As with your pet’s ears, it is important to start handling your pet's paws when they are young. While you pet your animal, gently massage his paws. Do so a little at a time until your pet no longer resists having his paws handled. You can even use treats as an incentive.

Hold a paw in one hand and a treat in the other, if your pet lets you hold his paw, praise him and give him a treat. If he pulls his paw away, do not give him the treat. Keep repeating this process until you can hold your pets paw for the desired period of time.

Once your pet is use to having his paws handled, you can get ready to start clipping his nails. You will need a pet nail clipper and a styptic pencil or powder, such as Cut 2 Close. Once you have your supplies gathered up, you are ready to cut your pet’s nails.

If you have a small pet, you can use a countertop or put him on your lap. It's important to be sure that your pet is comfortable and can be easily restrained if necessary. Cats especially aren't usually fond of getting their nails trimmed and may try to wriggle away. If you can't restrain the cat, you could inadvertently hurt your cat or cause nail damage. For larger pets, you can have them stand on the floor. Choose a position that is comfortable for both you and your pet.

For cats, take one paw at a time and gently press on the pad and the top of the toe. This will cause your cat’s nails to extend, giving you enough room to clip them. Dogs nails are naturally exposed, so you won’t have to push on their toes.

Before you start clipping, you must identify where the quick is located. On light colored nails, this is easy to see, it’s the pink area near the base of the nail. For dark nails it is harder to tell where the quick is, you will just have to make a judgment. If you cut below where the nail starts to curve downward, you should be ok. Have our styptic powder ready in case you cut too close to the quick.

Now that you’ve identified the quick you can start clipping. The correct length of your pet's nail really depends on how frequently you plan to trim them. Shorter nails mean that you can go longer between nail grooming sessions. If you cut them short, you will probably only have to trim them once a month. Longer nails will have to be trimmed more often.

While you are trimming, take time to look at each foot and footpad. Make sure there are no injuries, cracks or cuts to the pads or feet. If your pet’s pads are dry and cracked, you may want to considered using a paw wax, such as Shaws to help protect the pads from the elements. Disposable rubber dog boots, such as Pawz are available to protect your dog's feet if he seems to have sensitive paw pads or spends time in hazardous area.