Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for May 16, 2013

Twice daily walks on cement sidewalks does the same thing. The cement is rough, and wears the nails. Or, borrow Wally’s belt sander.

That’s three votes: Holly, Biscuit & Alix. Will the grandmother make four?

I’m for the twice daily walks on cement; sounds good tome. :-) But whatever’s good for the dog.

what if you live as I do, where there are no sidewalks nor cement to walk the dog on? Just tar roads and rain ditches for gutters. I vote groomer…

My dad once asked me for suggestions on doing something tricky. My advice? “pay the professionals” Sometimes it just makes more sense.

Where can I get one of those 12-legged dogs?! :o)

The person who pays the bills gets the most votes.

Oh yeah. That’s probably why the dog behaves when I trim his nails. He remembers the few times he was brought to petsmart to have it done! :P

What’s a Dremel?

I lived next door to a family with three Saint Bernards. Clipping nails was a family event. The teenage son sat on one, the younger kid held onto the muzzle, Mom held the paw in an iron grip, and Dad wielded the clippers…..

Before dogs were ornamental housepets, they would spend their days outside where they could run and dig. Dirt, especially sandy dirt, is abrasive and would serve to file down the nails.

Some parrots need to have their nails clipped, or the nails will curl around and dig into the “palms” of their feet.

I’m with you Holly.

Walking a dog on cement or asfault will not trim dogs nails.My daughter has two Golden Retriever’s female cannot be a mommy and male can be a daddy. When bath time comes for both we have to keep seperate. Big sister, again no related, male treats female like a girlfirend. She has a small nail cliper for dogs. She gets the dogs on their backs straddles then gives the dogs treats. Too costly for dog gromer and the girls are not working with Biscuit right.

“what the heck did dogs do about their nails before humans came along to make up the rules?”

They walked more or less constantly, so even relatively soft ground kept their nails short enough.

And they chewed them. Mine chew their nails if they get too long.

Bear in mind that ‘too long’ is a vague term. Groomers and vets will always cut the nails as short as they can. They want them maintained as short as possible. But they need more nails on soft ground.

I do clip my dogs’ nails when they need it. I do have a nail grinder, but clippers are faster, and some of them totally freak out at the buzzing of a dremel or nail grinder. However, I keep their nails longer than is generally recommended, because they are living on soft ground.

YMMV …

Hot pavement can burn the pads on dog feet (very dangerous here in Phoenix). Much as I hate lawns in the desert, people with dogs need to have grass or dirt in yard for them (and invest in self filling drinking bowls).