Clipping your dog's nails might be easier than you think. Have a groomer or your veterinarian show you how to do it. Most pet stores sell a special dog nail clipper. When the blade is dull, you can replace just the blade instead of buying a whole new clipper.
The blood supply to the dog's nail is called the "quick". If your dog's nails are too long and you immediately cut to the length you think they should be, you will cut into the quick and cause your dog's nail to bleed. Don't worry, you won't have mortally wounded Fido, but the nail can bleed for quite some time and be rather messy. Most people keep some styptic powder (available at pet stores) on hand to cauterize the bleeding if necessary.
The trick to trimming dog toenails is to train the quick to retreat backward. Remember, simply cutting a large chunk of the dog's nail will only cause the nail to bleed. Instead, use the following method to avoid cutting the quick.
Cut or file the dog's nails only a little bit every couple of days. This will cause the blood supply to get shorter at the same time as the nail is being shortened. When you get the nail to the length you would like to maintain, clip every few weeks or as often as necessary to maintain that length. This will prevent the quick from growing too long and prevent the nail from bleeding.
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