Cutting the nails of your beagle is one of those tasks we don’t often think about — but, it’s necessary. Fortunately, it can be done quite easily, as long as both you and your beagle are well-prepared.

Why Is It Important To Cut My Beagle’s Nails?

Granted, I don’t care to be scratched up when my beagle gets overzealous, nor do I want my hardwood flooring to look like someone has keyed up the side of my car. Interestingly enough, it does have some important health reasons behind it.

Sore Toes & Joint Problems

If your beagle’s nails are too long, chances are you’ll know in advance. If you have hardwood flooring like me, your beagle’s nails will make a progressively louder click-clack sound as their nails grow longer, eventually making more contact with the floor. I’d suggest that you trim their nails before they sound like they are typing a NY Times bestseller. It may be causing them pain; or at the very least, discomfort.

This is because it’s causing unnecessary pressure from the hard nail to the soft nail bed, whenever they take a step. They will likely try to compensate by walking or standing on the foot slightly differently, which can eventually cause them issues with their foot joints.

If you’re noticed that your beagle is particularly defensive whenever you try to touch near their toes, they’re in pain. Try to address the site gingerly. Once you’ve started a regular schedule of nail maintenance, it will ensure minimal issues going forward.

As I mentioned before, long nails can also affect your dog’s gait, shifting the way they hold themselves and causing long-term joint problems.

Beagles have evolved over time to think that if their nails hit a surface while walking that they’re heading up a hill. They reflexively shift their body weight forward and closer to the ground. See the problem with this, if there is no hill?

The problem is that in the given scenario, it’s causing unnecessary strain on their joints and muscles, which could cause long term joint issues if left unaddressed.

How Often Should I Cut  My Beagle’s Nails?

It really depends. Are they more often on soft surfaces like carpeting or grass, or are they on pavement or other abrasive surfaces that help to wear down their nails? Also, once every 2 weeks should be more than sufficient unless you’re deliberately trying to shorten them. Then once a week may be in order.

You’ll want to keep the nail within a couple of millimeters from the quick. If your beagle has darker nails you may not be able to see the quick, but in lighter colored nails, it’s quite visible. It is pink in color and is in the middle of the nail, serving as a blood supply.

When cutting the nails you should be within a few millimeters of the quick, but don’t get too close. Another thing to keep in mind: If your beagle doesn’t seem too fond of getting their nails cut, you don’t have to cut all of them in one session. You can always break it up into multiple sessions if that would help.

The more drawn out a canine’s nails are permitted to develop, the more drawn out the quick will become, to the point that taking even an extremely little piece of the nail off the end “quicks”your pupster. At that point, the objective turns into a matter of clipping or pounding the nails to get as close as conceivable to the snappy, without really cutting it. This is maybe most effortless to achieve with a crushing instrument, (for example, a Dremel), however, it tends to be finished with scissors, as well, with training. By granulating endlessly the nail all around the quick – above it, underneath it, and on the two sides – the quick has no means of support, and within days it will start to noticeably retreat, receding back toward the toe.

If your beagle’s paws have been disregarded for quite a long time, it may take a very long time to truncate the nails to a shorter, torment-free length. Be that as it may, if you keep at it consistently, it ought to get simpler for the beagle to move around. Also, the more they move, the more their nails will come into contact with the ground such that will help wear the nails out and help the quicks to taper to a more appropriate length.

Products For Cutting Your Beagle’s Nails

There are 3 primary types of nail clipping devices: Guillotine, Scissor, and Grinder.

Guillotine style clippers are my personal favorite. You slide the nail into the guillotine, you squeeze the handle and it makes a clean cut through the nail. I use these personally: Resco Deluxe Dog Nail Clippers [on Amazon]

Scissor style clippers are another favorite. These can cut either straight across or at an angle, to help control the depth of the cut, depending on how short you want the nails to be. Boshel Pet Dog Nail Clippers [On Amazon] is a solid example of this style.

Finally, there is the nail grinder type. These work just like a Dremel, slowly grinding down the nail. Casfuy Dog Nail Grinder [on Amazon] is a favorite of this style. Just keep in the mind about the sound of this type specifically. You’ll want to ensure that your beagle is familiarized with the sound beforehand, or they might panic.

How To Cut Your Beagle’s Nails

If you’ve never cut your beagle’s nails and would rather the professionals do it — you can reach out to either your veterinarian or groomer, who will be more than happy to assist.

However, if you’ve never cut your beagle’s nails and want to learn, you should at least get yourself comfortable with how their nail looks here [on Dummies.com], but then get right back here.

 As I was saying, the nail itself is insensitive and can be trimmed or cut without much concern. However, the quick is another story. The quick not only provides a blood supply to the nail, but it also has nerve endings.

On a side note: If your beagle has more translucent nails as most do, you should be able to spot the quick quite readily. If on the other hand, your beagle has darker nails, it may be much harder to see. You may only be able to see the quick, when looking at a cross-section of their marginally cut nail. As you progressively make small cuts, you’ll want to keep checking the cross-section.

Checklist before you get started:

• • Umm, your beagle…
  • Treats for said beagle.
  • A well-lit room
  • Styptic powder + a Q-Tip [used to control bleeding, if there is any nail mishap.]
  • Cutting or grinding weapon of choice
  • Pro tip: If you’ve recently bathed your beagle or at least soaked their feet, their nails should be more compliant.

If you need a more comprehensive guide regarding grooming for your beagle; we have one that we wrote here: Beagle Grooming Needs: A Simple Guide

Step-By-Step Guide [If You’re DIY]

1. 1. Remain Calm: If either you or your beagle is not calm, it’s not going to be a pleasurable experience.
   2. Back To Front: Their hind nails tend to less sensitive, so that’s an easier way to approach the trimming episode, to feel them out.
   3. Go Slow: This is not a race. Cut or grind down gradually.
   4. For Light-Colored Nails: You can cut across at a 90-degree or 45-degree angle if you’re sure where the quick is located.
   5. For Dark-Colored Nails: You can cut straight across. After every cut, look at the cross-section as we mentioned before to make sure you aren’t too close to the quick. If while observing the cross-section and you being to see grey surrounded by white nail start to emerge, you should stop at this point.
   6. If The Quick Is Accidentally Cut: Don’t worry, because that’s just causing to stress your beagle out too. Simply use the styptic powder on the cotton swab to cauterize the bleeding.
   7. Don’t Forget The Dew: These nails are the ones that are located not on their paw, but on their leg. Don’t forget these as there is no chance for these to wear down naturally since they don’t make contact with the ground.

Final Thoughts

Cutting your beagle’s nails doesn’t need to be a terrible errand – the fundamental three things to recollect are to go slowly, acclaim your pupster, and stay away from the quick.