Quote Originally Posted by cyber-sibes
can I go to an 1/8th " from the quick?
Even closer. You can basically go as close to the quick as possible without making it bleed. I'm notorious for ALMOST quicking the dog, because I get as close to the quick as possible. The easiest way to tell where you are --- don't look at the dog's nail from the top. Lift the dog's paw and look at the bottom of the foot (the pads). Clip the nail from that point of view. You can see the hollow piece of the nail that way. Clip until you reach where the hollow place ends. You'll occasionally get a dog that doesn't have a hollow piece. You just have to use your judgement; The more you do it, the better you get. If you cut WITH the quick, rather than against the way it grows, the nail will appear shorter.