Caring for your puppy is one of the most important thing that you should learn as the amount of care that you provide to your puppy will directly impact the dog’s developmental process. One of the most commonly ignored aspect of the puppy is actually the paw! If the puppy’s are not properly taken care of when they are younger, it will cause the dog to have problems when they are older.
Why it the paw important?
The puppy’s paw is the only form of cushion that the dog has when they walk on the floor. Indeed, the pads found in the one that is helping to cushion the impact as well as to insulate the dog’s body from either the cold or hot floor that they are stepping on. Also, the pads help to reduce the damage from hard or sharp objects that can impede the dog’s path during hiking.
So while we know that the paws are important for the puppy, what are the steps that you will want to take so that you can care for the puppy’s paws?
- Trim nails
Trimming the puppy’s nails should be the most basic form of care that you can provide to the paw. A long nail can be chipped off easily, and this will cause immense pain to the dog. Be careful not to cut into the puppy’s quick though as cutting into the quick will cause pain to your puppy. If you are unsure about this, bring your puppy to the vet and let the professionals do it for you.
- Trim paw hair
Trimming the paw’s hair is something that most owners will neglect. When you trim the hair on the paws you are prevented the hair on the paw to be matted up. Also, the hair can cause the dog to slip often, since the hair might be in contact with the floor and the pad itself.
- Too hot, too cold
When the temperature is scorching or freezing, you should avoid bringing the dog outdoors so that the paws is not subject to the inclement weather.
- Clear debris from the pads
As the puppy start to venture outdoors, inevitably small stones might get stuck onto the puppy’s paws. While it may seem innocuous, this is bad for the puppy since the presence of the foreign object can potentially damage the paws.
- Inspect pads regularly
While cleaning the puppy’s paws, be can on the look out for injuries that are not visible. If the dog is yelping in pain when you are cleaning the paws, it is very likely that the puppy has sustained an injury.
- Moisturize the paws
Yes, you read it right! You can apply a good moisturizer on the puppy’s paws to provide added protection to the dog. There are plenty of good dog moisturizer that you can find in the stores. Try to apply it once in the day before the start of the activities and once before the dog goes to bed at night.