. The main reason is us (pet parents). We’ve given dogs plenty of reasons to hide under the sofa when we reach for the nail trimmers.

Dog nail trims can become a vicious circle: squeezing nails and too much restraint equals hulking out. And around we go!

 Do know, there’s an easier way to trimming your dog’s nails and it takes less time than hulking out moments. 🙂

Check out dog nail trimming tutorials.

Why Dogs Fear Nail Cutting

“Hulking Out” Pet Parents

Even the nicest most caring pet parent can turn into the Incredible Hulk before and during nail trims. If you’re on the receiving end of a “hulking out” moment, it’s scary to say the least. Pet parents are tense and stressed out. They dislike trimming their dog’s nails as much as their dog hates it. But they power through it by chasing their scared dog, pinning them to the ground and snipping bits of nails off with lots of yelling, threats and more pinning.

Body Restraint

It’s important to teach dogs that body restraint is harmless and they can earn lots of treats when they remain still during restraint. Plus, some pet parents apply unneeded amounts of pressure on a dog’s paw when trimming nails. Honestly, you don’t need much pressure to hold your dog’s paw–just enough to hold the nail steady as you trim.

Squeezing Nails

Nope, it’s not a punk rock band. It’s something pet parents routinely do during nail trims. Dull nail trimmers squeeze a dog’s nail before trimming, which hurts! Tense and uncertain pet owners open and close nail trimmers around a dog’s nail, squeeze for a bit and then release because they’re unsure where to trim the nail. Oi, the suspense! And the more unsure a pet parent becomes, the more pressure applied to a dog’s paw. Here goes the vicious cycle again!

READ MORE: Dog Nail Trimming Tools

Protecting Your Yard From Pests

by

Natural Ways to Control Pests in Your Yard

Natural Pest ControlSpring is right around the corner so it’s time to strategize and implement your pest control plan before fleas and ticks spring from their hidden worlds. I live in the deep South where just one warm day can trigger a sudden explosion of fleas and ticks so it’s vital to be prepared before it happens.

Thankfully, we have natural pest control options to choose from and I find cedar oil products work best if you begin early. When devising a pest control plan, a combination approach works best. You’ll need to protect your dog, home and yard for maximum protection so let’s get started in the yard first.

How to Keep Pests Out of Your Yard

Hands down, controlling pests in your yard is the most labor intensive portion of pest control. Depending on your yard size, it can take a couple of weeks to implement so let’s break tasks into easily manageable sizes. Take it from me. It’s best to start before spring has sprung or you’ll be chasing fleas and ticks all year long.

Rake

The part I dread is cleaning up after winter. Boo! Our yards resemble post-apocalyptic wasteland consumed with dead grass, battered branches and decayed piles of leaves that hide under piles of snow. Excuse my eye roll as I reach for a rake. It’s time to clean up the yard.

Remove all fallen branches from your yard. Ticks love to burrow on moist dead wood and patiently wait to hitch a ride. Once all branches are gathered, it’s time to rake leaves. Fleas and ticks thrive in shaded moist areas to reproduce, and piles of decayed leaves are their perfect habitat.

Mow

Once the yard debris has been removed, mow your lawn. While grass remains dormant during winter months, weeds still tend to grow so it’s important to shorten them before using pest control protects.

Protect

By removing yard debris, you’re allowing the glorious sun to work its magic. Fleas and ticks can’t survive in direct sunlight so allow the sun to dry moist areas in your yard for a week before protecting your yard.

It’s time to use an insect repellent. Since I live in the deep South, I choose to spray a cedar oil insect repellent on grass and suburbs, along the fence and sidewalks lines, and under decks. We’ve had excellent results using Dr. Ben’s Cedar Oil PCO Lawn Protector, which is highly concentrated in cedar oil (85%). We attach it to a hose and spray the entire yard, making sure the treated area is soaked, as the first application is the most important.

Using Cedar Oil to Protect Your Dog

by

Cedar Oil Spray

Natural Pest Control

Cedar OilSpring is right around the corner so it’s time to pull off our snow shoes and implement a pest control plan before fleas and ticks spring from their hidden worlds. You’ll need to protect your dog, home and yard for maximum protection. Let’s discuss ways to protect your dogs.

Thankfully, we have natural pest control options to choose from and I find natural products, such as cedar oil, work best if you begin early.

How Cedar Oil Works

When devising a pest control plan, a combination approach works best. To understand its value, it’s important to understand how cedar oil works.

Cedar oil “kills, neutralizes or repels the existing adult insect population. It eliminates the next generation of insects the eggs and larvae by dehydrating the exoskeleton and then interrupting the egg layer cycle. It creates a barrier of re-entry deterring insects migrating from other areas into your area of concern. Perpetual egg layers are immediately controlled because of this barrier, if the adults won’t enter the treated area, then they can’t or won’t lay any eggs. This barrier then results in controlling the insect populations in treated area,” according to Dr. Ben’s Cedar Oil website.

Check out the EPA report on safety of cedar oil for humans and pets and this Animal Wellness Magazine article about using cedar oil as a natural pest control for dogs.

RELATED: Dog Whitening Shampoo for all Coat Colors

Protecting Your Dog

The first steps should be ridding and applying repellents to your home and yard of biting pests. Use repellents to keep pests off your dog when he’s away from home.

When protecting dogs from biting pests, you’re basically spraying or applying a product to his coat and skin to keep pests away. Personally, I would rather use a natural pest control, such as cedar oil, to keep pests away because it works and it’s less invasive.

Living in the deep South, I’ve had great results using Dr. Ben’s Paws and Claws Cedar Oil spray, which kills fleas and ticks on contact. During application, there’s a strong cedar odor. Most dogs tolerate the smell very well while others may attempt to rub the product on rugs and furniture. Cedar oil is very safe, but if your dog is sensitive to odors, there are other options to choose from, such as essential oils, shampoos and vet recommended topicals.

READ ALSO: Does Aromatherapy Dog Shampoo Work?

Do Dog Facial Scrubs Work?

by

Facial Scrubs for Dogs

Dog Facial ScrubsAbout eight years ago, I stumbled upon dog facial scrubs while attending a grooming expo. I giggled, but leaned in for more information. I could certainly understand the need for a face-specific cleaning product. Once I discovered the details, I was hooked. Now, my dogs have sweet smelling clean faces!

What Do Facial Scrubs Do?

Dog facial scrubs are gentle and tearless, meaning they will not sting your dog’s eyes if it should accidentally come into contact with them during a bath. Plus, these scrubs contain specific ingredients for cleaning and deodorizing eye, beard and mustache stains. If your dog has long floppy ears, a thick beard or a mustache, dog facial scrubs will safely clarify (remove impurities) from caked and matted food boogers to smelly matted ears that have soaked in a water bowl or were dug around the backyard.

RELATED: Deep Cleansing Shampoo for Dogs

My Story

Stella must be bathed with a medicated shampoo so I was terrified of using an antiseptic shampoo around her eyes and mouth plus she eats a raw diet of meat and organs–gross! Now I have a tearless cleaner that clarifies and deodorizes her face and keeps her white patches looking brilliant instead of beige. Sobek,  being a Rottweiler, gets a facial scrub too. He has lots of wrinkles and loose lips (flews) that trap moisture (aka slobber and gunk)–and boy, does it smell. But not anymore, he smells divine!

My favorite dog facial scrub is Espree’s Plum Perfect Facial Wash. It’s gentle, hydrating and clarifying. It doesn’t contain bleaching agents, rinses well and leaves a pleasant scent behind.

Now that you know the down and dirty about dog facial scrubs, maybe a blueberry facial will be in your dog’s future? 🙂

READ ALSO: Heavy Duty Dog Shampoo

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

Dog Training Nation

Quick Links

Dog Training
Dog Behavior
Dog Training Videos
Become a Dog Trainer
About
Contact Us