Are your dog’s nails so long that when you see them, you want to paint them? While she might be the hottest dog on the block with her pink nails and matching collar, her long nails can actually have some long lasting consequences. Here are five simple reasons why keeping your dog’s nails trim and neat are important:

1. A dog’s nails, just like humans, are curved. However, unlike humans, dogs walk with their nails. When a dog’s nails gets too long, it can twist the dogs toes, thus deforming them. This also causes your dog to adopt a limp like walk and will strain your dog’s legs and spine.
2. The long nails can reduce the efficiency of your dog’s feet. The nail lifts the pads of the toes from the ground, thus making traction on hard floors a difficult task. So, if Fluffy refuses to walk through the kitchen to the back door, it may be because she can’t grip the floor well enough to feel safe doing so.
3. No matter what or who you are, breaking a nail hurts. And it hurts even more for dogs. Dog’s nails have something called “quick” inside of them, which is tissue full of nerves. This is very likely to become infected if the nail is torn or broken and the last thing your dog wants is to spend three weeks in a cone and cast because of a nail.
4. Ingrown nails are painful, dogs are no exception. Keeping your dog’s nails short practically eliminates the chances of ingrown nails.
5. The longer the dog’s nails get, the longer the quick will get. This means that in order to get the nails back to original length, the quick must be cut. While you can do this at home, it’s best to get the procedure done surgically.

Long story short, keeping your dog’s nails short keeps him healthy and happy by preventing ingrown or broken nails, strain on the legs and spine, foot deformities, and allowing him to walk about your home without fear of hard floors.