Kenzi fights nail trimming pretty hard, but through hard work I finally got where I can trim her back nails at least without too much of a brawl, until today at least. I snipped one nail on her back foot off a bit too short. Okay, it bled like crazy and I feel awful even though she never even made a noise when it happened. I've never over trimmed a nail in my life, I'm not even sure what happened with this one, but now she may never let me touch her feet ever again (not that I would blame her). My real question is now that she has one short, and probably sore nail, should I change how we exercise and for how long? We usually walk on gravel and concrete for a few miles. And should I wait to trim the others until the bad experience has some time settle, or just get it over with?

Also, I read somewhere that you can use cornstarch to help stop the bleeding? That's what I used since I needed something fast and it seemed to work but I wasn't sure of the validity of that advise. Hopefully this won't ever happen again, but since I've done it once I should probably be prepared if it happens again.

I did this with Layla last week. She also hates nail trimming and at this point she will only let me somewhat trim her front paws but I have to be very careful since she doesn't really stay still. Last time I trimmed them I cut one too short. I'm not sure what happened, either, because I definitely had the clippers far enough away from the quick that I thought it would be fine. Layla also made no noise and didn't seem to care and got up and went about trailing blood all over the kitchen (ew). We stopped the bleeding and she's been fine since.

I'd just keep an eye on it and see if Kenzi starts favoring her other paws over the one with the nail you clipped too short. Also keep an eye on the nail itself for signs of infection, but it's unlikely that would happen. You did everything right to stop the bleeding. If Kenzi doesn't seem fazed by it then I wouldn't worry.

Consider grinding with a Dremel. I would never use a nail sniper again after trying one. That and be the only person who trims your dogs nails, no groomers, Vets, or what ever, you go through all time and effort to gain there trust that you can mess with there paws without hurting them why chance that someone else is going to mess that up?

I second the Dremel suggestion. Luci is so much easier to do since I got a Dremel. It's faster (on the higher rpm), easier to do from an awkward angle (she shifts around during...), and IF you get the quick, it cauterizes it and doesn't bleed. I use the stone grinder instead of the sandpaper - lasts longer.

I have been watching her and there's been no favoring. Really she doesn't seem bothered at all though she definitely doesn't want me messing with her feet now. We did our usual three mile trail and she didn't slow down a bit. I would love to do the dremel but she freaks out big time when she hears it turn on.

You might have to go back to basics modeling Kenzi's behavior around and towards the clippers and/or the Dremel. There's an awesome video that I learned a lot from teaching positive-reinforcement and clicker-training techniques to get your dog used to and more comfortable getting his or her nails trimmed. It's never too late to teach this way; it just takes time. I'm STILL working on it with Layla but we've come a long way.

There are lots of other videos like this, but I believe someone posted this on the forum a while back and I found it very instructional and helpful.

Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHgBvnQ71ss

Awesome video. We've been treating while trimming the last several times but I would love to get her to laying on her back for it.

I want her to just walk in decide her nails are getting long and trim them up herself, yeah right and then monkeys will fly out of my butt. Just a joke.

We switched to a Dremel once I found out that clippers don't really "clip" their nails, they CRUSH them off. It's a lot easier to know when you're getting too close to the quick when using a Dremel versus nail clippers. And I second what Hughie wrote about never letting anyone else do their nails. No one cares for your dog as much as you do. When I had Nara spayed, the clinic offered me a free nail trimming since Nara was going to be knocked out for the surgery. It was a place that did nail trimmings all day long with the free spay/neuter for all of the local shelters, so I assumed that they'd be experts and know what they're doing. Well, when Nara woke up from her surgery and came wobbling out to me, I noticed her nail bleeding all over the floor. They cut her bad, and it was deep. That was the last time I've ever let anyone groom my dog. I learned how to do it myself and use a Dremel once every 2 weeks on each dog. We have hardwood floors, so if I hear their nails clicking on the floor, I know it's time to trim their nails. When I was new to the Dremel, I used the example for learning from this website tutorial link, which I've found to be the most detailed and informative, complete with pics of what the nails should look like and what type of Dremel heads and speed to use: http://www.doberdawn.com/doberdawn/dremel.html

And here is the official Dremel manual on using their product on dog nails: http://www.dremel.com/en-us/customerservice/ManualsAndLiterature/Documents/DogNailGroomingInstructions.pdf?WT.ac=DR_Manuals_PDF_DogGroomingInstructions

And I'll admit, for Paw Paw, I tried everything I could do to calm him down when I first rescued him from a bad situation. Nothing worked. I have to lay him on his side and then I lay on top of him to keep him in place. This is not my preferred method, but it works and for us seems to be the only method if I want to trim his nails at all. I think the previous owners probably cut his quicks too many times to where he won't trust anyone to do his nails ever again. My other dogs just lay there and fall asleep as I grind their nails down. Haha! The noise doesn't bother them one bit, and for Paw Paw, it's more the grinding sensation and the paw handling than the sound. Hope that helps though! I know it's not easy, so good luck!

Oh, and the rare occasions when I would use nail clippers or the Dremel and accidentally cut into their quick, I would use flour to stop the bleeding and apply slight pressure on the nail. It would clot up pretty fast. I always feel terrible when that happens, but now it's been years since I've cut into the quick, and it would occur a lot more often with nail clippers versus the Dremel. When you're getting close with the Dremel, the heat and vibration alert the dog, and the dog will let you know by pulling their paws back. With the Dremel, you only grind for 3-4 seconds and then pause, then 3-4 seconds, pause, repeat, so the nail has time to cool. And the tutorials I posted above tell you what speed to use so you don't grind them too fast.

Kevin - thank you for this information. I have been girding myself to Ami's nails for some time now, but thankfully, all the walking we do on country roads and the digging he does into the gravel have been somewhat effective in keeping his nails under control...but they have been creeping longer and it's getting time  

My mom once clipped into the quick on one of her OE sheepdogs - scarred me for life (whether my Mom's reaction, the dog's yelp or the blood, don't know  )

I second Hughie's wish...