A surprising number of dog owners have absolutely no idea how long their dog’s nails are at any given moment, much less whether it’s time for a trim. “If the claws are actually snagging in the carpet, you know they’re much too long,” points out Joanne Stefanatos, a Las Vegas veterinarian.

Back in the old days when dogs spent a lot more time outdoors, scrabbling, running, digging and scratching their way through the woods, they wore down their nails naturally. But now that our pampered pets spend most of their lives on our carpeted interiors, those nails just keep growing and growing — and it’s up to us to keep them trimmed (something many of us just haven’t quite gotten the hang of). Add in a few substandard doggy manicures and a common infection or two to the mix, and you can see how nail and toe problems have become more of an issue for dogs.

So how do you keep your dog more comfortable and make sure his nails and toes stay in great shape? We have a few tips, all offered up by veterinarians.

1. Trim those claws as often as possible — preferably every six to eight weeks, says M. Lynne Kesel, D.V.M., assistant professor of elective surgery at Fort Collins’ CSU College of Veterinary Medicine. If your dog is on the sedentary side, then even six to eight weeks is too long a stretch. Try every two to four weeks instead.

2. Start trimming young — when they’re still puppies, so they can get used to this otherwise awkward procedure. If you’ve ever experienced trying to get a nervous adult dog to sit while you trim his claws, then you have a pretty good idea of just how much hassle you can save yourself by accustoming your pup to the experience early on.

3. Don’t cut too much off at once. Many novice trimmers make this mistake when dealing with their pets, possibly because the nails are so overdue for a trim by the time the nervous owners get around to it. If you overdo it and cut too deep, you will cut right across a part of the nail packed with nerves and blood vessels. Your dog will object, and possibly bleed. Your chances of getting him up on a table for another trim diminish markedly at that point! The best way to avoid this scenario is to trim more frequently, but also cautiously. Try to think of your job being not so much to shorten the nail, but to “dull” it.