Digging is wearing my dogs' nails down. How far is too far?

My two dogs are very high-energy, and they play in the fenced back yard for a few hours every day to help burn off the energy that our daily walks can't burn off. They love digging holes (we practically have manholes all over the yard!) but it's wearing their front nails down pretty short. I know you're not supposed to cut them down past the red vein, but if they wear them down into that area, will it hurt them?Digging is wearing my dogs' nails down. How far is too far?
When you let a dogs nail grow too long the ';quick'; grows out too. When you keep them cut real short the ';quick'; retreats back.


I would imagine that for one they would stop if they were sore. For two have you seen how stubby people's nail beds get when they gnaw on their nails. Their nail should compensate for this quite well but I would keep an eye out for any limping or licking or swelling just in case their OCD wins over sensibility.Digging is wearing my dogs' nails down. How far is too far?
It won't be possible for them to wear their nails down that far, so don't worry. Any active dog is going to have nails that are short %26amp; its much better that your dogs are active enough to wear their own nails down than have to have them cut by you or a vet.
If they start to wear them down too far - they'll stop digging, especially if it starts to hurt. As dog's nails get shorter, the ';quick'; will actually start to back up further into the nail. Obviously, there's a limit to how far it will go, but most dogs will not continue to do something that hurts. One good thing - you don't have to trim their nails! :-)
LOL!!





One of the things I do to STOP digging is to cut one toenail very close to too short (because then it HURTS if they dig).





Your dogs will be fine... they'll stop digging if it gets uncomfie.
It could potentially. The walks are good for the energy, but you may try two times a day or by getting them a problem solving toy like a KONG. You put a treat in the middle, mabey peanut butter and they have to try to get it out. The toy itself is really sturdy. Hope that helped.
Your dogs should be fine unless they start to bleed. Unless they need to hunt, their claws are not necessary. If they do start to bleed you may need to take them to the vet for special paw bandages for protection. I had to do the same.
what ever you do dont cut down to the red vein they will bleed alot. If it gets down there it could hurt the dog especially if they continue digging because then it could get infections into the blood stream. If it gets to close take the dogs to the vet and ask what they think.





Good luck
If the nail gets remotely close to the vein they will stop. My dog did this but she knew when it was time to take a break
Dogs that are left ungroomed in this matter will have more quick, because it grows longer in those whose nails are kept shorter. I would think in this case, it would just pull back.





Dogs in the wild sometimes had to dig, and they would not have survived for long with bloody paws, so I don't think it will do much damage to anything more than your landscaping.





But, it sounds like your babies could use a little more active recreation. Is there someone who could toss them a ball awhile after school in the afternoons. It might help to burn off some of that energy.
A dog's nails are like ours. If it gets down in the quick it hurts. The same for a dog. They need to be long enough to scratch and dig. They need nails for traction. Just don't let the get so short they bleed or so long that they have trouble walking. But if they break on their own there is not much you can do. You can try to bandage it but if your dogs are active then it won't do much good. Don't worry. The nails will grow back.
if you dont think your dogs should be digging, then watch then when they are outside, that is all you have to do