Sorry! The neighbor recently asked me to trim her cat’s nails. My technique is I lie on the cat and extrude the limbs as necessary to my work. Not 50# of cat, though.
Due respect, but there are former Presidents of the United States who disagree with you:
YouTube – about a minute and a half
Though, personally, I endorse your recommendations 
I hope the handsome Cole is fully recovered and perfectly okay!
He’s perfectly ok with too-long toenails. Little wimp! I hate it when dogs scream (which he just did). I weigh about 225# but I can’t corral him if he freaks out. Doesn’t help that he’s slick coat with 2% body fat and EXTREMELY strong.
We found a grooming place for our dog known for cheap drop-in nail clipping. All the dogs are in one open area with grooming tables and straps and the groomers are really fast - bam bam bam done! The dogs seem to follow each other’s lead and tolerate it since it’s over in just a few seconds. Our dog also has black nails, and they’ve been nicked several times by us, and won’t let us do them, only the speed groomer.
Unfortunately that place closed a few months ago. Idk where my daughter is taking her now (it’s actually her dog but they both live with me).
Himself and his older brother, Lucas. Talk about a couch made for dogs!
I just scared the dog laughing out loud at this! I can picture it, and it’s hilarious!
I say this as someone who has clipped the nails/hooves of every animal I’ve ever owned, including goats, llamas, horses, big/little dogs and cats.
But I tried everything with the now-16 lb. dachshund, who was more like 11 lbs. when I was attempting to do his nails on my own, including tightly fastening him into the hanging hammock, using either a nail trimmer and dremel. He defeated them all in short order. This dog can fight (though thankfully, he won’t bite).
I now take him to a kennel that’s not too far from my house. It still takes 2 people to do his nails, but he’s much better than he used to be. They are lovely and patient with him. He prefers a dremel.
Petsmart it is. $32 for a shampoo, nail trim and “sanitary check.” I will tip well in advance!!!
Or dogs made for a couch! 
Good plan. 
Wow, so he’s tweenie! One of our dachshunds (Shanni) had legs so short, her dewclaws curved into little scimitars that would cut her if they grew too long. The first time we noticed it, we felt so bad, but she gave us no hint. From then on, we had to check her out periodically.
And a beagle we had when we were in high school got upset by 4th of July fireworks, and one year we forgot to get her tranquilizer until it was too late. We gave her a little saucer of beer. The funny part was after she finished lapping it up, she looked at us and let out the biggest belch.
LOL, yes, he got way bigger than was represented to me he would. I think I’ve got him down to around 15 pounds now, he was starting to chunk up a bit. But really, with those paws I should have known. They’re still huge when compared to the rest of the dog! I’ll have to post some updated pics in an appropriate thread when I get the chance.
I’m glad Ollie’s dew claws were removed. Poor Shanni! Did she at least let you clip the claws when you needed to? (She must have. )
Yes, please!
Surprisingly, she was o.k. with it. I think she knew it would stop the pain. We were just so surprised that she hadn’t given us any clue there was a problem until she was actually bleeding. And she was our most snappy dog. We called her crocodile (pronounced: crock-o-DEE-lay) because she was so prone to snapping at us if we did something she didn’t like, such as moving her two inches on the couch. She was a trip.
Ollie is that big? Wow.
He was teenie tiny.
Yes, he’s grown a bit. I promise, new pics soon, but I’ll post 'em in this thread:
I tried Trazadone with our dogs and did not like its effects.
I am currently enthralled with Gabapentin. Our dog Loki has extreme thunderstorm/gunfire phobia. As soon as I realize a storm is brewing, I give her 300 mg gabapentin. No drowsiness, no hangover, no trembling! She is happy as a clam.
That’s my plan for Petsmart. Thanks for the dosing advice (Cole is 50# so likely lighter than Loki, but I will be fine if he’s a little groggy).
Yeah, we had good results with Gabapentin, as well.
If he’s very food motivated, you might be able to do it yourself at home without meds. I use a Dremel on my dogs’ nails and it works out great. They were nervous at first, but after a while they got comfortable with it. Now when they hear me pull the Dremel out, they come in the room and lie down on their own. I’m sure they’re showing up for the treats, but regardless, it’s mostly a stress-free experience for all involved.
Hey, that’s definitely worth a treat. I sometimes get myself a treat after i need to do something stressful. It helps me recover my equilibrium. Why not do the same for a dog.
Oh, he’s food motivated, but not enough for nails. We took him to Petsmart and I tipped 50% in advance. Their grooming prices are absurdly low IMHO. They wrassled him. We realized this is the first time the boys have been apart since we adopted Cole–they were both very upset by being separated. Maybe we’ll take them both next time…