Go to the drugstore and pick up a styptic pencil or some styptic powder to dab on the nail if you hit the quick, or you can just dab on a bit of cornstarch if you have some in your kitchen cabinet.

Black nails - the bane of my existence. I HATE black nails and handle them the same way you have, clipping just the tips and having to do it more frequently.

Laurie

My rabbit has black nails. She is actually very well behaved for clipping, but I take her to the vet to have it done. I am too afriad that I will hurt her. The vet nicked her one time, she has been triming rabbits nails for me for almost ten years and that only happened once.Our other rabbit had pale nails so that was easier.

Yes, styptic powder. It comes in a pack of two and you'll hope you never have to open the second one :) You pour a little into the cap and then appy it to the dogs nail (it's a nail shaped cap!)

I use a flashlight for the black toenails. Point it under the nail just to assess where the quick ends. People who are better at this can tell how close they are just by clipping thin shavings until they see a change in the color or texture of the nail.

I did that once. I wrapped it with paper towels and taped it up with masking tape and let him hang out in the crate for a while. It stopped very quickly I just have white carpet. At least it used to be white.

Styptic powder, or actually - flour. I had my dog's black nails clipped at a groomer near my office once - he was nicked but good, he licked off the powder and bled all over the car. Ick.

I've had good luck clipping him with the guillotine-style clippers. I wait until he's tired and laying down on a chair, then I pick up a paw and do it from the underside - easier to see. He still fusses though. And gives me that "how could you do this to me?" look.

I have clippers that have a guard on them that prevents you from cutting too far. Of course if anyone noticed my last post I have yet to use them on my dog!!! However they were recommended to me by a friend, and she gave me a demonstration on her dog who has black nails like mine (and yours). They seemed to work really well.

If you shine a strong light on the nails before trimming, you can see how far you can safely trim them.

Naturegirl, where did you find the clippers with the guard?

The guard has no way of measuring where the quick is in relation to the end of the nail, so this is not something to depend on unless your dog's nails are severely overgrown.

To be honest, I bought them at Wal-Mart. There is a screw on the guard that you can adjust so that you can control how much of the nail gets trimmed. I'd attach a picture of it, but I can't seem to figure out how to do that.

I thought I saw some clippers that had a light that indicated how far to cut.

I just hate to do this, and do not do it well. I have been told that if you do not keep them cut, then the quick or the part with blood grows out farther than it would if you took good care of the nails.

Sammy

I know that is true with rabbits, I had this problem with a rabbit who hated having his nails cut. We finally found a vet who could handle him (we still use her) and all was well in the end. I believe that over time the quick receded some, although for quite a while his nails were longer, a problem for rabbits since the who bottom of the fur is covered in fur. Poor Scooby could barely walk on tile!

Also - cornstarch works in a pinch if you don't have the 'stop bleed". I used this on my doggies. My next doggie friend I get is going to the groomers for their nails though.

Sammy,

We saw the clippers with the light in a pet catalog. The light didn't stay on, so we returned it, and just got a small strong light. It works well.