Grooming a Griffon - page 2

VII. Nails

     Keeping your dogs’ nails short is critical.  Long nails splay the foot, pushing back on the pastern (wrist), eventually breaking down the dog.  Left unmanaged, this structural breakdown can effect the elbows and shoulders – causing great discomfort and eventual disability.  This is especially critical for dogs that spend a great deal of the time on carpeting or as professional couch potatoes.  Even dogs who are active, or who spend significant time on an abrasive surface will also need to have their nails shortened regularly, for optimum structural health, and to avoid possible cracking and breakage.

     It is easiest to condition your dog to accept having his/her nails groomed at as early an age as possible.  Frequent handling of their paws and individual toes with a firm, consistent approach will make the lifetime of nail grooming a much more pleasant process for you both.

     There are two different type of tools for trimming dogs’ toenails:

1. Dog nail clippers (either the pliers-like bypass type, or the guillotine type)

2. Electric nail grinders (either re-chargeable battery operated, or direct plug in type).

     The benefit of the clipper approach is they are faster, have no vibrating motor, and require no power source other than a strong pair of hands.  The detriment of these are that it can be difficult to avoid nicking the “quick” of the nail, which causes some bleeding and discomfort for the dog.  The by-pass scissors-like style also creates pressure on the side of the nail, causing a pinching sensation.  Bleeding can be stopped by the application of some styptic powder or stick directly to the wound.  Styptic powder is a blood-coagulating agent, commonly sold under the “Kwik-Stop” brand in the USA. The quick contains the nerve endings and blood vessels that feed the nail.  Nails trimmed using clippers have sharp edges, which can scratch floors, furniture, skin, and clothing.

     Whether using nail clippers or a grinder, PLEASE wear a pair of safety glasses (under $5.00 in any hardware store) to protect your eyes from pieces of nail that can fly through the air.

    To trim a dog’s nails using a pair of nail clippers, stand the dog on a grooming table facing forward.  Standing in the opposite direction as the dog, raise the dog’s paw with one hand so that you can see the bottom of the foot.  Locate the end of the quick by finding where the dark pigment on the bottom of the nail stops, and the lighter, creamy pink color of the quick begins.  Holding the paw firmly, using the other hand, simply remove as much of the tip of the nail off as possible, while avoiding cutting off the tip of the quick.

     The benefit of using an electric hand-held nail grinder to trim the nails is that it is much more unlikely to unintentionally nick the quick.  Once conditioned to the noise and vibration of a grinder, most dogs (and many groomers) prefer this method.  Other benefits to using a grinder include the ability to get closer to the quick without damaging it, the ability to expose quick on the UNDERside of the nail, which encourages the quick to recede further back more quickly. (Thereby allowing you to trim the nails even shorter next time.)  It is easy to quickly grind off the sharp corners of the edges of the nails, and a more natural, rounded look to the nails can be created.  Battery powered grinders can be purchased for emergency touch-ups at shows, but a two speed, plug in model is much more powerful, and will allow you to do more than one dog’s nails at a sitting.  These hand-held grinders can be purchased at local hardware, home improvement stores, or kennel supply vendors under the Dremel^™ or Oster^™ brand names.

     To grind a dog’s nails using a grinder, first acclimate the dog to the sound and feeling of the vibrating grinder.  With the grinder off, let him examine it.  Then turn the grinder on AWAY from the dog.  Gently touch the dog with the NON GRINDING part of the grinder on their legs, feet, and toes.  Be careful not to let them get their faces too close to a grinder that is turned on.  Beards can become instantly entangled and pulled by over-curious investigations.  When the sound, vibration, and novelty is no longer a cause for concern, place the dog on the grooming table as before.  WEAR YOUR SAFETY GLASSES.  Facing in the opposite direction – locate the quick.  Pull as much hair as possible away from the nail, to avoid tangling it in the grinder.  From the tip of the nail, press the rotating grinding head straight down – grinding the dog’s nail back JUST TO the quick.  If the nail is long, do this in stages, as holding a rotating object against more than a brief moment causes friction and heat build-up.   Carefully grind the bottom side of the nail to a flat position, BARELY exposing the quick, without nicking it.  Round off the sharp top corners, and go on to the next nail!  Always keep a firm grip on the grinder, to avoid nicking yourself, too!

     If you don’t have a grooming table, or if you have a puppy, or a dog that is difficult to control by yourself on a table – many people find that sitting on a couch or floor with a large towel on your lap for easy clean up of nail dust – have the dog lay on his back between your legs an easier alternative.  In this case, you can put a dishtowel over the dog’s face to keep the dust from getting in their eyes and noses.  Some dogs find this more comforting and more difficult to turn into a wrestling match.

VI. Tidying Feet

     Once the nails are short, its time to clean out any extra hair from in between the pads and around the toes.  Keeping pads clear also helps to keep feet from splaying, from dirt and mats from accumulating, and to make the identification of wounds to the feet much easier to do.  Using a small pair of straight shears (scissors), or small clippers if you have them – simply remove the hair from the underside of the foot, in between the pads.  You can also choose to tidy the longer hairs that protrude from the feet to keep mud from accumulating on them, and to neaten the appearance.

VII. Teeth

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