How often should puppies clip their nails?

Claws that are too long are not only painful for dogs. They can also increase the risk of injury and cause poor posture. For this reason, even with puppies, it makes sense to keep an eye on their length and clip their claws if necessary. In the following, we explain how often this is necessary and what you need to pay attention to.

Key facts at a glance

A puppy’s nails should be trimmed every four to six weeks if necessary.
Frequent walking on hard floors leads to greater wear and tear, so clipping of the claws is less necessary.
The claws must be carefully trimmed with special claw clippers, without cutting into the blood vessels inside.
If necessary, dog owners can seek the help of a veterinarian or a grooming salon.

How often do puppies have to clip their nails?

In principle, you can assume that the claws need to be trimmed every four to six weeks. However, it is not possible to say in general terms how often puppies actually have to have their claws clipped.

If you walk your four-legged friend a lot on hard ground, such as asphalt or concrete, his claws will wear out quite a bit on their own, so you rarely have to use the claw clippers.

If, on the other hand, you are mainly out and about in nature on soft ground, you will probably have to trim your puppy’s claws more often.

When do puppies need their nails trimmed?

As you can see, a fixed interval for trimming your pup’s nails doesn’t make sense. Instead, you should always take action when it is actually necessary. Basically, the claws must not touch the ground.

If that’s the case, you can not only see it, but also hear it. Because the long claws will make clicking sounds when walking on the ground. This is a clear sign that you need to clip your pup’s nails.

How do you clip puppies’ claws?

Dogs have four clawed toes on each of their hind paws, while their front paws have five toes on each. When clipping their nails, there are a few things you need to keep in mind so as not to injure your puppy.

The following tips will help you trim your puppy’s nails properly:

Make sure your puppy is as relaxed as possible when clipping the nails.
Do not use normal nail scissors for cutting, but special nail scissors.
Make sure the nail clippers are sharp to avoid splitting.
Hold the paw tightly and trim each claw piece by piece.
In no case should you cut into the blood vessels of the claws.
If your dog has dark claws, a flashlight can help identify the blood vessels.

Have the puppy’s nails clipped

If you don’t feel confident clipping your puppy’s nails yourself, you can of course seek professional help. For example, contact a grooming salon or your veterinarian.

Both usually have a lot of experience with clipping claws, so the procedure is quick and stress-free. However, it is usually a bit more expensive to have a puppy’s nails clipped at the vet.