Basically everyone I speak with about caring for their frenchie tells me they hate to try and cut their nails/claws because their frenchie hates it so much. This is no surprise, as it isn’t the most pleasant experience, but trimming your french bulldog’s nails doesn’t have to be an awful experience for both human and dog. You can learn how to trim your french bulldog’s nails in 10 minutes. You can also pick up a couple of really quick tips that will make the process easier with time.
IT IS PAINFUL IF YOU DON’T TRIM YOUR FRENCH BULLDOG’S NAILS
Put another way, it’s necessary to trim your french bulldog’s nails/claws for their own comfort, health, and well-being. French bulldogs have thick nails/claws relative to their paw and arm-size, so trimming is all that much more necessary. If you allow your frenchie’s claws to get so long that they begin to take on an arched shape and make a distinct “tapping” noise when your french bulldog walks or runs on hard surfaces, then you’ve let them get way too long.
CUTTING BACK YOUR FRENCH BULLDOG’S CLAWS REGULARLY HELPS A LOT
Keeping your frenchie’s nails/claws trimmed on a regular basis will force the quick to stop growing so deep into their claws. Regular trimming will prevent the quick from growing out too far if you happen to miss a couple of weeks of trimming/cutting their nails. This is very helpful, but you have to remember and stay on top of your trimming and grooming schedule. Most people just pay a groomer to handle these things once or twice every month-and-a-half, or so. We like to bond with our frenchie babies, so we take up the task on our own.
KEEPING YOUR FRENCH BULLDOG’S NAILS/CLAWS SHORT MAKES THEIR LIFE EASIER
Long nails/claws on your frenchie will make something as simple as walking around uncomfortable. Below, you can see a frenchie whose claws are way too long and are beginning to curl under. This is very uncomfortable for your companion and you should immediately begin trimming back their nails a little bit at a time.
HOW TO TRIM YOUR FRENCH BULLDOG’S NAILS THE RIGHT WAY
Trimming your french bulldog’s nails at home is easy. You just need a couple of things and lots of treats. The key to getting your french bulldog to cooperate with you is to provide a ridiculous amount of praise while you trim their nails, lots of treats, and lots of regularity in the routine. If you trim your french bulldog’s nails once every couple of weeks, religiously, and a little at a time, eventually, your frenchie will pickup on the routine and will associate the nail-trimming with treats and praise.
It’s important to try your best to avoid hurting your french bulldog in this process. The quick will grow deeper into the nail the longer you allow it to grow. If you trim a little bit at a time, you reduce the chances of accidentally nicking your french bulldog’s nail quick. It is very painful and can cause bleeding.
We like to use these nail trimmers. They have a back-stop guide that prevents you from cutting too much off.
French Bulldog NAIL GRINDER
They’re the highest-rated trimmers on Frenchie Shop. We use them in our nail-trimming video. If you accidentally nick your french bulldog’s quick and they yelp, remain calm. You’ll have to do some field triage, but everything will be okay. You want to focus on stopping the bleeding, quickly. The easiest way is to use some styptic powder:
Styptic powder is a clotting agent that will essentially stop the bleeding nail immediately. It’s our go-to product when we mess up and butcher a nail. It works fast and is the best solution. An easy DIY equivalent that’s not as effective is to use a 1:1 ratio preparation of regular ole all-purpose flour and corn starch. It will create a sort of “plug” that will dry around the bleeding nail and stop the bleeding, but our results have been mixed using this DIY approach.