About Nail Care in Toy Manchesters

 

Looking After the Nails of your Toy Manchester Terrier

A TMT owner is the envy of the dog world when it comes to grooming requirements in all aspects but one: nail care! Those dark talons seem to grow a centimeter every hour sometimes, but it’s not an aspect of husbandry that can be overlooked. 

Trimmed nails is a key aspect of your dog’s long-term health.

The “clickety-clack” of their little feet

It’s easy to know when your dog is needing a nail trim - when they’re making a clicking sound on the floor. This is telling you that the nails are starting to interfere with the natural movement of the foot, causing the dog to start walking in a slightly different way to accommodate the nails. Over time, this can lead to a changes in posture that will interfere with your dog’s comfort, not to mention increasing the risk of catching a long nail on something and getting it ripped off.

Ouch!

Toy Manchesters are particularly prone to issues with longer nails because, unlike other breeds that naturally scrape them down on the pavement when they walk, a TMT doesn’t walk that way: their front movement is such that they don’t scrape their nails, so all their nail care has to come from you.

Check your dog’s nails now - stand it on a flat surface like an outdoor pavement, a grooming table, or a tiled floor, then look for clearance between the nail and the surface. If the nail is touching the surface, the nails are too long. 

Being afraid to hurt your dog

A lot of owners will avoid the nailcare routine because they’re afraid they’re going to hurt their dog if they cut off too much of the nail at once, but let’s be clear: if you don’t trim the nails regularly, then you are in danger of hurting your dog already, so let’s talk about ways to tackle this bit of grooming with safety in mind.

• First of all, make it routine - The key to successful nail care is making sure you’re doing it both regularly and frequently enough. A good rule of thumb is a quick trim on a weekly basis. 
• Secondly, start slow - Whether you have a puppy or an older dog, the key to desensitising your dog to a new regime of nailcare is to take it slow and make it fun. Get them used to having their feet handled while you’re sitting with them on the settee. Talk in happy voices. Take a toy and tap the nails with it. Your Toy probably will have no issues with your doing this in a minute or two, so next time, get a coarse nail file or a metal one and just file one of the nails a little bit. Be generous with the treats. Over time, vary which nail you’re doing, or file several of them at a time, or do a whole foot. You know TMTs: as long as they have good treats and don’t suspect a threat, this will be a fun new game for them.

• Thirdly, tools - So far, this has just been the introductory experience, but you’re unlikely to get much serious nail filing done manually. It’s time to bring in some more efficient tools.

• Special dog nail clippers - Look for the kind that are a plier-style, where you can shave off slivers of the nail a little at a time as opposed to the kind that act a bit like a guillotine. The industry standard is the Miller’s Forge brand clippers with the red handle, approximately £12 on Amazon. These are very effective but can sometimes leave sharp edges, so following up with a nail file or a dremel is a good idea.

• Dremel or other grinder - These are probably the better option than nail clippers: it’s harder to accidentally hurt your dog since the rotary grinder is taking off only thin layers at a time, and you’re unlikely to go too far. There is, however, a bit of learning curve with them, so here are some tips for a better experience. First of all, you’ll want to buy one that has variable speed option, and start your initial introduction on the lowest setting. You’ll need to get them used to the sound of the buzzing and the feel of the vibration. It may be a two-person job for a while, not because you’ll need to wrestle with them, but so that one of you will be holding the dog and the tool, while the other supplies the squirty cheese as a yummy distraction! Next, you need to be aware that holding a dremel against a nail for a prolonged time, especially if you have it rotating quite fast, will create friction that’s felt as heat to the dog. (Just like if you have your nails done at a salon and they’re keeping the tool on too long in one place). So learn to touch-tap the tip of the nail until you get a feel for your dog’s comfort level.

Does it have to be me?

You still may not be convinced that you’ve got what it takes to be your dog’s best nail technician, so there are a couple of alternatives to learning to trim and grind your dog’s nails yourself.

• One: Let the vet or groomer do it. Some people are adamant that they don’t want to take the risk that they’ll hurt their dog or that their dog will start to distrust them over nailcare, so instead, they use their vet or groomer for the task. There’s nothing wrong with it as long as the nailcare isn’t delayed because of considerations of making appointments, travel hassles, or the cost. 
• Two: Scratch boards. You may have seen scratchboards online where a plank of sandpaper or other abrasive material is used instead, and the dogs happily scratch away at the board while doing their OWN nails. Again, this is a viable option, but it will need a process of training a dog how to use it, and the board itself will need regular maintenance if it’s going to file down the nails as it should.

Can I actually cut the nails too short?

The answer is yes and no. Yes, if you’ve let your dog’s nails grow really long, and the only way to stop them from touching the ground is to lop off a huge amount.

Yikes! Yeah, you want to be a bit patient with the process.

What you’re aiming for is trimming the nails a bit at a time so that you take as much of the hard outer shell off without cutting into the central part, the quick, where nerves and blood vessels reside. I know it’s really hard to tell where one stops and the other starts, especially with our dog's black nails, but there is a little bit of a transition stage, the pulp, where the nail will look  white or chalky, followed by a growing black circle, the quick, as you trim away more and more.

As long as you’re using the more precise approaches - a dremel and/or taking of slivers with the Miller’s Forge clippers - your dog will probably tell you when you’re getting uncomfortably close. 

Just do it!

Looking after your Toy Manchester's nails is one of the most important aspects of your dog’s health, so you can only go wrong by doing nothing. The following playlist of nailcare videos can give you some guidance and encouragement, but if you’re ever in doubt, just ask on the American Manchester Terrier Facebook group - the champions of the fancy there will be happy to give you support along the way, or you can email the club secretary, health officer, or welfare officer at the American Manchester Terrier Club.

Playlist of Public Youtube Videos about TMT Nailcare

Pedicure Please: 3 Steps To Dog Nail Trimming Or Grooming Success At Home!