Desensitize nails

Dogs need their nails trimmed more often than that to prevent injuries and other problems associated with overgrown nails. You may find some Poodles are prone to brittle nails. Nails that chip and break off if left too long.You should start with Desensitizing those feet... This is easier to do when the dog is asleep. Start by resting your hand on the paw. If they wake up, simply remove your hand and act as if you didn't notice- don't even look at the dog. After a few nap interruptions (again, depending on the dog), you should be able to rest your hand on those paws indefinitely. Some dogs this takes from 1 time to a few weeks depending on the level of anxiety associated with getting their feet handled.Once they sleep though this, start lightly moving their toes apart, touching the toe nails, lightly tapping against the ends of the nails, expressing the nails forward from the nail bed, etc. Move in slow stages, and it'll go faster in the long run.

Dogs have nerve endings and blood vessels inside their nails called a quick or "Kwik" as is often called. If you clip too much off, you will make the dog bleed, and make the next trimming session harder! If you do nick the quick, you can apply a product like Kwik Stop (a styptic power), or even jam the nail into a bar of Ivory Soap which will plug it up and stop the bleeding.When you do toenails, take the time to check out the dogs feet. Check the pads for cracks or cuts. Check the webbing for burrs, foxtails or thorns.