Common questions › Care
How Do I Trim My Bulldog Puppy's Nails?
The short answer
Hold the paw firmly, and cut right under where the nail starts to hook over. Look for the pink part inside the nail (the quick) and stay away from it. When in doubt, cut less, not more.
Don't forget the dewclaw, the thumb: it doesn't wear down on the ground, so it grows faster and catches on things. Start young with good experiences, and nail trims are never a fight when they're older.
How I cut puppy nails
We use human nail clippers, kept just for the puppies, because they're small and so are the nails. I hold the puppy in my lap, grab the paw firmly so it can't move, and go through each nail.
It's very important to cut the dewclaw, the thumb on their paw. It doesn't get worn down by the ground, so it gets long a lot faster and catches on things. All the nails can catch, especially once they start hooking over, and that can hurt the dog badly. Keep them cut.
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Undercut, don't overcut (and get help the first time)
The biggest tip I can give you: undercut rather than overcut. If you hurt the puppy, it's going to resent nail clipping, and it'll be a war for the rest of the dog's life. Get it right and you set the puppy up for easy nail trims for life.
I use regular human nail clippers on little puppies, because their nails are thin at first. As they get older you can move up to bigger dog clippers or a Dremel.
If it's your first time, have someone hold the puppy, so you can take your time and not overcut. My daughter Leah helps me. And all of this is good for the puppy: it gets used to people, kids, its feet and nails being handled. You can see this girl calm right down after being handled a little.
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Where to cut, and why young matters
On a delivery day I trimmed a puppy's nails so he wouldn't scratch his new family or the kids. Cut right under where it hooks, not past it. Look for the pink, called the quick, and don't cut into it. When in doubt, cut less rather than more: cut too much and you hurt the puppy, it bleeds, and it's scared of nail trims later.
Handle your puppy's feet and trim them young, with good experiences, and when they're older it's not a problem. (This is Part 4 of the delivery-day video: it plays from Part 1.)
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