It can be a it confusing to know what to look for when shopping for dog nail trimmers. There’s a wide variety of them out on the market, but if you keep a few basic things in mind the process can be fairly straighforward.

The main thing to remember is that smaller breeds of dog have softer nails and larger breeds have bigger and tougher nails. There are dog nail trimmers made for big dogs. They resemble a pair of pliers, with the two blades being rounded so that they cut in a circular shape to match the shape of a dog’s nail. Medium size models are also available for medium size dogs. These plier-like nail clippers do not require any replacement blades.

“Gullotine” nail clippers are great for smaller dogs. Guillotine clippers do not have two separate blades, but rather one circular opening into which you insert the nail, then when you squeeze the handles, and single blade moves out into the circular area where the nail is and cuts through it. Unlike the plier types for medium and large size dogs, these guillotine dog nail trimmers need to have their blades replaced on a regular basis.

Beyond those two basic types, the main thing is to look for a quality product. A quality nail trimmer will be easy to clean, durable and long-lasting, safe, and comfortable to hold.