Painting Your Dog's Nails

I know I used to do it when I was younger, and I know it is a very popular thing for young girls to do to their dogs. My daughter is getting to that age where she wants to paint our dog's nails. Now that I am older, I am thinking, is this harmful to the dog? I could see my dog chewing the paint off-she is sassy like that. I guess I may have to be the mean mom that says no! lol. What is your intake on painting dog nails.

 

I'm not sure if it's harmful, but if your pooch is ok with it and it's not harmful, what can it hurt. I used to dress my dog up like a baby when I was a child and push him in a stroller. He didn't seem to mind and would even hop in the stroller on his own. I think it depends on the dog and wether he or she will allow it.

 

They've been reporting so much on toxic chemicals in nail polish lately that I would be leery. I did a search on the web to see if I could find anything. There's a lot of guessing. But, I did find nail polish and remover on this list of toxic materials for dogs on a Poison Control website:
http://www.pacc911.org/Poison_Control.html

The thing is how much will make your dog sick. Do they need to drink a whole bottle? Will licking some off after it dries cause a problem? I did see that they make nail polish for dogs (which I find bizarre). If your daughter insists on doing this, maybe that's a better avenue.

We never painted our dog's toe nails and I've never heard of anyone else ever doing this. I have to admit I find colored dog nails a bit creepy. I really find it hard to believe any dog would sit still long enough for this.

 

I think to be on the safe side, do not add anything unnecessary to the dog. That includes nail polish and hair dye. Dogs are fine as they are. If anyone is really interested in dressing up and making up a dog, then they should get one like this:

 

I would agree, no nail polish...that being said I know there are some pet salons that do it, or did, but I think they use a special one that is made for dogs. I personally have never done it.

 

If you're okay with your daughter and yourself wearing it, then yes, it's also fine for your dog. There are lots of people opposed to nail polish in general, though, because of the chemicals used, so it's something for you to be aware of and maybe research even for yourselves. They do make polishes that are less heavy on the crazy chemical side, though.

 

Thanks for all of your responses. I know that nail polish has a load of chemicals in it and I still continue to use it. I don't know why I do, especially since I try to stick with the most natural ways possible. I am going to do some research. I know our local health food store sells nail polish that would probably be a lot better for my dog, my girls and myself.

 

Guilty! I do use polish from Whole foods though so lesser of the evils right? She is just so proud of her bright pink nails. Its too cute.

 

Wow. I've been blinking at this thread for a full five minutes now. Why do people want to treat their animals like they're some kind of fashion accessory? They don't need bling, makeup, nail polish, or any extra garments, except perhaps a coat in winter if it's freezing cold and raining. It's absolutely ludicrous to want to paint a dog's nails, at ANY age.

Teach her to love the dog for how it is, now how pretty she can make it.

 

I'd never let anyone paint my dog's nails. Never. Nail polish is for people, not for animals. And it's unhealthy, whenever I paint my nails too often, they start to break and they're more delicate. Also, Homer hates the smell of nail polish. When I use it, he runs away immediately.

 

While I agree with the sentiment in general and I don't think you should paint their nails either, I don't think most are doing this particular thing for that reason. They tend to paint them when they see their dogs more like their children. So they're not treating them as fashion accessories in this case always, but rather, doing what they would do with a little girl instead.

 

I think that's even worse in a sense, because they're not children. A lot of people will say that owning a dog, is like having a child. It's really not, and sooner or later, dogs will display behaviour that's unwanted and nothing at all like the behaviour of a child. Then people are left wondering why, and then a canine behaviourist will point out that the worst thing you can do, is treat a dog like a child.

 

Oh I agree. I understand being a part of the family, but they're still an animal and not a human, so it's a tricky line to walk for many people. Some people can get away with doing it for years, but others will struggle the entire time because they don't differentiate.

 

The RESPONSIBILITY of owning a dog, is similar to that of having a child, but that's where the similarity ends. You can't have your children locked up in a pound, for biting someone. Although, in some situations, it might well be the best thing for everyone involved, LOL!