Yorkshire Terrier, how to trim Yorkshire Terrier's nails

Dogs need to have their nails trimmed regularly, as excessively long nails cause discomfort for the pet, deterioration of its gait, and incorrect paw positioning, which can lead to overload of the joints and even dislocation of the toes.

It is not advisable to use simple or manicure scissors and tweezers for cutting.

The structure of dog claws is different from human claws, so they can split and break off. For this purpose, you should choose special nail clippers. They come in several shapes and sizes to suit dogs of different sizes.

What will you need?

• Nail clipper , sold at any pet store, preferably “Guillotine” and always in NORMAL size. The idea that everything should be small for a small dog does not hold true in this case. Trying to cut the nails of a squirming Yorkshire terrier with a microscopic nail clipper will make you tired of it in exactly 3 seconds.
• Cotton buds
• Dry potassium permanganate , so that if something irreparable happens (ha-ha) and you touch the living part of the nail (oh-horror!), cauterize the vessel and the claw will not bleed.

Proper trimming of dog's nails

1. Take the paw with your hand and lightly press on the pad until the entire length of the claw appears.
2. Look carefully at where the vascular matrix ends and the stratum corneum begins.
3. Step back about 2 millimeters from the vessels and cut off the excess part with a nail clipper. If a vessel is suddenly touched, it is necessary to treat it with an antiseptic, for example, Chlorhexidine or Hydrogen Peroxide.

If you are afraid that you won’t be able to cope, or the dog breaks out and behaves restlessly, or the animal’s claws are dark, which makes it impossible to determine where the blood vessels end, you should entrust the haircutting procedure to a professional groomer. He will carefully cut the claws and tell you how to care for them. When grooming animals that behave anxiously or try to bite, muzzles, various blankets or collars are used. In extremely rare cases, excessively aggressive behavior may require sedation.

The Bio-Vet veterinary clinic employs qualified specialists who have extensive practical experience. With us, your beloved pet will always be healthy and happy! The clinic's branches are located in all districts of Moscow, in Reutov and Lyubertsy.

Now about how to trim “correct” and “incorrect” claws

“Irregular” claws should be cut either close to the living layer, or slightly gripping it, fig. 2 . Don't be afraid of slight bleeding, just cauterize the nail with dry potassium permanganate using a cotton swab. If you trim the claws in this way often enough, the living part will begin to shrink and gradually return to normal, Fig. 4

If the “wrong” claws are very long, you need to cut the nail to normal length without paying attention to the living part. Immediately burn each nail with potassium permanganate so that it does not bleed, fig. 3 It is often mentally difficult for owners to do this, and the first few times, until the living part becomes shorter, it is worth contacting a veterinarian or groomer. As in the previous case, the living part will return to normal over time, and cutting your nails will not cause any problems.

Normal Yorkshire Terrier nails are easy to trim and are absolutely painless for the dog. Using a nail cutter, cut off the tip of the claw, flush with the paw pad, at an angle of 45 degrees, Fig. 5 . If the nail is light-colored and the living part is visible in the light, the remaining nails are cut off in the same way. A Yorkshire Terrier needs to trim its nails 1-2 times a month . Don't forget to cut your fingernails too.

The nail is of normal length - short, does not reach the floor, the dog does not “click” its claws, Fig. 6

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Preparing the tools

To properly trim your Yorkie's nails, you should prepare all the necessary tools for the procedure. The most important thing is a nail clipper; you can buy it at a pet store. Manicure scissors are not suitable in this case; when using them, the claw crumbles, its delamination, and the formation of burrs occurs. The procedure for the dog turns into an execution.

A nail clipper should be chosen of the guillotine type; rubberized metal handles will prevent the tool from slipping in your hands. In addition to the nail clipper, you must have:

• nail file;
• alcohol or other antiseptic;
• cotton pads;
• hemostatic agent.

Important! You need to prepare in advance for the nail trimming procedure so as not to interrupt the process, making your dog nervous. Everything necessary for the procedure must be in a plastic box.

If you don't trim your nails

1. We want your four-legged friend to be happy and healthy, able to run freely on the green grass, and we will be happy to help you care for him. Your pet's paws will become strong and healthy only with trimmed claws, otherwise the gait will become crooked and it will be physically impossible to stand the paws straight. It is important to know the consequences of ignoring nail trimming:
2. Over time, deformation of the limbs will occur, which will lead to diseases of the spine.
3. Any movement of the animal will be accompanied by pain and lameness.
4. The keratinized nail tissue will dig into the soft skin and injure it. There is a risk of infection, and then inflammation of the paws.
5. On the fifth toes, which are located just above the foot, overgrown claws can catch on some object, causing great injury.
6. Long claws also pose a danger when simply scratching, for example, an ear or eye - the dog can harm itself. If the paws are dirty, an infection may enter the wound and inflammation will begin.
7. If there are small children in the house, then the four-legged pet may accidentally scratch the child’s delicate skin, for example, during a harmless game, and further infection of the child’s wound is possible.
8. An overgrown nail can grow into the pad of your fingers. In this case, only a qualified veterinarian can provide assistance by performing a removal operation.
9. Your beloved friend will suffer pain if the tip of the claw breaks off while trying to forcibly grind his claws off on your sofa or any other furniture in the house.

Haircuts for Yorkie boys, girls and puppies.

Look at the photos of the most popular haircuts and choose the one that suits the look of your Yorkshire Terrier. Let's divide the process of cutting a Yorkie into 2 parts: cutting the body and paws; cutting the face and ears.

PS The presented types of body and paw haircuts for the Yorkshire Terrier are quite suitable for other breeds of decorative dogs with a similar type of coat, for example, for the Maltese.

Let's look at picture 3 -
“short body for a comb
. This is when the dog is completely cut with scissors, and the length and cascading fall of the hair is adjusted with a comb. For such a haircut, you can choose any length of hair, but the cutting time is somewhat longer and the groomer's skill must be at its best!

Types of hair trimming on a dog's legs:

“pants” - hair longer than on the body along the entire length of the leg; “cuffs” - long hair from the metacarpal joint; or bald, the entire leg is cut with a clipper.

“Poodle paws” are when the hair around the toes and pads of the paws is clipped bald, like a poodle. Painstaking work.

Have you found differences in the muzzle cutting styles of Yorkies? It should be noted that the haircut style you choose for your pet is not always suitable for him, because their bodies and faces are just as individual as ours. Consult a groomer, experiment, don’t be afraid - the fur will grow back! We are confident that the haircut you choose will make your pet Yorkie stand out from everyone else. The presented haircuts for York are not the limit of imagination and skill!

Yorkshire terrier grooming, Yorkie haircut in photos and videos.

Below are photos of Yorkie haircuts - some of the work of our groomers.
Haircut models are very diverse, aren't they? But you, the owners, choose them. We don’t invent anything ourselves, we cut the hair the way you ask. In the video you will see cutting/grooming lessons for Yorkies and other useful videos where you can learn more about this breed of dog. See how a Yorkie's haircut goes at Mishka's grooming salon. You can learn a lot, this may help you cut your pet's hair at home.

Important procedure

Why is it so important to trim your dog’s nails on time? The main reason is that long claws interfere with movement and affect the animal’s gait. Over time, the dog will not be able to place its paw correctly, will begin to experience pain when walking, and lameness will appear. After some time, the joints of the paws will acquire curvature, which will provoke diseases of the musculoskeletal system. If the musculoskeletal system ceases to function correctly, there is a risk of paralysis of the limbs. This is just one of the possible consequences of uncut nails, because infectious diseases can still appear. Now it becomes clear, in order not to encounter such serious problems as described above, it is better to trim your dogs’ nails regularly.

Trimming your dog's nails is easy. You can do this yourself at home. It is worth considering that this standard hygienic manipulation must be performed correctly, carefully and safely for the animal.

Basic rules and risk factors

Trimming the nails of a frightened dog is not recommended. The Yorkie owner should also be confident that everything will work out. In order not to cause bleeding, you need to use knowledge about the structure of the claw, the outer surface of which is covered with keratinized epithelium, and in the inner part there is a membrane (pulp or claw bed). It houses the nerves and vessels of the circulatory system.

Expert opinion

Anna Abramenko

An avid dog lover. Experience in veterinary medicine since 2009.

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When trimming claws, you should retreat 2 mm from the pulp. If the Yorkie's claws are light, the border of living tissue is clearly visible. If the color is dark, the claw is bitten off little by little; when a characteristic point appears in the middle, trimming is completed.

A person without experience and even a groomer can damage an animal’s blood vessel, which is not particularly dangerous. Apply a cotton pad to the wound treated with an antiseptic and press for 3-5 seconds. If the bleeding cannot be stopped, the dog should be taken to the clinic immediately.

Nail trimming and cosmetic procedures for cats and dogs on Babushkinskaya and Otradnoye | NEAD

Healthy animals can take care of themselves and usually do not require additional effort from the owner.

But there are situations when a pet cannot independently maintain the cleanliness of its body due to the peculiarities of its anatomical structure, genetic predisposition to certain diseases, and certain conditions of detention.

Hygiene problems

For example, animals prone to allergic reactions (Shar Peis, French bulldogs, Labradors, Persian cats, Sphynxes, etc.) may need additional hygiene of the skin, ears, eyes, and paranal glands. For this purpose, special cosmetics are used.

Cleaning the ears of dogs and cats is carried out for hygienic and therapeutic purposes. Dogs with floppy ears (dachshund, spaniel, basset hound) and narrow ear canals (shar pei) most often need regular care. For hygienic purposes, clean your ears as needed (usually no more than 2 times a month). If discharge in the ears appears regularly in large quantities, then show your pet to the veterinarian. For therapeutic purposes, clean your ears only as prescribed by your veterinarian!

It is important to know that the auditory canal in animals is not straight, but has a curve, so cleaning the ears of dogs and cats has some peculiarities. To clean the ear canal, you need to use special veterinary ear lotions. Due to their special composition, these lotions effectively soften crusts and discharge and promote their natural removal from the ear canal. It is not recommended to use hydrogen peroxide or boric acid due to its irritating effect on the skin.

Problems associated with overgrown nails in dogs and cats are quite common.

Why should nail trimming for dogs and cats be done regularly and correctly? Excessive length of the claw can cause various injuries: dislocation of the phalanx of the finger may occur, or the claw itself may be injured. An overgrown claw interferes with the correct positioning of the limb, which provokes unpleasant painful sensations in older animals and causes discomfort in young ones. Pets suffering from arthritis, osteoporosis or other joint diseases experience maximum inconvenience. Timely trimming of nails is an effective method of prevention and even helps to get rid of problems that have already manifested themselves.

During the cold season, dogs have problems with their paws. Walking along streets sprinkled with reagents often causes irritation of the skin on the paws (pododermatitis). The owner of the animal must ensure paw hygiene after each walk, wash with cleansing soap (shampoo). And before going outside, treat your dog’s paws with special waxes.

Also, one of the most common preventive procedures for which owners bring their pets to the clinic is sanitization (cleansing) of the paraanal glands. Paraanal glands are small “sacs” that are located on both sides of the anus and, by producing an odorous liquid, secretion, are responsible for the individual, specific smell of a predator.

Unfortunately, not all cats and dogs empty their bowels during bowel movements (stool), as they should. This is why it is necessary to consult a doctor for this procedure. You should not do this yourself, as there are many blood vessels and nerve endings in this area, which can cause you more harm than help. The amount of secretion, the rate of its accumulation, the frequency of emptying of the glands are an individual feature of the body, so the doctor, after performing the procedure, will tell you when to come next time.

Solution

If the owner cannot independently cope with the hygiene problem of his pet with cosmetics, then it is necessary to consult a veterinarian. It is possible that this problem has developed into a disease and requires drug treatment, which should only be prescribed by a doctor.

Precautionary measures

If you cut the nail too short, it may bleed. Apply pressure with a paper towel and hold for a few minutes. Then treat with an antiseptic.

After trimming, the claws remain sharp, so you can use a file to round the edges - a grinder. It is often recommended that after trimming nails, it is advisable to take the dog for a walk so that it can sharpen its claws on the asphalt or sidewalk - not the best advice. This is due to the fact that it is possible for dirt to get into the microcracks of the nail after shortening and, as a result, infection.

All dogs react differently to nail trimming. For many this is stressful. Therefore, it is advisable to reward them with treats for their patience. If your dog is large and reacts nervously to nail trimming, it is better to contact our professionals.

Tools

The main tool is a nail clipper or “trimmer”. There are several types of nail clippers available at the pet market:

• scissors – in the form of regular scissors or pruning shears, suitable for small and medium-sized breeds with thinner and more flexible claws;
• guillotine - comes in different sizes, suitable mainly for large breeds with hard and thick claws.

You need to choose a special tool based on the quality of sharpening and the reliability of the handles, which should be comfortable, preferably metal and rubberized. The use of human manicure tools is strongly discouraged, as they are not rigid enough. It is acceptable to use nail clippers to trim soft nails on puppies.

Subsequent treatment of the claws includes grinding, which is carried out with a nail file. It should be noted that there are electric scratching posts that allow you to safely and gently care for your dog’s nails. Using such devices eliminates the risk of damaging a blood vessel, but the procedure takes longer than cutting with nail clippers, and the noise from the operating device frightens some dogs.

In case of damage to living tissue, you need to have a hemostatic agent on hand.

Regardless of whether the dog is trained to trim its nails or not, it should be praised for good behavior during and after the procedure. Edible treats are ideal as rewards.