best clippers for dogs nails

6 Best Dog Nail Clippers With Our 2023 Budget-Friendly Pick

Clipping your dog’s nails is an essential part of the grooming process. Keeping your dog’s nails trimmed is important for your dog’s overall health, as letting their nails get long can potentially cause a variety of health disorders.


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Becoming comfortable with trimming your dog’s nails starts with a good pair of nail clippers. It’s crucial to use dog-specific nail trimmers when giving your dog their regular manicure. In this guide we’ll cover the different styles of dog nail clippers, while sharing our top 7 recommendations. Say goodbye to long, frustrating nail trim sessions and hello to shorter nails and more time for cuddling!

5 Benefits of Using Dog Nail Clippers

Trimming your dog’s nails can be nerve-wracking, but it’s a crucial grooming process that should become routine. Using dog nail clippers offers several benefits other than simply avoiding the sound of long nails on your floors.

  1. Superior comfort when walking: When a dog’s nails become long, they start to curve inward, which can be extremely uncomfortable for even the simplest of walks. Your dog will begin to manipulate their steps and gate if their nails get too long, and that can cause injury or poor posture.
  2. Prevents injury: Dog parents know that long nails can hurt if your pup accidentally digs into your skin. Long nails can also hurt other animals that your pup might be playing with. Nails can also chip and splinter if left untrimmed, potentially causing injury when your pup scratches themselves.
  3. Avoid infection: Long nails which are beginning to cause your dog pain can break the skin or cause inflammation. Side effects can be an infection and extreme pain when your dog walks. Keeping your dog’s nails maintained will help prevent infection, illness and pain.
  4. Keep your home intact: Any animal in your home who has long nails can possibly tear into the carpet, bedding or furniture. Make sure your home stays beautifully intact by cutting your dog’s nails with trimmers regularly.
  5. Short nails = a happy pup: When your dog’s nails are short, they likely won’t cause any pain or discomfort. A comfortable dog who can run and play is a happy dog!

Tips for Trimming Your Dog’s Nails

A majority of dog parents find the thought of nail trims to be absolutely nightmarish. After all, we don’t want to hurt our dogs by accidentally cutting their quick. Use the tips below for effortlessly trimming your dog’s nails.

  • Stay calm. Easier said than done, of course, but your dog feels your energy. Do your best to stay mindful and calm as to create a relaxed environment.
  • Trim your dog’s nails in a well-lit place so you can see exactly what you’re doing. White nails are easier to trim, as you can see the quick, but black nails may require more patience and diligence.
  • Try to keep your dog calm during nail trimming time, even if that means going slowly. It’s best to trim your dog’s nails during a time where they have less energy. Consider exercising your pup before you trim their nails.
  • Use lots of positive reinforcement! Treat your dog after every nail you trim, if necessary. You want to reinforce your dog’s brave behavior in hopes that they will learn to enjoy nail trims.
  • Make a nail clipping routine. If you trim your dog’s weekly or every couple of weeks, they will get used to the process and know what to expect. Creating a nail trimming schedule can help decrease anxiety for everyone. Also, frequently trimming your dog’s nails even a tiny bit can help keep them short to avoiding health issues and discomfort.

5 Components to Look for in Dog Nail Clippers

There are three main styles of dog nail clippers, but each may offer different features. When picking out the best nail trimmers for your dog, consider the components we’ve listed below:

  1. Safety guard: Many standard dog nail clippers come equipped with a safety guard. This feature is put in place so your dog’s nail doesn’t slip too far through the blades, cutting the quick and injuring your dog. The guard stops the nail in place to help prevent injury and bleeding.
  2. Handle design: Quality nail trimmers will have a comfortable handle with some sort of non-slip grip. It’s important that you can securely grip the trimmers because having them slip out of your hand during a nail trim can be dangerous.
  3. Clipper style: Most dog nail clippers come in a traditional, plier-like design. However, there is a guillotine-style trimmer which your dog may prefer. The style of nail clippers you use depends on what you and your dog are comfortable with. There are also scissor-style nail trimmers, which will be best for super small dogs and puppies.
  4. Tension spring: It’s common that nail trimmers come with a tension spring. The spring ensures that each nail is clipped quickly, which helps avoid additional stress or anxiety.
  5. Clipper size: Some brands offer nail trimmers in a “one size fits all” option, while others have multiple sizes to choose from. Open-ended dog nail clippers will generally be able to trim nails of any size dog.

Overall Best Dog Nail Clippers

Safari Professional Nail Trimmer for Dogs

best nail dog clippers

Key Benefits:

  • Stainless steel
  • Ergonomic, non-slip grip
  • Tension spring to ensure a quick clip
  • Safety stop helps reduce risk of injury

The Safari dog nail trimmers come very highly recommended by other dog parents. These quality nail clippers are made from stainless steel and they have a sharp cutting edge to quickly trim your pup’s nails without fuss. The tension springs help to ensure that every nail will be trimmed swiftly so your dog will be running around in no time!

The grip of these dog nail clippers is comfortable and offers a non-slip grip. This feature is important so the clippers won’t slip out of your hand when giving your pup a manicure. The Safari dog nail clippers also come equipped with a safety stop, which helps reduce the risk of injuring your dog by cutting their quick. We like that these dog nail trimmers come in two sizes; standard and large. Fellow dog parents share that these clippers are easy to use and clip the nails in a timely, comfortable fashion.

Pros:

  • Available in two sizes
  • Comfortable, non-slip handle
  • Tension spring for quick nail trims
  • Safety stop to reduce the chance of injury

Cons:

  • The blade cannot be sharpened.

Andis Premium Dog Nail Clipper

Key Benefits:

  • Stainless steel, heat treated blades
  • Anti-slip handle
  • Safety lock for secure storage
  • Safety stop to prevent over-cutting

Runner-Up Best Dog Nail Clippers – These premium dog nail clippers from Andis are popular among pet parents and grooming professionals. The heavy-duty, stainless steel clippers are heat treated to ensure maximum durability and strength. The spring-loaded handle helps you get a quick trim of your dog’s nails, and the safety stop helps avoid trimming your pup’s nails too short.

Like other dog nail clippers, these have a comfortable, non-slip grip so they stay put in your hand while cutting your dog’s nails. They are designed to be ergonomic so you don’t experience fatigue when performing regular nail trims. These clippers from Andis are appropriate for dogs of all sizes, as they boast an open-ended cutter.

Pros:

  • Suitable for dogs of all sizes
  • Premium, professional quality
  • Safety lock for secure storage and to prevent injury
  • Safety stop to avoid cutting your dog’s nails too short

Cons:

  • Some pet parents reported the blades began to rust after being disinfected several times

JW Pet Gripsoft Deluxe Dog Nail Clipper

Key Benefits:

  • Available in medium and large sizes
  • Extremely affordable
  • Built in cutting guard
  • Designed for optimal nail trimming control

Best Budget-Friendly Dog Nail Clippers – These dog nail clippers from JW Pet are a great budget-friendly option for any size dog. The handle features rubber sheathed Gripsoft technology, which provides premium comfort and control for nail trimming sessions. These clippers will handle nicely, allowing you to clip your dog’s nails with ultimate precision.

Like the other dog nail clippers on our list, these JW Pet trimmers come equipped with a cutting guard to reduce the risk of cutting your dog’s nails too short. The clippers come available in two sizes – medium and large – so they will be suitable for almost any breed. Pet parents, including groomers, report that these clippers work well on large dogs, and they don’t make too loud of a clipping noise.

Pros:

  • Quality dog nail clippers at an affordable cost
  • Safety cutting guard
  • Made with premium Gripsoft technology for comfort
  • Good choice for any size dog

Cons:

  • A few dog parents shared that safety closure latch became loose, so the clippers wouldn’t securely stay closed for storage.

4 More Top Dog Nail Clippers

Millers Forge Nail Clipper

These dog nail clippers from Millers Forge are fairly basic, but they will definitely get any nail trimming job done quickly! The plier-style clippers have ultra-sharp blades to ensure a quick and painless trim. The handle is spring loaded to make sure that your dog’s nail clipping session is as efficient as possible. The grip is plastic and made to be comfortable. These dog nail trimmers do not come with a safety guard, so you need to be extra weary of trimming your pup’s nails too short. Despite the lack of a cutting guard, these clippers have very positive reviews.

Resco Original Dog Nail Clippers

For dogs who may prefer to have their nails trimmed with a guillotine-style clipper, we recommend this one from Resco. They are heavy duty nail clippers made from solid steel so they are guaranteed to last. The guillotine-style nail trimmers allow you to clip your dog’s nails with less pressure. You can also replace the blades on these nail clippers when necessary, so it’s less likely that you will need to buy an entire new nail trimmer if the blades become dull. You can purchase these dog nail clippers in two sizes to appropriately fit your pup’s grooming needs.

PetSpy Dog Nail Clipper

These PetSpy dog nail clippers are made with sharp stainless steel blades for precise and quick nail trims. They come equipped with a safety stop to help prevent cutting your pup’s nails too short. There’s also a convenient built-in nail file so you can smooth out your dog’s nails after the trim. The handle is designed to be comfortable for prolonged use. These recommended nail trimmers for dogs are also appropriate for cats. If you have a multi-pet household, these clippers are worth looking into.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do you need special nail clippers for dogs? – When you adopt a puppy or adult dog, nail clippers should be on your list of essentials to pick up. Nail clippers for dogs are specifically designed to painlessly trim their unique nails. Avoid using human nail clippers to trim your pup’s nails, as they can cause splintering and fractures.
  • How do you cut a dog’s black nails? – It can be especially nerve-wracking to trim a dog’s black nails. The key is to go slowly and trim a very tiny bit of nail first. If you are getting too close to the quick, you will be able to see it on the tip of their nail. Trim little by little to avoid cutting the quick. Sometimes shining a light directly on the bottom of the nail will allow you to see the quick if you’re at the edge of it.
  • Can I file my dog’s nails instead of clipping? – Instead of clipping a dog’s nails, you can grind them down with a pet nail dremel tool. A traditional human nail file will not be strong enough to trim down a dog’s strong nails.

Conclusion

All dog parents have had trouble trimming their pup’s nails at one point or another. Hopefully, with our helpful article and quality dog nail clipper recommendations, your next nail trim session will be a bit easier.

e stressful experience much easier and efficient. We are confident that one of the grinders on our list will be amazing for your dog!

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