Guillotine clippers are easy to use and provides you with a quick and exact way of trimming your dog’s nails. If you have never used them before, this article will tell you how to use guillotine clippers correctly.
To begin with, give your dog enough time to get familiarized with the clippers. When it’s time to start clipping, ensure that both you and your dog are relaxed and calm and that your dog is in a position for you to comfortably trim his nails.
If your dog has hard nails you can soften them by soaking or wrapping the paws in damp cloths for 15 minutes before you clip. Clipping the nails after a bath is another tip.
Always keep some styptic powder handy in case you need it.
How to Use Guillotine Clippers Correctly
- Ensure that you are holding the guillotine clipper the correct way. The stationary part of the handle should be in your thumb grip and your fingers around the flexible part of the handle. This gives you the greatest control and allows you to make the cut in a smooth firm single motion.
- Take a firm grip on your dog’s paw, moving any fur out of the way, and insert the nail into the ringlet. The top of the ringlet should face the upside of the nail and the guillotine blade the underside as you should slice off the nail from below.
- If you can see the quick through the nail, place the guillotine ringlet 1/16˝ away from the quick at a 45˚ angle to the base of your dogs paw. Secure the position by lightly squeezing the blade against the nail. Then slice the nail off by squeezing down the handle in single smooth firm movement.
- If it’s not possible to see the quick, you will have to trim the nail by repeatedly trimming thin slices, around 1/16˝ thick, until a lighter grey or white circle appear on the cut surface. You are then getting close to the quick and need to be extra careful. When you see a darker dot in lighter circle this is beginning of the quick becoming visible and you should stop.
- Don’t forget the dew claws. If they have grown into a circle and you can’t get to them with the guillotine, you will need to use pliers style clippers.
- Use a dog nail file or a grinder to smooth down the edges of the cut surface so that the nails don’t scratch or accidentally snag as they may then splinter.
Remember to reward your dog with praise and healthy dog treats for each nail or each paw, and at the end of the nail clipping session. You want your dog to think of guillotine clippers
Go to Dog Nail Clippers Guide