Why do we need to trim our dogs' nails?

The following Whole Dog Journal article The Importance of Trimming Dog Nails - Whole Dog Journal (whole-dog-journal.com) by Denise Flaim, explains the importance of this grooming task and how long nails can cause various problems for your canine companion.

'When dogs spend a good deal of time outdoors, running on various hard surfaces, including concrete and blacktop, their nails are gradually worn down, and they have less of a need for formal nail-grooming sessions. But today, with many suburban and urban dogs increasingly confined indoors when their owners are at work, and running mostly on soft surfaces such as lawns when they are outdoors, this welcome friction is often absent in their daily lives.

Long, unkempt nails not only look unattractive, but over time they can do serious damage to your dog (not to mention your floors). When nails are so long that they constantly touch the ground, they exert force back into the nail bed, creating pain for the dog (imagine wearing a too-tight shoe) and pressure on the toe joint. Long term, this can actually realign the joints of the foreleg and make the foot looked flattened and splayed.

Again, this isn’t just an aesthetic problem, it’s a functional one: Compromising your dog’s weight distribution and natural alignment can leave her more susceptible to injuries and make walking and running difficult and painful. This is especially important in older dogs, whose posture can be dramatically improved by cutting back neglected nails.

In extreme cases, overgrown nails can curve and grow into the pad of the foot. But even if they are not that out of control, long nails can get torn or split, which is very painful and, depending on severity, may need to be treated by a veterinarian.

And in the end, unattended nails create a vicious cycle: Because the extra-long nails make any contact with his paws painful for the dog, he avoids having them touched, which leads to unpleasant nail-cutting sessions, which makes both human and dog avoid them, which leads to longer intervals between trims, which leads to more pain …'

There are several useful dog nail trimming tools available to dog owners such as dog nail clippers, dog nail grinders and regular dog nail files. These could be a great option if you have conditioned your dog to nail trimming with positive reinforcement and desensitization techniques - the following Whole Dog Journal article,  A Counter-Conditioning Protocol for Trimming Your Dog's Nails - Whole Dog Journal (whole-dog-journal.com) by Pat Miller, explains this in detail.

But what can you do if your dog simply doesn't tolerate the traditional dog nail trimming tools? Maybe you tried using dog nail clippers and you accidentally cut into the 'quick' (blood and nerve supply in the nail). This caused your dog pain and it made you less confident to try clipping your dog's nails in the future. Or, you have a rescue dog and as is often the case, somewhere in its past, your dog had a negative nail trimming experience. Now, he or she does not trust anyone clipping the nails. Just handling your dog's paws is a big NO and you are running out of solutions for nail trimming.

Our Digger Dog Nail File could be the stress-free solution for you and your dog.

The Digger Dog Nail File is a unique dog nail scratch board for stress-free nail trimming. Designed specifically for a dog's more problematic front nails - these grow faster and get less worn-down during movement - the Digger Dog Nail File is a great alternative to dog nail clippers, dog nail grinders and regular dog nail files.

An Australian Invention, the Digger Dog Nail File is the first of its kind in the world and is Made in Australia. It is available on Amazon.com (make sure it's our genuine product, Made in Australia) and on www.diggerdognailfile.com (we ship worldwide).

Here is an article by Jae Thomas, posted in the American Whole Dog Journal. The Digger Dog Nail File was voted runner-up in Best Dog Scratch Pad.

The Best Dog Scratch Pads for Fear-Free Nail Trims - Whole Dog Journal (whole-dog-journal.com)

The Digger Dog Nail File has a special treat drawer which gets opened by the owner, following the dog's scratching / digging action on the special abrasive surface. This way, the dog uses its natural instinct to dig, gets a food reward and files its own front nails - all without stress!