| How to File Puppy Nails Posted: 11 Jul 2020 01:00 AM PDT Filing your puppy's nails can either be done after nail clipping (in order to smooth out sharp points), or as an alternative to clipping. You can use a variety of tools to file your puppy's nails, including emery boards, pumice stones, and nail grinders. After you've selected the tool that's right for you and your puppy, you can grasp each of your puppy's feet firmly and carefully file each nail. If you are doing this as an alternative to clipping your puppy's nails, you'll want to repeat this process several days in a row. [Edit]Selecting the Tool You Want to Use - Use an emery board for humans if you need an easy solution. Classic emery boards are available at your local pharmacy for a very low cost. Emery boards will work just fine for filing a puppy's nails, although you may go through more than 1 emery board in the process.[1]
- Use a filing tool made for dogs if you have one available. Many pet stores will carry emery board-type tools created specifically for filing dog nails. These tools are larger and more durable than a human emery board. If you have a tool like this available, it can make the job a bit easier.[2]
- Try a pumice stone if your dog's nails are very small. A pumice stone is another good choice for filing dog nails. Pumice stones can be easier to grip, making them a slightly more convenient option for tiny puppy nails. Pumice stones are available at most health and beauty stores.[3]
- Use a nail grinder if your puppy is comfortable with loud noises. Nail grinders created especially for filing and trimming down dog nails are extremely effective tools. Unfortunately, most puppies are afraid of the noise they create. If your puppy is particularly tolerant of noise, a nail grinder may be a good choice for you.[4]
[Edit]Filing Your Puppy's Nails - Make sure your puppy is calm and comfortable. Choose a time when your puppy already seems tranquil and relaxed. Speak to your puppy in a quiet voice, and pet it in a soothing way.[5]
- If it's never had its nails filed before, practice handling its paws ahead of time.
- You may want to use treats to help your puppy get comfortable with filing.
- Locate the quick. The "quick" in each of your puppy's nails contains a blood vessel and a nerve. Although it is very unlikely that you will hit the quick while filing your puppy's nails, it is important to locate and avoid it. Look for a small, pink tube that runs through the center of the nail and ends before the tip.[6]
- If your puppy's nails are white, clear, or light colored, you should have no problem finding the quick.
- If your puppy's nails are black or very dark colored, it may be much harder to see the quick.
- Grasp each front paw in the palm of your hand. Sit behind your puppy and grasp each foot, gently but firmly, in your non-dominant hand. Holding your filing tool in your dominant hand, gently move it across the top and sides of each nail.[7]
- A nail grinder will only need to make 1-3 passes on the nail.
- With an emery board, dog nail file, or pumice stone make 10-15 passes, always moving in the same direction.
- Position your puppy on its side to file the back paws. With your puppy on its side, hold each of its back paws firmly in your non-dominant hand. Holding your filing tool in your dominant hand, carefully file the top and sides of each rear nail.[8]
- Lean over your puppy's body if you need to restrain it.
- Make 1-3 passes with a nail grinder.
- Make 10-15 passes with an emery board, dog nail file, or pumice stone.
- File your dog's nails several days in a row if this is an alternative to clipping. If you are filing your puppy's nails to smooth them out after clipping, you should only need to do this process once. If you've opted to file your puppy's nails as a clipping-alternative, you may want to repeat this process several days in a row, until your puppy's nails reach the desired length.[9]
- Reward your puppy for calm behavior. This will teach your puppy to associate remaining calm with getting a treat, which will make filing its nails in the future easier. If your puppy starts to move around when you're filing its nails, stop the process and hold off on the treats.
- Treats made specifically for dogs are the best option, but you can also use small pieces of human foods. If you opt for the human foods, though, make sure to avoid foods that could be toxic to dogs, including things like grapes, chocolate, avocado, and onions.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Make Protein Pancakes Posted: 10 Jul 2020 05:00 PM PDT Protein pancakes are an excellent option if you're trying to cut some calories while eating a delicious meal. They use protein powder in place of flour to create healthier pancakes, and can be easily customized using your favorite fruits or breakfast toppings. Protein pancakes are an excellent way to get your daily dose of energy before a busy day or to simply replace standard pancakes with a healthier alternative. [Edit]Ingredients [Edit]Standard Protein Pancakes - 2 eggs
- 2 scoops (40 g) of vanilla protein powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) of baking powder
- 6 tablespoons (90 mL) of water or almond milk
- Cooking spray, butter, or coconut oil
Makes 2 servings [Edit]Banana Protein Pancakes - 1 banana
- 2 eggs
- 2 scoops (40 g) of vanilla protein powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (2 g) of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (2 g) of salt
- 1/8 teaspoon (.5 g) of cinnamon
- Cooking spray, butter, or coconut oil
Makes 2 servings [Edit]Making Standard Protein Pancakes - Mix your eggs, protein powder, baking soda, and water in a bowl. Get a large bowl. Crack 2 eggs on your counter or the rim of the bowl, and empty the yolks and whites into the bowl. Add your 2 scoops (40 g) of vanilla protein powder, 1 teaspoon (5 g) of baking powder, and 6 tablespoons (90 g) of water. Mix the ingredients together with an egg whisk until the mixture has a uniform, thick texture and is even in color.[1]
- You can use almond milk instead of water if you want fluffier pancakes with a little more weight to them.
- This batter should be relatively thick, but may seem a little thinner than traditional pancake batter.
- Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat and oil it. Get a non-stick skillet and place it on your stove burner. Spray it with cooking oil to lubricate it. You can also use coconut oil or butter for some heartier pancakes. Let the skillet heat for 1-2 minutes as you measure out your batter.[2]
- If you're using butter, start on low heat first to prevent the butter from burning as you're weighing out your batter.
- Measure your batter out in a measuring cup to make calculating pours easy. Either pour your batter directly into the measuring cup or use a spoon or ladle to pour the batter into the cup. Fill your measuring cup with the batter and use your spoon to scoop out any batter sticking to the sides. This way you can pour the pancake batter accurately with the cup's spout while being precise about how much batter you're using in each pancake.[3]
- You can also just pour 3 evenly-sized pancakes if you don't care about keeping them identical. This may affect the cooking time though, as bigger pancakes will take longer to cook than smaller pancakes.
- Pour 3 pancakes into your skillet with between them. Use your measuring cup to pour your pancakes into the skillet. Pour 3 pancakes, using of the batter for each pour. Leave a few inches of space between each pancake so that the batter doesn't overlap in the pan.[4]
- Your pancakes should be roughly in diameter.
- Give each pancake that you pour 2-3 seconds to settle on the skillet so that you can see where the batter pools up.
- If you lubricated the skillet with butter, turn the heat back up to medium right before you pour the batter.
- Flip each pancake after the batter starts to bubble on top. After 3-4 minutes of cooking, you'll notice the batter start to bubble on the top of the pancakes. This means that the bottom has fully cooked through. Take a spatula and dig it underneath each pancake before flipping it over quickly by turning your wrist. Do your best to flip each pancake on top of the location where it had just been cooking.[5]
- Cook the other side of the pancakes for 3-4 minutes. If you cooked your pancakes for 3 minutes on the first side, cook them for another 3 minutes on the other side. If you cooked them for 4 minutes, cook the other side for an additional 4 minutes. Once your pancakes are done cooking, remove them with your spatula and place them on your serving plates.[6]
- You will be able to tell when the other side is done cooking by monitoring the edges of the pancake. If they're turning brown and hardening, they're finished.
- Garnish your pancakes with nuts, fruit, syrup, or powdered sugar. Once your pancakes are on the serving plates, you can top them with whatever toppings you enjoy. Walnuts and fresh fruit makes for a healthier dish, while syrup or powdered sugar will sweeten your pancakes.[7]
- If you really enjoy syrup but don't want the sugar, you can get sugar-free syrup and use that instead.
- You can store uneaten pancakes in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
[Edit]Creating Banana Protein Pancakes - Separate your egg yolks from the egg whites in 2 bowls. Crack your first egg by cracking it on the rim of the bowl or on your counter. Pour the egg yolk into your first bowl by keeping the yolk upright and pouring it back and forth between the 2 halves of the egg shell. Leave your yolk in the other bowl. Repeat this process for your second egg.[8]
- Beat the egg whites for 2 minutes until they become soft. Use a mixer or whisk to beat your eggs. If you're using a mixer, turn it on high and move it around in the bowl to thoroughly mix the whites. If you're using a whisk, use your wrist to spin the whisk in a circular motion around the sides and bottom of the bowl.[9]
- It may take an additional 1-2 minutes to whisk the eggs manually. You can tell when they're done if the eggs seem slightly thinner and fluffier than they did before.
- Cut your banana into smaller pieces and add them to the egg whites. Take your banana and peel it. Place it on a cutting board and use any kind of knife to cut the banana into a sequence of slices. Add the banana slices to the bowl filled with your egg yolks.[10]
- Add the rest of your dry ingredients to the bowl with the egg yolks. Pour 2 scoops (40 g) of vanilla protein powder, 1/4 teaspoon (2 g) of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon (2 g) of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon (.5 g) of cinnamon into the bowl with your egg whites and banana. Mix the ingredients with your whisk or mixer until they're thoroughly combined, forming a thick batter.[11]
- You can use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla if you prefer, but a lot of people think that chocolate protein powder tastes a little metallic when used in food.
- Pour your egg whites into the bowl with your ingredients and mix them. Take your bowl filled with the egg whites and slowly pour it around the edges of your mixed ingredients. Fold the batter into the egg whites using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Continue mixing the ingredients together for 3-4 minutes until the batter is uniform in color and texture.[12]
- Heat a large, non-stick skillet over low heat and lubricate it. Take a large, non-stick skillet and place it on a large burner. Spray the skillet with cooking spray, or coat the skillet with coconut oil. You can use melted butter to coat the skillet if you want a heartier meal. Let the skillet heat for 1-2 minutes.[13]
- If you use butter to coat your skillet, be careful to avoid burning the butter. If you see smoke or smell it burning, reduce the heat and add little more butter.
- Fill a standard measuring cup with your batter. Either pour the batter directly into your measuring cup by tilting the bowl over the rim, or use a spoon to scoop it out carefully. Fill your measuring cup with the batter. This will make it easier to calculate how much batter you're using with each pour. It will also be much easier to pour the batter, since you can use the spout on the cup.[14]
- You can also choose to simply pour the batter directly into the pan, but this will make it a little harder to get even pancakes.
- Pour 4 pancakes into your skillet, leaving between them. Use your measuring cup to pour 4 pancakes on your skillet, using with every pour. Wait 3-4 seconds after pouring each individual pancake to determine where one will stop and another will start. Leave a little space between each pancake.[15]
- Your pancakes should be roughly in diameter.
- Let your pancakes cook 90-120 seconds on each side. Let your pancakes cook for at least 90 seconds. When the batter starts to brown around the edges, dig your spatula underneath each pancake and flip it. Cook your pancakes on the other side for the same amount of time that you cooked them on the first side.[16]
- These pancakes won't bubble the same way that normal pancake batter does, so keep an eye on the edges of each pancake to make sure it's fully cooked.
- Remove your pancakes from the skillet and garnish them as desired. Use your spatula to remove the pancakes after they're done cooking. Place them on their serving plates and garnish them based on your personal preferences. Fresh fruit, nuts, powdered sugar, honey, cinnamon, or syrup will all make excellent toppings for your protein pancakes.[17]
- If you enjoy syrup but want to keep your dish healthy, consider getting some sugar-free syrup.
- You can store your uneaten pancakes for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Making Easy Protein Pancakes - Bowl
- Egg whisk
- Skillet
- Measuring cup
- Spoon
- Spatula
[Edit]Creating Banana Protein Pancakes - 2 Bowls
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Mixer or whisk
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring cup
- Spatula
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Play the Ukulele Posted: 10 Jul 2020 09:00 AM PDT The ukulele is a Hawaiian instrument with a carefree, jaunty sound. Its small size offers an ease of portability and gives players of all ages the chance to master it. Learn a bit about the basics of playing the ukulele, and eventually, you will be a great ukulele player! [Edit]Holding a Ukulele - Orient the ukulele so the neck is in your left hand. The neck refers to the thinner, longer portion of the ukulele. Turn the ukulele so that the neck points away from you to the left. Due to the way the strings are ordered, it's extremely difficult to learn to play if you hold the ukulele facing the other direction.[1]
- Restring the instrument if you're a lefty. If you flip the instrument around and hold it from the other direction, you'll have a really tough time learning the chords and practicing songs. You can restring a ukulele the same way you restring an acoustic guitar.
- There are a few different styles of ukulele. You can learn on basically all of them except the baritone ukulele, which is really big and probably not what you're holding if you've got a ukulele. The notes on this style of ukulele are a little different.[2]
- Stand or sit and brace the ukulele against your body. You can play standing or sitting. Either way, hold the ukulele a little below your chest with the neck pointing up at a 15-degree angle. Slide your right forearm on top of the body of the ukulele so that your right hand rests in front of the sound hole, which is the opening in the middle of the ukulele's body.[3]
- You don't support the ukulele from below if you play standing up. You simply pinch it against your body with your right forearm.
- If you play while sitting, you may find it easier to hold the ukulele by sliding your right leg over your left knee to brace the bottom of your ukulele with your right thigh.
- There are straps you can attach to the ukulele to wrap it around your neck like a guitar. You can use one of these if you want. Most players don't use straps since ukuleles tend to be very light, but you can buy one if you'd like.
- Rest your thumb on top of the first fret. The frets are the horizontal metal bars that separate notes and chords. Rest your left thumb on top of the topmost fret. Then, curl your 4 fingers underneath the neck so you can hold down strings from the other side of the neck. As you play, your hand may slide back and forth along the neck to hold down strings between other frets, but your thumb should always stay on top of the neck.[4]
- Your left hand should look a little bit like a letter C wrapping around the neck. It may feel a bit like you're making a claw with your hand.
- If your hands are on the smaller side and you can't reach the string on top from underneath, hold your thumb vertically against the back of the neck instead.
- Strum the ukulele with the side of your right index finger. Curl your right hand towards the strings over the sound hole. Stick your index finger out a little so you're pointing perpendicular to the strings. Rest your thumb against the pad near your fingertip so that you're making a teardrop shape with your thumb and index finger. To play, drag the side of your index finger along the strings so the tip of your finger brushes against the strings.[5]
- Unlike other stringed instruments, ukulele players almost never play specific notes. You'll almost always strum all 4 strings when you play songs.
- You can use a ukulele pick if you'd like, but picks are not popular among ukulele enthusiasts. The ukulele's soft notes tend to turn a bit harsh when you use a pick.
- If you watch professionals play, you may see them swinging an open hand up and down along the strings. Once you get good at strumming, you can drop the thumb and just play with the index finger. For now, keep the thumb against the index finger to maintain accuracy as you play.
[Edit]Learning Notes and Chords - Memorize the natural notes your strings make from bottom to top. You won't play individual notes when you're learning songs, but you must memorize them to make reading chord diagrams easier and understand the arrangement of the strings. Play each string on its own to identify the sound and commit it to memory. You'll notice that the deepest sound is actually the highest string. This is because ukulele strings are arranged backwards. The top note (G or 4) is the deepest while the lowest note (A or 1) is the highest.[6]
- In order, the strings from bottom to top are A (1), E (2), C (3), and G (4). On chord diagrams and beginner sheet music, you will usually see the numbers and letters.
- This can get a little confusing because the "top" string is technically the "bottom" note if you're talking about the sound. When you hear the phrase "top string" in tutorials, assume they're talking about G (4), which is the lowest note.
- Use a tuner to make sure each string is playing the correct note. Turn a tuner on, clip it to your headstock, and play each note individually. Turn the tuner for each string until you find the perfect tone.
- Practice playing the easier major chords, starting with C and F. The major chords are the most commonly used chords. Start with simple chords like C and F. To play a C chord, hold down A (1) under the second fret with your ring or index finger and strum all 4 strings. Play this 4-5 times to get used to how it feels. To play F, hold down the E (3) string under the headstock with your ring finger and the G (4) string with your index or middle finger under the first fret. Play this 4-5 times to get used to the feeling and sound.[7]
- When you play, the fingers that hold the strings down are up to you. Most players use their middle, index, and ring fingers to reach the highest strings (G (4) and C (3)) and move the same fingers to hold down the strings underneath it. However, you can rely on your pinky finger to always play the bottom strings if you prefer. For complex chords, you'll need to use your pinky and ring fingers on the bottom and your index and middle fingers on the top.
- Commit the other major chords to memory. The chords get a little more complicated after C and F, so master those first. Then, memorize the other major chords: D, E, G, A, and B. Start with A, which only relies on 2 fingers to hold down C (3) under the headstock and G (4) on the second fret. D, E, G, and B all require 3 fingers, so learn those last. Practice playing each of the chords to get used to playing all of them.[8]
- It may take 2-3 weeks to get used to all of these major chords. Luckily, there are plenty of songs that only rely on major chords if you want to play some songs! U2's "Still Haven't Found" only relies on C, F, and G, while Sublime's "What I Got" only requires D and G.
- For chords that involve holding down 2 adjacent strings along the same fret, use 1 finger to hold both strings down at the same time. You may want to learn D and E major last, since they both involve holding 3 strings down at the same time with the same finger.
- Don't even worry about strumming in a pattern or rhythm yet. Just focus on learning the finger positions on the neck.
- Familiarize yourself with the minor chords once you learn the majors. On chord diagrams, a lower case "m" next to a letter indicates it's a minor chord. The minor chords, Cm, Dm, Em, Fm, Gm, Am, and Bm aren't much harder to learn than the major chords. Start by memorizing Am, which only involves holding down the G (4) string under the second fret. Then, move on to practice the other minor chords and commit them to memory. Spend 2-3 weeks learning these chords.[9]
- The minor chords aren't more complicated than major chords, but it's better to learn chords in groups so that you have an easier time memorizing them and internalizing the sounds.
- There are thousands of songs that only rely on major and minor chords. You can start learning some full songs once you're at this point and work on the remaining chords as you play over time if you'd like.
- Memorize the seventh chords after mastering the majors and minors. Each chord has a "seventh" version. Within these chords, there are minor and major versions. For example, there is C7, Cmaj7, and Cm7. This means that there are 21 additional chords to learn, and most of these chords involve holding 4 strings down. Since these are the most complicated chords, learn these over time as you continue practicing. Start with the pure seventh chords, then move on to the majors. Finish by learning the minors.[10]
- You can easily play thousands of songs without the major and minor seventh chords. If you want to take it slow, just learn the basic seventh chords (A7, B7, etc.) and leave the majors and minors for later.
- One easy way to do this is to learn a new chord every day. Spend 10-15 minutes each day practicing your finger positions for a new chord.
- Try not to get overwhelmed. Many of these chords are quite easy to learn. For example, you can play Bm7 just by holding down all the strings under the second fret. Cmaj7 is identical to C major but you just move your finger up one fret.
- Pull up a chord diagram to refer to the finger positions for chords. Chord diagrams are images that relay finger positions for ukulele players. Pull up a chord diagram to refer to the finger positions. To read chord diagrams, pretend the neck is sitting vertically in the image so the strings are facing you. Each horizontal line represents a fret, while each vertical line is a string. The dots show you where your fingers go to play specific chords.[11]
[Edit]Strumming - Use a single chord to practice the 4 major strumming patterns. When it comes to the rhythm, there are 4 key strumming patterns. Since you can play a chord by dragging your finger down from G (4) to A (1) (top to bottom), or back up from A (1) to G (4), you can create different moods by strumming the strings in different patterns. Practice the patterns to commit them to memory.[12]
- Down, down, down, down — Strumming only from the top to the bottom produces a kind of melodic, heavenly feeling.
- Down up, down up, down up, down up — Repeatedly strumming down and up creates a kind of mesmerizing, positive tempo. The famous "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" relies on this strumming pattern.
- Down, down up, down, down up — With this pattern, the up strums turn a 4 beat into a 2 beat. This produces a kind of slower, somber pattern in most songs.
- Down, down up, up, down up — This is the opposite of the previous pattern. This places breaks in the 1 and 3 beat, which produces a kind of wondrous, ethereal sound.
- Read strumming patterns by following the Ds and Us as you play. On ukulele tutorials, the strumming pattern is listed under the chords. A "D" indicates a down, while a "U" indicates an up. A "DU" is a down and up on one beat. If you see a "/" it means that you're supposed to take a pause.[13]
- On traditional sheet music, the downstrum is represented by a square missing its bottom side and up strums are indicated with a "V" shape. Unless you already know how to read sheet music, it's easier to learn with the tutorial notations you're more likely to find as you look for songs to play.
- Develop a natural swing with your downstrums. As you're learning songs, always time your strumming so that you're strumming down on the beat. In other words, if you see a DU under a C7 chord, time your playing so that you're strumming down on the beat before strumming back up. While you're dragging your fingers across the strings, keep the C7 chord held down the entire time.[14]
- Strumming in the right pattern is the hardest part of playing the ukulele for most people. Try not to get frustrated as you're putting the strumming, timing, and chord positions together.
[Edit]Practicing and Learning Songs - Work on shifting between the chords you learn to get used to playing fluidly. For most people, the hardest part of playing the ukulele is switching between chords. When you start each practice session, review all of the chords you've learned so far by playing them one after another. This will help you get a sense for the kind of movements you need to make with your fingers to hold the strings down.[15]
- Learn some easy songs to put it all together. Go online and poke around for some ukulele song tutorials. Pick an easy song with a small number of chords. Start at the beginning of the song and play the chords in order using the strumming pattern listed alongside the chords. Practice playing the chords in a consistent tempo. Once you've learned an easy song, pick another one and keep going![16]
- Iz's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is an easy, classic option. It relies on a down up strumming pattern for most of the song and only requires C, G, Am, F, and Em chords.
- "You Are My Sunshine" is a fun, simple song that mainly relies on F and C. This is a great song if you're working on your timing since the entire song is in downstrums with only 1 up strum.
- "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac is a great song if you want to practice your chords since the finger patterns are kind of tough but the strumming is really straightforward.
- "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol is great option if you're struggling to switch between different frets with your fingers.
- Continue practicing every day to learn more complex songs. Play your ukulele every day to continue improving, learn more chords, and master the strumming patterns. Spend at least 15 minutes a day practicing. As you master some simple songs, look online for tougher songs that will challenge your skills with more complex strumming patterns and chord progressions.[17]
- There are ukulele tutorials out there for basically every song you can think of. Choose songs you really love to make learning to play more fun!
- If you find any tutorials that don't list the strumming pattern, that means it's up to you. Some songs that are adapted for the ukulele don't have built-in strumming patterns.
- Pick up a capo once you get good at playing. Capos are basically pads that hold down a fret on your ukulele to change the key. They aren't mandatory for beginners, but they're helpful if you want to play songs in different keys.
- The ukulele is a great instrument if you're trying to learn harder stringed instruments, like the guitar. Since there are only 4 strings, it's a lot easier to master the ukulele than other instruments.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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