# PediPaws, Peticure, Dremel, Nail Clipper?



## DarkSephiroth (Nov 11, 2007)

OK, so my Corgis have ridiculously long nails. 

I bought a PediPaws about a year ago, and it's weak. It runs on a couple batteries.. I could sit there for 5 minutes on each nail and it barely grinds anything. Now my PediPaws just sits in the corner and collects dust.
I've also seen the Peticure around, which plugs into the wall, but I haven't seen anyone use it.
I've heard good things about standard dremels as well, any tips on the right one?
Or is it best to just use a standard nail clipper?

Last time I got their nails trimmed was about 4 months ago, they sanded their nails in under 5 minutes at PetSmart and it worked great. Now both their nails are extremely long.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

DarkSephiroth said:


> OK, so my Corgis have ridiculously long nails.
> 
> I bought a PediPaws about a year ago, and it's weak. It runs on a couple batteries.. I could sit there for 5 minutes on each nail and it barely grinds anything. Now my PediPaws just sits in the corner and collects dust.
> I've also seen the Peticure around, which plugs into the wall, but I haven't seen anyone use it.
> ...


I like the dremel best of all. I use clippers to get the most off I can, and use the dremel to smooth it. On my own dogs, I use the dremel very often (anywhere from every day to weekly) to keep the nails where I want them. I use a dremel mini-mite:








It's battery operated, but the battery is powerful and holds a charge well. I also like that is has 2 speeds, and for learning how to handle having their nails filed low works best. High works best on my GSD who has nails like he's been kung fu fighting all night long 
Word of caution. If your dog is very active and the quicks are very long, it's best to be patient and get the quick back a little at a time instead of grinding down to the pink right off the bat. If you get the nails back as far as possible and the dogs' nails still touch the ground when they walk, over-activity can get them all bleeding. Not fun, because once you get them stopped, more activity will break them open again. 
I like Busters youtube video, by the way!!


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

I would just use the standard nail clippers and get it over with. You can use a dremel or other device to trim back a little further if you are nervous about getting too close to the quick, but if they are really long, it would probably just be easiest to do a quick trim before making them sit still long enough to get all nails short. I like to take my dogs out on long walks after a nail trim to dull them a but  its a little less stressful than the dremel (for mine, at least).


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## StephanieT (Apr 25, 2010)

I apologize ahead of time for this being not only my first post, but a very very lengthy post at that. I recently done my own test with all of the methods mentioned. I have six dogs ranging from nearly 50 to nearly 200 pounds. I am not a groomer, and I do not work with dogs (although I would love to). These are just my pets (some of which were rescues) and I love them dearly and want only the best for them. Some were deathly afraid of having their nails done, one has very brittle nails, and another had been neglected and severely overgrown. I speak only from my own experience with these dogs, but it's experience none the less. My personal advice would be to get a dremel. It is absolutely Awesome! I was very afraid to use one at first but now that I have I could never go back. If your dog's nails are very long, you could tip them with regular clippers but I don't personally use them at all due to the fact that they can squeeze and crack the nails (I have never hit a quick so that isn't where my fear with clippers comes from as with most people) and this causes some dogs alot of pain. I have tried the peticure/pedipaws as well; I ended up giving them away to a friend with a tiny dog as that is the only application that I see feasible for those products. I personally use the dremel 400 xpr (although I do plan to try the 10.8v cordless model in the future). It is an older model but still has all of the things that I looked for when picking out a dremel for pet use. The speed is fully adjustable with a wheel type knob that starts out at 5,000 rpms. Due to my fear of hurting the dogs when I first started, I purchased the Peticure Safe Guard from the manufacturer of pedipaws. It only fits certain models, but both the 400xpr and the 10.8v cordless are among the models that it fits. It is a nicer guard than what comes on the pedipaws and their other products, as it has numerous holes of different sizes for your dog's claws to fit through and it catches the dust. I would highly recommend this attachment to a beginner, as it will stop you from grinding your own nails, your dogs pads, or tangling up your own hair (all of these things I actually did when I started out but thank goodness there was no pain involved). Once I became accustomed to using the tool, I realized where the real beauty was in it. Once you move past using the guard you realize that some really nice shaping can be done once the protection is gone. But somehow (probably due to my nervousness) two of my dogs could tell that the safety device had been taken away (come to think of it, it may have the fact that taking the guard off made it a little louder) and became uneasy with it. So I purchased my next attachment. Dremel makes a 36" flex shaft attachment that not only allows the noisy motor to be placed farther away from the dog, but is also smaller and thus gives you a much better sense of control with the tool. Once I started using the flex shaft is when I started getting good lol. I would highly advise this attachment as well. By the way, I use 1/2" x 1/2" and 1/2" by 1/4" sanding mandrels. I normally use the dremel once a week, but if I slack off and the nails get longer than they should be, I still refuse to use the clippers. Instead I will use a 60 grit sanding band on the 1/2" mandrel. If this is what I am doing I will use the safe guard until I get to the right length. Once I reach the correct length, or if I am keeping up with my weekly schedule, I use a 120 grit sanding band on a 1/2" by 1/2" mandrel as my standard. If there is a hangnail or I need to do some precise shaping I finish everything off with a 240 grit (sometimes a 120 grit) sanding band on the 1/2" x 1/4" mandrel. I have tried alot of methods and when I first started I definitely found " DoberDawn " to be of much help to me. Just google her site and you'll get a good foundation to start on. Everything else I spoke of are the best variations that I have found to work on all of my dogs, and they have become my routine now. I never have a problem, and only wish I had bought a dremel 5 years ago. I'm so sorry to have taken up so much space but I did not have very much help when I started and have learned alot since then. Nice to be on this forum btw I've been lurking for a couple of years.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

StephanieT said:


> I apologize ahead of time for this being not only my first post, but a very very lengthy post at that. I recently done my own test with all of the methods mentioned. I have six dogs ranging from nearly 50 to nearly 200 pounds. I am not a groomer, and I do not work with dogs (although I would love to). These are just my pets (some of which were rescues) and I love them dearly and want only the best for them. Some were deathly afraid of having their nails done, one has very brittle nails, and another had been neglected and severely overgrown. I speak only from my own experience with these dogs, but it's experience none the less. My personal advice would be to get a dremel. It is absolutely Awesome! I was very afraid to use one at first but now that I have I could never go back. If your dog's nails are very long, you could tip them with regular clippers but I don't personally use them at all due to the fact that they can squeeze and crack the nails (I have never hit a quick so that isn't where my fear with clippers comes from as with most people) and this causes some dogs alot of pain. I have tried the peticure/pedipaws as well; I ended up giving them away to a friend with a tiny dog as that is the only application that I see feasible for those products. I personally use the dremel 400 xpr (although I do plan to try the 10.8v cordless model in the future). It is an older model but still has all of the things that I looked for when picking out a dremel for pet use. The speed is fully adjustable with a wheel type knob that starts out at 5,000 rpms. Due to my fear of hurting the dogs when I first started, I purchased the Peticure Safe Guard from the manufacturer of pedipaws. It only fits certain models, but both the 400xpr and the 10.8v cordless are among the models that it fits. It is a nicer guard than what comes on the pedipaws and their other products, as it has numerous holes of different sizes for your dog's claws to fit through and it catches the dust. I would highly recommend this attachment to a beginner, as it will stop you from grinding your own nails, your dogs pads, or tangling up your own hair (all of these things I actually did when I started out but thank goodness there was no pain involved). Once I became accustomed to using the tool, I realized where the real beauty was in it. Once you move past using the guard you realize that some really nice shaping can be done once the protection is gone. But somehow (probably due to my nervousness) two of my dogs could tell that the safety device had been taken away (come to think of it, it may have the fact that taking the guard off made it a little louder) and became uneasy with it. So I purchased my next attachment. Dremel makes a 36" flex shaft attachment that not only allows the noisy motor to be placed farther away from the dog, but is also smaller and thus gives you a much better sense of control with the tool. Once I started using the flex shaft is when I started getting good lol. I would highly advise this attachment as well. By the way, I use 1/2" x 1/2" and 1/2" by 1/4" sanding mandrels. I normally use the dremel once a week, but if I slack off and the nails get longer than they should be, I still refuse to use the clippers. Instead I will use a 60 grit sanding band on the 1/2" mandrel. If this is what I am doing I will use the safe guard until I get to the right length. Once I reach the correct length, or if I am keeping up with my weekly schedule, I use a 120 grit sanding band on a 1/2" by 1/2" mandrel as my standard. If there is a hangnail or I need to do some precise shaping I finish everything off with a 240 grit (sometimes a 120 grit) sanding band on the 1/2" x 1/4" mandrel. I have tried alot of methods and when I first started I definitely found " DoberDawn " to be of much help to me. Just google her site and you'll get a good foundation to start on. Everything else I spoke of are the best variations that I have found to work on all of my dogs, and they have become my routine now. I never have a problem, and only wish I had bought a dremel 5 years ago. I'm so sorry to have taken up so much space but I did not have very much help when I started and have learned alot since then. Nice to be on this forum btw I've been lurking for a couple of years.


_Wonderful_ post, and welcome!!
I've gotten my own hair caught in the dremel too, and (luckily) the dremel stops. It doesn't keep winding like an egg beater. It didn't hurt but sure freaked me out for 1/2 second! I still use clippers (mostly on customers dogs that don't get their nails done once a week). The dremel head can get hot if used on several dogs in a row, so this is something else to keep in mind. 
I teach my little dogs to lie in my lap, on their backs, to get their nails done. The big guy (german shepherd) was taught to lie on his side, but seems happier to stand up. I do one foot at a time, with the paw pointing back (think how a farrier would shoe a horse). For some reason, if the shepherd SEES his nails being done (if I hold the foot straight out), he gets antsy. If he can't see it, it's all good 
One of the most common mistakes I see with nail trimming (no matter what tool) is holding the dogs' foot at an un-natural and uncomfortable angle. I don't pull the foot out and towards me, or back and towards me. Most dogs who "hate" having their nails done only hate having their leg pulled around at an uncomfortable angle, and corgi's (and doxies, for that matter) come to mind with their short legs. A lot of dogs too fight "restraint" (having someone pin them down) or having their foot in a death grip (to hold it still) more than they fight the actual procedure. Someone I know personally is amazed at how good my dogs are for their nails being dremeled, and say their dogs don't behave nearly that well. Their first puppy nail trim was one of the owners holding the puppies paw with a death grip and their spouse pinning them down by their neck  No wonder the (now adult) dog heads for the hills whenever the dremel comes out. I welcome my grooming (customers) dogs to stand, sit, or lie down during nail trimming. A comfortable dog is an easy dog to work with! Occasionally a few dogs just can't handle the dremel, and a helper comes in handy, to either help hold the dog (not manhandle!) or to offer the dog "moral support" (this may sound stupid, but it has come in very handy many times in our salon. Sometimes all they need is an extra person there reassuring good behavior!)
Doberdawns site is excellent. I printed her dremel page out and keep it in my grooming notes. I am the only groomer who dremels nails at our salon, because everyone says I do the best job  I credit doberdawns website for that!


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## StephanieT (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks so much for the welcome. The hair getting caught was indeed very scary. I was using a corded model dremel and I don't really know if it would have stopped or not, as I went into panic mode and jerked the cord out of the wall before it had the chance lol. Good to point out that the dremel gets hot. I never hold it on a nail for more than a second. I've never had it get too hot that way (5 dogs in a row) using the 1/2" mandrel, but be careful with the 1/4" because it gets hot quicker. My dogs are also trained to just lay there and let me do it, but for their comfort and my peace of mind, I have a certain way that I hold/restrain them just to make sure any sudden movements won't cause an accident. It's hard to explain, but I sit on the floor with my back against the wall and my feet on the floor which puts my knees in the air. I lift my legs and have the dog lay on its side with its back against me. I then lay my knees down. Each of my shins are between the dog's front and rear legs. One knee lays on the tail (not purposely thats just how it works) and the other lays on the dog's neck. I do not put pressure on the neck, I just block the head from getting in my way. I hope this makes sense. It works wonderfully on my calm dogs, and when I do my neighbor's (who is insane lol) it works to hold him down if thats what it comes to. My husband also gives the dogs treats and pets their heads while it is being done. I agree with the dogs hating their legs being pulled and such, and I find that none of that is necessary with the way I have them lay. When I finish one side I just have the dog get up and lay back down with its head facing the other direction. Although my Rottie is just too big to fit underneath me like that without smashing me, and he doesn't like to be still when he lays down, so I do his while he stands as well. But he is my only exception because of his size. Like I said before I am not a groomer and don't own any equipment or a table, so this is just how I do it at home. And I agree one hundred percent with using doberdawn as a reference. Without her site I would have never gotten up the courage to start dremeling on my own. I am so glad that there are people here to help everyone now lol.


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