This is something that most dog owners struggle with. It’s especially difficult for dogs with black toenails. Let’s think about white toenails to discuss the structure of a dog’s nail and how far to cut; then we’ll tell you how to tackle black toenails.
On white dog toenails (or your own fingernails), there’s the white/clear part of the nail and the pink part. The pink part of the nail is called the “quick.” It’s a vein in the nail. If you cut into it, your dog will bleed, and it does hurt. Dogs remember this pain, and it’s a big reason why so many dogs hate having their nails trimmed.
So on white nails, the goal would be to get as close to the pink as possible without making your dog bleed.
With black toenails, you want to watch the underside of the nail as you trim off a little bit of nail at a time. When you get close enough to the quick, a black dot will appear in the middle of the nail, with white or gray material around it. Stop trimming when you see that black dot – it’s the quick.