Dog Nail Trimmers – What To Use
There have been numerous posts and questions about using the various nail trimmers on the market. The vast majority of people are expressing difficulty using the “pet” quality nail grinders. Why might this be? Let’s talk a bit about trimming your dog’s nails. We will talk briefly about cat nails later on. Right now, dogs require a more sophisticated approach.
The pet quality nail grinders are NOT able to grind a long nail down to an acceptable length. They just do not have the power or the sandpaper strength you will find in a proper dremel tool. The pet quality grinder may (just may) work all right to keep your dog’s nails buffed back after having been properly trimmed.
First, your dog needs to have the nails trimmed with a standard nail clipper. There are several types on the market that operate by hand in a guillotine fashion on the nail. You need to trim tiny pieces of nail off at a time in order to safely remove the dead nail and not cut into the quick. On a light colored nail, you should easily be able to see the vein and you want to keep your cut well in front of the end of the vein. On dark nails it is best to trim slivers off at a time until you begin to see a dark circle in the center of the nail. If you trim your dog’s nails slowly, and tiny pieces at a time, you will prevent cutting the quick. Cutting the quick or vein is what causes a dog to associate nail trimming with pain; and what then causes him to fight the process, making it both dangerous and more upsetting for both of you.
If your dog will not tolerate you trimming back the nail, please make an appointment with either your veterinarian or your favorite groomer to trim the nails back for you.
Now that the nails are trimmed back correctly you can use your grinder to keep them trimmed back and short. If your dog is still fighting with you when you attempt to use the grinder, then you will need to do some reconditioning training with her. Offer treats and praise for even the smallest of positive behavior. This means you may be starting from giving her praise simply for not running out of the room when you turn on the grinder…or even more basic, you give her a treat for letting you hold her paw and touch her nails with your fingertips.
The process make a take a fair amount of time and patience. You can talk to your groomer or dog trainer for more information or to show you how to do this training. As a groomer myself, I see many, many dogs each and every day that have been conditioned to react with severe behavior when having their nails trimmed due to incorrect handling earlier in their lives. I spend extra time with these dogs doing this reconditioning training, praising and gentle handling. It takes only a couple visits to our shop for these dogs to relax and allow us to work on their feet.
It will not pay to rush or force your dog to comply with the nail trimming. You have to establish a positive learning experience and be gentle in your approach. Enlist the assistance of your veterinarian or a professional groomer to show you the best way to trim your dog’s nails. Use the pet quality nail grinder or an actual dremel tool (you would find these in the hardware department/tools department at most stores) to file the nails on a weekly basis after having the nails trimmed using a manual clipper.
Tags: 
