# I am terrified to trim my dogs nails.



## becksterorange (Nov 13, 2010)

They really need to be trimmed and the quick looks huge and some of the nails are black. This is my first dog. The vet trimmed them once and another time the groomer trimmed them. I can't afford to do it this way and really need to learn. How much does it cost to just get your dogs nails trimmed and will they show you how? Or does anyone have any tips. We have a dremel, but it only has one speed (high). There is no way in h**l I'm gonna use that. What will happen if I accidentally cut the quick? :help:


----------



## Yvonne (Aug 6, 2010)

They now have a clipper that tells you when you are to close to the quick. Keep some stop bleeding powder on hand and take the tips off at first there are some teaching posts I am sure online. On the under side of the nail you sometimes see a groove growing like an inverted v and all of that part till the nail becomes round again can be trimmed well.


----------



## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

> What will happen if I accidentally cut the quick?


He'll probably yelp, and he'll definitely bleed. Unless you have a freak dog like Mirada, who doesn't even bat an eye when you quick her.

I dremel all my dogs nails (and the cat) with a Dremel Minimite. Bought from walmart, $20. I do everybody's nails on high. In fact, I did everybody's nails two days ago. I do Mirada's nails twice weekly, and Strauss's once a week. Barrett is as needed.

It's really not hard, they just need to get used to it, and all three of my animals handle it differently. Mirada lays on the couch, offers each foot, and basically acts like she's the Queen who absolutely deserves every moment of attention during her "Mani Pedi". Strauss is a foot puller and just plain doesn't wanna let me do it, but does because he knows I'll make him anyway. Barrett, well, he weighs 9 pounds and I just hold him on his back in my lap and buzz him and then set him free. He prefers it to clips.


----------



## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

IMO the dremel is actually safer than clippers if you're worried about hurting the dog since most dogs will pull away if you get too close to the quick with the dremel. They don't have a chance to do that with clippers. 

I was afraid to do my dog's nails, too, but you'll get over that. Now I snip the tips off with clippers and sand the rest with the dremel on high.

Check out this video on training your dog to accept it - will help you learn to get more comfortable with it, too. Fast forward to about 3 minutes into it. Note - the trainer uses a clicker in the video but you can use a verbal marker such as "Good" instead of a click. Having a calm dog to work with will help to calm you, too.






Pick up some styptic powder like this to use in case you do cut a quick - follow directions on the package. In 4 years I haven't quicked my dog but it's bound to happen some time so I'm prepared http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1763

It really just takes practice. When I first started I wasn't taking enough off but over time I was able to figure out how to trim the nails more closely. 

My dog hates grooming but with enough peanut butter (for both of us!) it's not a big deal any more for either of us.

Good luck!


----------



## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Xeph said:


> He'll probably yelp, and he'll definitely bleed. *Unless you have a freak dog like Mirada, who doesn't even bat an eye when you quick her.*
> 
> I dremel all my dogs nails (and the cat) with a Dremel Minimite. Bought from walmart, $20. I do everybody's nails on high. In fact, I did everybody's nails two days ago. I do Mirada's nails twice weekly, and Strauss's once a week. Barrett is as needed.
> 
> It's really not hard, they just need to get used to it, and all three of my animals handle it differently. Mirada lays on the couch, offers each foot, and basically acts like she's the Queen who absolutely deserves every moment of attention during her "Mani Pedi". Strauss is a foot puller and just plain doesn't wanna let me do it, but does because he knows I'll make him anyway. Barrett, well, he weighs 9 pounds and I just hold him on his back in my lap and buzz him and then set him free. He prefers it to clips.


Poor Mogwai 
Aside from all the advice given, I'll stress that you'd be farther ahead taking too little off than too much. You can always snip a bit more off, but you can't paste it back on! I've quicked dogs before (cut their nails too short). It happens. It's not the end of the world, and most dogs are pretty forgiving if you do. 
DON'T go into it with a vice grip on your dog, hoping to "restrain" them. A LOT of dogs who fight on nail trims are fighting the restraint, not the actual clipping. 
I dremel; I prefer it. But if a dogs' nails are very very long, you can clip a little and dremel a bit to start working the quick back. I dremel Auz's nails 2-3 times a month and the papillons nails are dremeled weekly. Dude stands on a table, Tag lays in my lap (on his back), and Auz either stands 4-square or lies on his side, whichever he prefers. (He pulls less if he's standing). You might experiment to see which suits your dog best.


----------



## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Izze lays down for her nail trimming, she doesn't like is, but she puts up with it. I only trim the tips off because she runs a lot & generally wears thwm down, but since she is a lottle toed-in, they don't weasr evenly so I help out there. Her dewclaws I trim them as short as I can get them. I have never quicked a dog before because I pay attention to their body lengo, they always tell me when I'm getting too close to their quick then is comfortable for them.


----------



## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

I clip Cracker's nails with a trimmer. She stands foursquare and I tip the feet to pads up so I can see what I'm doing. If you only take the very tip off (kind of shaving small amounts off) and watch for a white dot to appear, then you know you are getting closer to the quick. See the dot, stop the clipping. The more frequent you clip, the shorter you will be able to go. Lots of treats and a good reward at the end and he'll be good to go.


----------



## lucysdoghouse (Nov 24, 2007)

It is usually around 10-12 dollars to get your dog nails trimmed. It is real easy though. 45 degrees to the nail. Start from the tip and work your way back with a few smaller cuts instead of one big cut. Styptic powder is the way to go. You will likely cut the quick once in a while. If you have a big dog I would recommend the guillotine clippers and scissor style clippers for smaller dogs. 

Have some treats on hand for afterwards and heep on the praise. It will make it easier the next time.


----------



## BrittanieJo (Sep 23, 2010)

Aggie freaks the Heck out when I try to cut her nails so I take her to petsmart where they do it for 11 dollars twice a month. I'm going to try to get a pedi paws and see if she will let me do that. The funniest part is when they do her nails she just hands her them paw, we have to tackle her and lay on top of her to do it and she screams like I'm breaking her nails off one by one. It's actually really pathetic and funny, especially since I went to do them the other night since they were getting long and I didn't feel like taking her and my poor hubs thought I was trying to kill her. I know it's because I got her quick when she was real little, but honestly, it was ONE time dog I'm usually very good and fast at it, but it's just too much of a pain with Aggie. The key is to take off a little at a time and do it once a week at first so the dog gets used to it and so you aren't taking too much off. That's my opinion anyhow lol.


----------



## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

I would advise against the pedipaws. It's a piece of junk. Better to just go to Walmart and buy a Dremel for $20


----------



## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

I dremel. If you get a little of the quick it cauterizes and you don't see any blood. Just check for the dot like Cracker said. My dogs don't mind it at all they lay on their sides on the kitchen floor on a rug and I am done in about five minutes. Love my dremel no sharp nails even after a trim!


----------



## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

I had this problem with Icesis's black nails. We have a groomer here that will cut and dremel both our dogs' nails for 10$, so we just take advantage of that. =)
In terms of prices, look at small grooming places rather than chains like PetCo, since they tend towards lower cost for the same thing.


----------



## valsh (Mar 9, 2009)

I have a 60 pound dog and I always dread trimming those suckers as his nails are are pretty dark to black in some spots, so it makes it tougher to find the quick. From what i am reading I have another excuse to by a dremel, sounds like a good way of doing it.
I always try and trim them after a bath hoping they are a bit softer as is with human nails.
Last time I did it I did cut one to short and I did hear a yelp and then the blood. Luckily that styptic powder works like a charm and dog is tough. He just got an extra treat during the session with some extra hugs in the process.

Wow just looked at my avatar and thought... boy has he grown.


----------



## PiperPuppy (Nov 28, 2010)

I cut both my cat and puppy's nails myself with a small clipper made for the job. My cat is a breeze. He just lies there and watches me do it. My puppy is a nightmare. I can cut ONE nail and she is in a crazed state, yipping and running away. So my "fix" for this is to clip them while she is asleep!! It works great. I learned this trick when my kids were infants. Worked on babies, works on Piper. LOL.


----------

