# how to clip nails??



## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

so i have two short haired dogs, that really don't need any professional grooming. but what about their nails? i am too scared to cut them myself, i mean i do, but always just a little tiny bit and they are still too long :-/ 
do you all cut your short haired dogs nails yourself? or where can i go get them trimmed? i also tried that paw pedicure type of thing, but it does not seem to work very good.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I trim Sydney's nails weekly with a dremel. Her nails are black and she's fussy about it so it's just easier than using trimmers.


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## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

thats like the pedi paw thing. but maybe i just need a better one, because the one i have does not seem to do much. and i am too scared to clip them myself, especially with the black dog. i can not see, how short i can cut them.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

you'll find most people will recommend a dremel. It's much more reliable and easier to use than those ones made especially for dogs. The pet ones tend to be lacking in power.


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## Hitchington (Jun 11, 2012)

I bring Hitch to the vet about every 4 weeks to get his nails trimmed (his nails don't grow fast). They will also weigh him, look him over, and sometimes take his temp.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Dremel MiniMite. Hard to screw up by quicking them or yanking the nail etc. Makes nice smooth ends.

The "pedipaws" thing is underpowered and basically junk for anything other than maybe a small dog with soft nails.


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## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

ok thanks. i know, pedi paw is not working...and they recommended it at the petstore :-/ and the lady even asked, what kind of dog i have, oh well.
i think i will bring them to a grooming place to get them short and then just do it weekly myself. cause right now, the red ones nails are waaay too long and i cant really see how short i coud trim them.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Of course they recommended it, they sell it there 

A groomer can be a place to start but they will only be able to get them a little shorter most likely. The longer the nail, the longer the quick has grown out too. My current foster arrived to the rescue with very long nails. The vet trimmed them back a bit, but couldn't take them back very far. So I have used the dremel about 2 times per week to slowly work them back. They now do not touch the floor and are noticeably shorter (as in, the rescue woman who had seen her on day 1 commented on them while we were just walking around).


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Salina said:


> ok thanks. i know, pedi paw is not working...and they recommended it at the petstore :-/ and the lady even asked, what kind of dog i have, oh well.
> i think i will bring them to a grooming place to get them short and then just do it weekly myself. cause right now, the red ones nails are waaay too long and i cant really see how short i coud trim them.


If they are way too long, the quicks have probably grown as well. If this is the case, the groomer will only be able to take the tips off of them. To shorten the quicks you'll have to dremel as short as physically possible with a dremel every couple of days for a few months (obviously depending on how long they are) to get them to recede. It's a slow process but very rewarding to see a transformation like this. 










If the quick isn't visible, look inside the nail. You should see that it's "filled up" to a point and that's where the quick ends. All that "empty space" can be removed. Hope this makes sense. It's always weird to describe, lol.


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## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

ok thanks. i did not know that the quick will grow more "into the nail" :-/ glad i did not cut them myself. 
they sold a lot of different ones there, dont understand why she gave me the pedi paw. i guess i will do some dremel shopping tomorrow.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Salina said:


> ok thanks. i did not know that the quick will grow more "into the nail" :-/ glad i did not cut them myself.
> they sold a lot of different ones there, dont understand why she gave me the pedi paw. i guess i will do some dremel shopping tomorrow.


The dremel's we're talking about are usually not specifically made for pets, so you probably wouldn't be able to find it in the pet store. The ones marketed for dogs are really crappy. Here's what we're talking about. http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-750-02...id=1348454559&sr=8-2&keywords=minimite+dremel

This pet one seems to have come out since I bought mine. Looks to have exactly the same specs as the one above (which is what I have). The only difference seems to be the color and the paw print on the front, LOL. http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-7300-P...id=1348454559&sr=8-3&keywords=minimite+dremel


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

This page shows where the quick is and how to avoid it. If you cut the outside part then you avoid the quick.
http://www.lakesidevets.com/site/view/173225_TrimNails.pml

The dog's nail has a hard outer part that is on the outside and curves to form the sides much like a horse's hoof. Inside that is a softer core and inside that is the quick which is fleshy with nerves and blood vessels. I use a dremel to shorten the nail and round off the shard edges. Max lets me know when I am getting to the softer part so I don't ever quick him. Here is another page with photos attempting to show this.
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/dog_claws.aspx

Look for doberdawn's page. I don't see it up right now but it is wonderful. I used that to train Sassy to tolerate nail grooming. I use a 12 year old 2 speed cordless dremel and it is just right. If the spinning head gets caught in Max's feathers then it stalls but it takes off the nail fast enough as well.


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## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

so, i bought a dremel. works great  what kind of "tool/sandpaper thingy" do you use?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I use coarse sandpaper. The larger 1/2" diameter works better for me than the small 1/4" one, not sure why.


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## ohbehave (Apr 20, 2012)

Interesting to learn that the blood/nerves "retract" when cut.

I once had a dog with nails that were too long...and when I cut them just short of the "quick", they were still too long.

I brought the dog to have her teeth cleaned and asked the vet to cut all of her nails very short while she was under anesthesia so that I could start fresh with short nails.... and so that the quick would be retracted toward the paw.

The vet said that it didn't work like that. (I was only guessing that the quick could be shortened, so I assumed I was wrong)


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## wishiwas (Mar 3, 2008)

To get it to recede, you have to take the nail as short as possible, the more often the better. Usually at least once a week. This is why a dremel is so helpful if you want it to recede. If you're just cutting with clippers, it is hard to get it back far enough to actually push it back. With the dremel, you can not only get it straight back as far as possible, but also take down the top and sides of the nails immediately surrounding it. I try to expose the little area protecting the quick a little if I'm trying to work back a dog's nails. At least on my dogs, the part sticking out ends up pushed back after they walk around a little while. If you go that far, there is a chance the nails could bleed a little if they walk on concrete or similar too soon afterward.

Personally, I prefer the dremel stylus over the minimite. It has more power. But the mini will do.

It's always a good idea to have some quik-stop on hand just in case you do go too far. Corn starch will also usually work to stop the bleeding. Just pack the nail with it well, and apply a little pressure until it stops.

Some vets will cut the nails way back while the dog is under, but this is actually cutting into the quick on every nail. So all the nails bleed and are generally cauterized. This makes the dog's paws sore for some time afterward, so a lot of vets won't do it unless there is a real need to.


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## ohbehave (Apr 20, 2012)

Thanks Wishiwas!

So, this pup is certainly squirmy and unhappy about nail trimming. I have paid others to do it while I have occasionally trimmed a nail or two under happy conditions. 

Regardless, I can imagine that a dremmel will probably not be recieved very kindly. My dog has that tightly wound, fire-in-the-belly type personality... like a Jack Russel type of dog personality. 

Pressing her toe nails against a spinning, whrrrring machine? Wow. I can't imagine. Her reaction to a vacuum is already dramatic enough!

I'll probably go get a dremmel anyway because they are useful in general....and give it a try.


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## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

just get the dog used to it slowly. let it sniff when its off. touch her all over her body, but a treat on it...
once thats ok, turn it on and just let her sniff, look,...then touch her, without doing anything. then touch her feet and get close with it while its on, but dont use it...then use it for like a second, praise, treat and stop. after a break or the next day, same again but maybe two nails...and so on. if your dog doesn't like things like that, it takes awhile. 
but once they are used to it, its great. my dogs nails look really nice now. i used it twice a week until i had them short enough.


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