Cranky Dog needs his nails trimmed and I need a better way to do it. I currently use a pair that look a lot like this one but in a different color scheme. Cranky Dog hates it. At least half the time I clamp down, he yelps a little. In general, he won’t cooperate even though he is otherwise a very cooperative dog. He’s a sweet, 60-pound black Labrador retriever with black nails, so I have to be careful not to cut the quick.
Which clippers do you like and why?
Any experience using a Dremel? I have a Dremel 4000 and I know a lot of people swear by them for nails although I have read that heat buildup can make it uncomfortable for the dog. 60 grit discs like these seem to be the hot ticket. Or, I can get this kit for $12 which includes the nail guard, etc. that’s supposed to make it easier. Are the extra accessories necessary or worth it?
The only claw on Leet the Wonder Dog[sup]TM[/sup] that I ever have to trim is his dew claws, which I should have had removed but he was too old when I got him. The rest get worn down on Nice Walks on concrete.
But I just use a clipper similar to the first one you cited. He doesn’t like it, but usually my daughter does it, and he will tolerate anything from her. As long as care is taken not to cut the quick, he shivers and looks forlorn, but it is over quickly. It looks to me like the other options you cite would take a lot more time and be accordingly more stressful.
I watched my dad do it a thousand times, and a straightforward “give me your paw - hold still, I won’t hurt you” and then click click gets the whole business over in a minute or less. I think he would panic more if I tried to sand down his nails than just cut them.
I use a dremel. I like it because there’s no chance of cutting the quick and hurting the dog. Avoid heating up the dog’s nail by only touching it very briefly to each nail. Some dogs also dislike the noise, so if your pup is like that you can desensitize him to it with gradual introductions.
The ones marketed for trimming pet’s nails are weak and useless. Just buy an inexpensive Dremel from Home Depot or Lowes with replaceable grit rolls. Medium-powered ones will trim the nails quickly so you don’t have to work so hard or try your dog’s patience as much.
I use a battery-powered Dremel. Instead of grinding a lot away, I just grind a little bit away and I do it every few days. Just doing a light treatment goes much better than trying to grind a lot off. Although my dogs aren’t wild about it, they will come on their own and lay down when I get the stuff to do their nails. They know it’s time when they hear the crinkly bag that the treats are in that they get only when I do their nails.
Here’s how I do it. The first few times I would have someone give them treats while I was doing their nails. After a few times when they’re used to it, I can do it by myself and give them a treat after each paw. After doing each nail, give their toe and paw a little rub to distract from the feeling. If they pull their paw back, I pet them and comfort them while leaving the dremel running. Then I gently resume when I can. If they are fighting it too much, I just do a superficial job so they don’t think they can cut it short. After each paw I turn the dremel off and give them a treat. Then when they’re all done, I give them a few treats. The treats I use for trimming are just given for trimming. That way when they see and hear the bag, they know it’s for trimming and not for anything else.
One other benefit of the dremel is that you can thin the sides of the nail so that it will naturally wear down quicker. Rather than having to cut the nail short, grind the sides down a bit and the nail will wear down more while the dog walks around normally.
Charge the battery of the dremel each time since the battery doesn’t last that long.
:smack: I hate to admit it, but I use a nice pair of wire cutters on Ted. He’s the only one of the 4 that require trimming. He has clear nails, and they grow very fast and get very sharp, but easy to clip because you can see the quick. The others all have black nails, and wear down when we go on our daily soiree in the desert. Strange.
simster, I’m generally willing to throw money at a problem when it saves me time or aggravation. Going to the groomer takes more time than just clipping his nails and bathing him. He likes baths and I like giving them to him anyway.
I started to clip his nails yesterday with the the Dremel. I let it run and shoveled treats in his mouth while he sniffed it a little. When he seemed comfortable with it, I tried to trim the nail. He took off. There was no getting him comfortable with the Dremel again. It’s not the sound he hates; it’s the sensation.
The good news is that his nails aren’t as long as I thought. Only one was touching the ground and one was close. I used an old nail file to shorten those two. The others were at least a couple millimeters from the ground when he’s standing.
I’m still looking for advice on the best nail clipper for next time but I think the Dremel is out.
We have a groomer that shows up at the house in a van - we let them take the kids - they generally come back happy and smelling better.
It’s likely ‘me’ - but I have never been good at clipping the nails - I had one vet say that I was too high strung and caused the dogs to get more nervous - even trying to hold the dog for the vet to clip them. If I left the room - the vet clipped them in no time.
So - I gave up - this is easier for them and for me.
This seems to be true but also too late to help me. I thought I was taking it slow but you are right, it wasn’t slow enough.
It used to be easy. I hardly had to trim his nails because walking and playing on rough surfaces kept his nails short. When I did trim his dew claws every once in a while, he would cooperate fully. Now he yelps.
If you’re guy can show up at my house and finish within 15 minutes of my calling him and charge $10 or less, I’ll hire him. Otherwise, I’d rather just find something that will make my dog yelp a little less. Right now, I can just file them if I’m willing to spend 20 minutes or more.
I have some like the ones the OP linked to, that I’ve used on dogs and cats. The dogs never like it. The cats don’t like it much either but if I catch them when they’re asleep, which fortunately is not at all difficult, I can do it quick.
I’ve also used toenail clippers made for humans (there was a long period when i couldn’t find the pet clippers). I don’t trim off very much and they worked fine. I have the ones with a straight edge although for claws it doesn’t really matter.
I use the kind shown in the OP. The trick is to not torque the nail bed. i hold the nail with one hand’s thumb & forefinger, then whittle small pieces of nail off with the clipper in the other hand. Without supporting the nail with one hand, you are putting twisting force on the toenail bed, which hurts.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll try harder to support the nail. Right now, his response to my taking his paw is to pull his paw back as quickly as he can so holding onto the nail to keep it straight is hard.
He gets a treat after every clip. Sometimes more than one if he doesn’t run away.
I’d put the nail clippers away for now. Instead, just work on his allowing you to handle his feet. Do 3 minute sessions where he has to sit, stay, allow you to examine a foot, then he gets a tiny treat (I use cooked turkey liver cut up into teeny pieces).
Once you reach the point where you can have him sit and allow foot holding/exams you can then get the clippers out and do a nail.
When our dogs were puppies (the ones obtained as pups) I would trim a nail or two every day. Puppy nails grow quickly, so by trimming one nail a day (and giving a treat) by the time you have done all the nails it is time to start over.
He’ll let me play with his paws all day - treats or not - as long as I don’t have the clippers out. He’s smart enough to recognize them. I’m sure he won’t forget the Dremel soon either. Filing his toenails is easy since that doesn’t seem to bother him much.