How To Tell If You're Too Close To The Quick On Dog Nails?

Lurancy

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I have a ten-year-old rough collie. I just trimmed the hair off her feet after being lazy and saw that her nails were longer than I thought! I do small trims every couple weeks but am going to bump up to once or twice a week to get the quicks to recede. Some of her nails are black, some white and some striped black and white. Her nails are very thick and I can't see where the quicks are on her white nails. I can tell when I'm getting close to the quick with black nails, thanks to many sites that demonstrate that. Just not the white.

I noticed a little pink circle on the end of a white claw the day after I trimmed it. Did I get close to nicking the quick? :stars: She didn't bleed when I trimmed her nails.
 

abyeb

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I think it sounds like you got close to the quick- but as long as it didn’t bleed, you didn’t hit it.
 
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Lurancy

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Thanks, abyeb! I've accidentally quicked Tori's claws before so I was nervous and she doesn't like having her paws handled. She got a piece of frozen bread for the trouble I caused her.:bluepaw:
 

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Black nails are hard to detect where the quick is. Just clip around 2mm off and best is to bring your doggy out for walks or runs on the road were the rough surface of the road will naturally file off the nails without hurting them.

I do that to my 4 Boxers everyday when I had them. Now I'm a cat person :p
 

neely

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A lot of people feel it's much safer and less stressful to use a dremel for dog nails. Here is an article that discusses the benefits of using a dog dremel: Benefits of using a dremel to trim your dog's nails

I walked our shepherd on pavement surfaces, as well as grass, to help wear down his nails naturally.

I love collies especially the long coated/rough, i.e. wonderful temperament and loyal herding breed. When you have a chance please feel free to post a pic. We love pics! :camera:
 
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Lurancy

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Here's Tori with her favorite treat-- and cat Charlie came over to see what she had. She'd let him take it if he wanted it, those cats walk all over her.
 

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A lot of people feel it's much safer and less stressful to use a dremel for dog nails. Here is an article that discusses the benefits of using a dog dremel: Benefits of using a dremel to trim your dog's nails

I walked our shepherd on pavement surfaces, as well as grass, to help wear down his nails naturally.

I love collies especially the long coated/rough, i.e. wonderful temperament and loyal herding breed. When you have a chance please feel free to post a pic. We love pics! :camera:
I've done nail trims and am amazed at how much more I can get off with a dremel tool.
If you're not comfortable with this, find a groomer who does it and ask them to show you. If you're STILL not comfortable doing this, they may offer you a discount if you bring your dog in, by appointment, for a dremel every week or 2 until the nails are short to your liking.
I've gotten nails too short on dogs with trimmers and they bleed like stuck pigs. If I get a dogs nail too short with a dremel, they don't react and the bleeding is minimal (the quik seems to cauterize) and the dogs of mine don't seem to give a crap. A bit of kwik stop (or flour in a pinch) keeps the nail from bleeding. Keep them quite for a few moments (10-15 minutes).
Seriously, most dogs only react to the "nail is too short" thing if we freak out. If you get a nail short, expect some blood. Use the quik stop, use the flour, say "sorry, babe, my bad" and go on like nothing happened.
The only caution I have with a dremel is that the head of the dremel (the rotating part that you use to do woodwork/file nails with) heats up after awhile. If the nails are long, do one paw or two, then quit and let them dremel head cool down. Then continue.
 

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Here's Tori with her favorite treat-- and cat Charlie came over to see what she had. She'd let him take it if he wanted it, those cats walk all over her.
Collies are the typical "good" herding dog in my eyes. Herdy, hardy, not afraid to take on a crazy ewe yet gentle with small pets and kids. Good Collies seem to be able to the both the work of herding dog and the job of a good guard dog....a good guard dog knows their charges, and that includes humans, children, family dogs, livestock...AND cats.

Hence the reason your dog is allowing your cat to investigate.
This it the beauty of the Collie. They guard ferociously and allow their "Charges" to walk all over them. They're "Nanny" dogs...
with that said, coming from an old fart herding person...you've got one hell of a good dog IMO.
 

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Lurancy Lurancy
you've probably seen this video. If you have....I apologize and I'm sorry!!
But this is a few year old video that was a really big hit in our training group. Sport and working dogs and long toenails don't usually mix.
If you've seen it, ignore me please.
From fellow BC nuts..
 
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Lurancy

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Herdy, hardy, not afraid to take on a crazy ewe yet gentle with small pets and kids. Good Collies seem to be able to the both the work of herding dog and the job of a good guard dog....a good guard dog knows their charges, and that includes humans, children, family dogs, livestock...AND cats.
Not this dog! She's lazy, afraid of livestock and children and will only bark if a stranger's leaving the property. Being afraid of livestock isn't a bad thing when the neighbors have donkeys guarding their cattle. Dogs are all coyotes to these donkeys.

My farming relatives all had collies and they were smart, had strong herding instincts and were more bred for work. Tori's from show lines and was unfortunately bred for her coat and not temperament or health. She's sweet but not very smart.

If I could afford another dog, I'd get her a buddy of her own species to hang out with and maybe motivate her into going outside without me having to make her go out.
 

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Not this dog! She's lazy, afraid of livestock and children and will only bark if a stranger's leaving the property. Being afraid of livestock isn't a bad thing when the neighbors have donkeys guarding their cattle. Dogs are all coyotes to these donkeys.

My farming relatives all had collies and they were smart, had strong herding instincts and were more bred for work. Tori's from show lines and was unfortunately bred for her coat and not temperament or health. She's sweet but not very smart.

If I could afford another dog, I'd get her a buddy of her own species to hang out with and maybe motivate her into going outside without me having to make her go out.
That's a show collie alright! :wink: They're really pretty but not what I'd be after for farm stuff.
She's still very pretty and sounds extremely sweet, and seems to be very good to the cats which is 99% of the battle here. Whether they're from lines I like or not, I've never really met a Collie I didn't like for one reason or another.
 

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You should be able to see the quick in white nails. Its the pink color in the center. So you most likely be able to see where it ends in the nail and can cut up to that spot.
 

FrankieNMurphy

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I have a ten-year-old rough collie. I just trimmed the hair off her feet after being lazy and saw that her nails were longer than I thought! I do small trims every couple weeks but am going to bump up to once or twice a week to get the quicks to recede. Some of her nails are black, some white and some striped black and white. Her nails are very thick and I can't see where the quicks are on her white nails. I can tell when I'm getting close to the quick with black nails, thanks to many sites that demonstrate that. Just not the white.


I noticed a little pink circle on the end of a white claw the day after I trimmed it. Did I get close to nicking the quick? :stars: She didn't bleed when I trimmed her nails.
As a vet tech, clipping black claws are a real pain. However, if you have white claws, you can gauge the length you need to clip on black claws.
 
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