speed of nail growth?

[technodoll]

how many of you have to trim their dogs' nails every week?! granted they live indoors and the only time their nails get worn down is when we go for daily walks (we live in the city so plenty of asphalt), soft grass and earth don't count. Anyways, specially for my girl, i have to clip her nails every weekend, they grow phenomenally fast. for my boy it's about every 10 days. i can't stand to hear the "click click" of nails on the hardwood floor, but i'm not taking the nail-clipper out twice per week, LOL! anybody else have to deal with this? (and i trim down to the quick, since puppyhood).

[OntarioGreys]

Dremeling can help get the quick back even shorter than with clippers, I know a lot of people that use the dremeling technique they love iot and most of their dog just go to sleep while they are being dremeled , (though not really good for hairy toed dogshttp://homepages.udayton.edu/~merens...el/dremel.html you could also file them between clippings

[Prin]

Jemma: once every 2 months
Boo: once every 1.5 to 2 weeks.

It depends a bit on how hard the nails are too. Boo's are rock hard and don't get worn down at all ever, while Jemma's are so soft, they wear out even on grass.

[Puppyluv]

Maybe she chews them off when I'm not looking, but Layla needs her nails cut maybe 3 times a year. I took her to get groomed the other day, and they looked at her feet and said "her nails look like they were just clipped yesterday".... they haven't been clipped since christmas.

[technodoll]

you guys are lucky Can't do the dremel, tried it and can't get used to it, find it cumbersome and loud and stinky, LOL! guess it'll just be the frequent nail clipping... hate seeing the nails poke out from the feet, doggies must have smooth tight cat-feet all the time and NO click-clicking of nails on the hardwood floor allowed (to spare the downstairs neighbor, the floor, and my ears). both dogs have normal nails (not soft, not hard) so i dunno, must be genetics?

[Prin]

Oh be careful with the clicking... As dogs get older, they click more no matter what length the nails are. I've heard of people who keep cutting past the quick to try to get that silent puppy strut back... (It doesn't come back).

[Jackie467]

Candi only needs hers done maybe every other week.

[technodoll]

oh i trim around the quick, dogs will yelp bloody murder if they think i even get close to it! such wusses, unbelievable. they never bleed yet act like i'm butchering them if their nails ever get too long when they are older, i'll just have the vet cut them back (under anaestheia) & cauterize the quick. however i don't see this happening for years, unless their feet got horribly neglected... they are also a "furry toes" breed, which means i have to trim the fur between the pads to avoid splayed feet on slippery surfaces. all that maintenance, ha ha!

[mafiaprincess]

*raises hand* high maintanace drama queen right here..
Needs the toe/ pad fur clipped. Likes to pull her paw away while doing it, though she doesn't really mind it.
After a few clips oh her nails she begins to cry like I am clipping the quick. Her back nails I can tell. Front ones are all pink.. I'm never fully sure. I don't stop because she's screaming, but it makes it a longer process...

[meb999]

Buster's need to be done every 2 weeks. His nails grow SO fast, plus he has a long quick (his nails were very long when we got him) and we never had the quick cut (by the vet under anestesia), I just don't see the point of having him go under anestesia, which can be potentially dangerous, just for a nail clipping...
I dremel his nails. I also HATE the smell (plus I'm not sure all that nail dust is good for my lungs...then again, I'm an occasional smoker, so what do I care about my lungs, right ) so I usually do them outside and cover my nose while I'm doing it. A few of Busters nails are black, so at least with the dremel I'm sure not to cut the quick.

[Prin]

Originally Posted by technodoll

if their nails ever get too long when they are older, i'll just have the vet cut them back (under anaestheia) & cauterize the quick. however i don't see this happening for years, unless their feet got horribly neglected...

No, I don't mean the nails get longer so they click- as they get older they just stick them out more. So even if you always cut them to the same length, most dogs will still make noise on the floor when they're older.

[technodoll]

No, I don't mean the nails get longer so they click- as they get older they just stick them out more. So even if you always cut them to the same length, most dogs will still make noise on the floor when they're older.

sounds to me like a "foot posture deterioration" issue... dog walking on the back of the foot... if a dog is genetically sound, aging well (no arthritis, feet injuries, etc), and foot hygiene is well maintained, why would this happen (nails stick out more as they age)? i'm baffled!

[Prin]

Just like cats, they just use them more. It's not a disease, it's just that most dogs eventually use them for grip and stability.

My dad's dog is one of the few older dogs that walks silently. He also slides on hardwood without ever sticking his nails out.

[OntarioGreys]

I think I understand what Prin is saying, they become insecure or a bit unsteady on their feet and then attempt to stand on their toes to be able to dig their nails in to get more traction.

Having had and fostered greyhounds who were not exposed to a variety of floor surfaces, you get to watch some interesting behaviours, especially when you first take them to a petsmart store and they first see that big shiny floor, and you watch the apprehensive worry overcome them at the sight, most will attempt to try and walk on it like a ballerina standing on their toenails which then become like being on iceskates and they will be slipping all over the place till you get them moving enough so they have to wlak flat on their feet again and then they will start walking a bit normal, some tend to remain freaky about the floors.

[technodoll]

ah yes, i see what you mean now - thanks ladies!

[Prin]

I dunno. Every dog I've ever had has clicked their nails on wood floors... I find it weird when they don't.

[technodoll]

i suppose if you trim a dog's nails from puppyhood, the quick stays short enough to that the nail can be trimmed back enough to avoid the clicking sound on the floor?... well that's the experience i've had with my four dogs. I also trim my friend's dog's nails once or twice per month (a pitbull), and the difference is pretty incredible from click-click pre-trim to a silent pitter-patter after-trim

[Prin]

Jemma's nails are so tiny, like little nubs and she still makes noise... I always assumed that my dad's dog's feet stuck to the floor better (he has sweaty feets) so he didn't need his nails for stability as much.

No matter how short my doggies' nails are, they still arrange them so they touch the floor when they walk.

[Prin]

See? Jemma's front nails are obviously short, but see how she curls the back ones? She does it to the front too but when they're walking they just go about halfway out, but they still push them out... They just have very mobile toes, I guess. Or maybe they just have no respect for wood floors..

[Puppyluv]

I think Layla's a little scared to make noises for fear that it will bother me (or someone else) and get hit (I would NEVER hit her, but I know she used to be hit before I got her) because I almost never hear her nails, and if she does clack her nails a tiny bit, she gives this "I'm so sorry" look, that breaks my heart. I think it varies from dog to dog on whether they click-clack or not.

[technodoll]

awe jemma so cuuuute! was she asking for a hot-dog? i see what you mean about the nails tho. might be the way certain dogs walk, a personality thing. or a breed thing??? hey about a poll asking folks about it? i'm all curious now, LOL!

[JessXx]

We don't clip Shyla or Pepper's nails that often but they live outside most of the day. I think its about one every week or two thats normal.