# Do You Clip Your Dogs Nails?



## BUFFY (May 31, 2006)

i used to clip my dogs nails, but he would start to bleed, so i stopped, the thing is, he runs around on the cement a lot, so that kinda sands them down...except he's hasen done that in a long time, so i might dtart clipping them again...i was thinking about one of those electric grinders, does anyone use them...do they work....and my the way (hence the title) do you trim your dogs nails? 

i dont. (oops, said that already...heh heh...)


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

I trim my dogs' nails weekly. Overgrown claws can cause a dog discomfort and pain, and can cause deformation and arthritis in their toes/feet from so much strain being put on their toes. So I am a nail trimming nazi lol.

I'd like to get a dremel soon. Eevee has black claws so I can't see the quick.


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## BUFFY (May 31, 2006)

yeah, i would clip my dogs nails too, except that puts him in more pain than running aroung with unclipped nails. like i said, even though theres lots of dirt in my back yard, there's also lots of cement, and so he wears his nails down REALLY fast. but thats just my dog, he's not the same as every one elses. so....yeah, forgot what i was going to say....anyway, when i move im probably not going to have as bog a backyard, so i might get one of those grinder things. (not sure what they're called, different companies use different names so..)


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

If the dog's nails are bleeding when you clip them, you're clipping into the quick. Try not to clip so far back.

http://www.planet-pets.com/clip_nails.htm <--- maybe this might help?


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## BUFFY (May 31, 2006)

thx. also, when they started bleeding, he was a sensitive little puppy, and i didnt know how to do it right right (yikes) but i think for my dogs and my safety, im gonna use one of those grinder thins, after i make sure they're ok.


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

You'll have to get them comfortable with the dremel before you'll be able to use it on them. The sound it makes is scary for a lot of dogs if they're not used to it. So expect your dog to be afraid of it at first.


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## BUFFY (May 31, 2006)

yeah really, when my dog hears any kind of buzzing sound she goes after it thinking its alive...


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## drfong (May 24, 2006)

I try but its about the only thing that my pups give me a hard time about. If they were bleeding it's just because you cut off too much. Just trim a little at a time. Even black nails if you look real close at the end after you trim it will look lighter when you get close before get to the quick. Just be careful. I'm looking for the best way to hold the dogs while trying to clip them. They really don't like it. My groomer uses a grinder and she showed me how to do that. I don't think it is any quicker or easier and you need to be careful not to get the fur caught in the grinding stone.


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## opokki (May 30, 2006)

I can cut Natalie's nails just fine but I got her used to it when she was a puppy. She doesn't like it but she tolerates it.

Sebastian, on the other hand, is another story. I clipped his once but I had to muzzle him and it just wasn't worth the hassle or the stress that I caused him. I leave that up to groomer now and when the groomer can't get the job done, it requires a special trip to the vet.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

My grandmother has a spitz named "Honey," and she screams bloody murder if anyone other than myself touches her paws. For me she falls asleep when I clip her nails, but for anyone else, get the paramedics. It's the darndest thing.


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## bigdawgs (May 21, 2006)

I clip all my dogs nails. One of the worst things you can do to a puppy is not trim them regularly, for a couple of reasons, One, regular clipping gets the dog used to it and 2nd, itkeeps the nail quicks short. The general rule of thumb is that when you hear them clicking on the floor, they are too long.
I think namy dogs hate clipping, not because you make them bleed, but because you are tentative and squeeze the clippers too slowly, causing pressure on the beds which is umcomfortable. Push hard on your own thumbnail, slowly, and see what I mean.
I dremel Daisy because her nails are thick and I do not have the arm strength to do them quickly. YOU MUST USE EXTREME CAUTION in using a dremel, and if your dog has longer hair around the toes, I don't recommend it; if that hair gets caught around that spindle you can easily do some major injury. If you want good instructions, use this link. http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merensjp/doberdawn/dremel/dremel.html make SURE you do not sand any nail longer than a few seconds, you can quick them in a big hurry.
My husband is quite good at clipping the dogs. He quicks daisy on purpose, to force the nail bed back, and he is so fast, she never even flinches or cries.

If you do quick them and do not have any styptic, use regular flour. I keep some in a used medicine vial, tap a bit out on the lid and dip the bleeding nail in it. It works as good as styptic.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Flour, that's good to know.


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## bigdawgs (May 21, 2006)

Well, yeah. I heard about this trick a number of years ago. Please do not panic, like I did and grab the entire bag and shove the foot in it (bigdawgs=moron)


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Thanks for the laugh bigdawgs... And you're not a moron!


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## tessa_s212 (Jun 16, 2006)

I clip all of our dogs' nails. Probably not as often as I should for some, but I do them all myself.

And I've also recently gotten a Dremel. I LOVE it! No more sharp nails to scratch you, and it really makes me less nervous about hitting the quick! (The way I use the dremel is to actually trim their nails first, and then dremel as close as I can.)


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## Dog Lover (Jul 6, 2006)

I do every other week otherwise they get too long. But whenever my girls see's the nail clippers they act like I'm going to kill them and won't come anywhere near me. I feel so bad doing it but I don't want them to get too long.


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## dogluver101 (Jul 6, 2006)

I do because they get very long and the longer they get the harder it is to trim them. Every month.


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## lkeffect (Jul 6, 2006)

I clip all of my dogs nails but with 13 dogs I have to admit I don't clip them as often as I should....usually about once a month depending how often I'm walking them.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

Yep, clip all my own.

Darcy


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## Danegirl2208 (Jul 6, 2006)

yes..i clip my 2's nails..they dont like it but id rather them given me a hard time then someone else lol


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## bigdawgs (May 21, 2006)

I jst did them. Moose laid on his back.. he gets belly rubs when he gets clipped! Daisy is much easier now that she is on meds and less grumpy. Ken had a bad time of it this time out. Lets see, five dogs, 18 nails per dog, he quicked about 2 per dog.. No crying, yelping, but good thing we were outside, there was blood spots all over the deck! Oh well, it makes them shorter and easier, and they were good sports.


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## drfong (May 24, 2006)

I tried today and only got about half of them. I haven't figured out a way to hold them still enough to cut them. They pull their paws away and kick with the other paws. If they would just let me do it quick it would be over with but I don't speak dog to explain that to them so it's a battle every time. Any good tips on how to hold them and control them I would appreciate it.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Whenever dogs are afraid of things, we need to move gradually in order to get the dog use to it. Force will only make things worse. I started out by letting Elsa lick some kind of food like peanut butter or canned cat food out of a bowl, at the same time as I touched one of her paws. Once she was okay with being touched while eating something really tasty, I proceeded by holding the paw, holding a claw, pretending to clip, then actually clip one claw, then two claws, etc.. By spending time doing this and doing it so gradually that she never gets scared, she eventually got used it. Clipping claws is one of those things I think is best conditioned using treats and practicing the routine without actually doing it. Plus, you don't have to do it all at once...maybe do one claw on each dog a day and avoid the frustration of pinning them down for longer than they can tollerate.


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## Amanda21 (Jun 16, 2006)

my dad and i clip Britts nails. I'll be petting her, and then my dad clips. but she knows not to fight with my dad. so she's very well-behaved. my rabbit on the other hand. she wont let me anywhere near her feet!


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## drfong (May 24, 2006)

I'll try that. They don't mind me holding their feet, just cliping th nails. I'll try to figure out some way to associate treats with nail cliping.


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## Emma82 (Aug 19, 2006)

i do trim my dogs nails, with harvey it is harder to know where to cut because he has black nails so i can not see the vain so i just take a little off every time, with my other dog she has white nail so i can see where to cut as i can see the vain, you can bye this powder to stop the nail bleeding at pet stores that is what groomer use if they cut to far. Or you can always go to the vet mine charges $5 but some do it for free.
hope this helps Emma


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## Sister (Aug 28, 2006)

My pug has black nails with long quicks, and he squirms, so he is exceedingly difficult to trim. I've have several groomers refuse to do it. He is going to get it done at the vet's today. He is lame in his left leg so he doesn't spend a lot of time on cement grinding them down, unfortunately.


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## Alpha (Aug 24, 2006)

I clip my guys nails 

Either once ever week or every other week.

My little guy has white nails, so it's pretty easy, and my girl's got hard black ones. But I've got pretty good and clipping them nice and short, and there's no problems.

They both know the routine inside and out now, and clipping both of them takes less than 10 minutes.


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## Ragmop53 (Aug 29, 2006)

I used to do it myself, but I got a little to close and it bled. I have them done at the groomers and they clip and drimmel them, which puts a nice smooth edge on them.

Take care Ragmop53


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## 4-Her (Aug 30, 2006)

i would start clipping them...i clip my dogs every two weeks (her nails dont grow fast)...the reason your dogs nails would start bleeding is because you were probely cuting the *quick* which is the vain in the nail.


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## yooper_at_heart (Aug 23, 2006)

I let the vet handled it. I don't want to botch things up and if I did attempt it I'd probably get him to the point where he'd be afraid to have his nails trimmmed. Tucker my chi had his nails trimmed last week and did remarkably well. According to the groomer he just watched her as she trimmed his nails didn't nip or anything.


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## TinyStar (Aug 29, 2006)

Now my family doesn't clip our pooches nails - but then, ours have always been outside dogs and I've found they do it themselves. Both dogs we've had usually keep their own nails trim by chewing them.
Now an inside dog that was mine, I'd probably take them to a groomer. I'm not that steady, haha.


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## Swissmiss (Aug 24, 2006)

Not me I run him over to the groomer. Walk in's for nail clipping, no appointment and only cost $5.00. I hate cutting his nails, he is all stressed, I am all stressed and I hate making a mistake and cutting his quick. Five minutes and the groomer is done!!


If you keep making him bleed your doing it all wrong and really hurting him!


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## toniaxp (Sep 27, 2006)

Unlike peoples nails a dogs nails are still alive and have vessles in them you should only trim the white area on the end and leave at least 2 mm left to avoid bleeding.


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## slobberchops (Sep 27, 2006)

I clip my own dogs nails


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## allick06 (Mar 13, 2007)

I'm a pet grooming salon manager and yes using a Cordless Dremel with a sanding attachment works and works well as I use it daily. If your dog isn't accustomed to having his nails grinded then you may have a fight but, it's much more difficult to "quick" a nail with a grinder. The reason your dog bled when you clipped his nails is because you cut too much and got his vein inside the nail. If I have to trim nails that are black and I'm not surre where the quick is, all I do is trim the tips off. There's a new trimmer out that illuminates the quicks even in black nails, I love it!


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## Aussiefan (Jan 21, 2007)

I clip my own nails....also clip my dogs nails as well! haha!

I clip them once a month or so, some of the nails on my aussies are white (all of my shelties) so its easy to see exactly where the quick is, the dark nails are a little harder, but i have yet to have a bleeder in all the years so i must have a good system down lol!


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I trim my dog's nails weekly; or atleast check them to see if they need trimming. Most of the time all they need is 'tipping'. 

The nails should be atleast an 1\8 of an inch off the floor to prevent injury to the dog's toes...if they touch the ground, or the dog walks more on his toenails, the dog's toes, and the tendons in his toes start to break down over time...not a good thing. Plus, the dog's can break those toenails much easier, or get them caught on things, and rip them off, etc...it is so much better to keep them trimmed short than to let them get overly long!


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## SpudFan (Oct 8, 2007)

Dremmel is your friend.


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## brie (May 30, 2007)

Amanda21 said:


> my dad and i clip Britts nails. I'll be petting her, and then my dad clips. but she knows not to fight with my dad. so she's very well-behaved. my rabbit on the other hand. she wont let me anywhere near her feet!


woa.. rabbits really need their nails trimmed.. especially if they're on a wire floor. I'm not trying to be mean.. jus tryn to help. Have you tried wraping her in a towel before you clip..

ps.. i know this thread is kinda old lol.sorry


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## nlkeple (Sep 24, 2007)

When I had Jester my vet would trim his nails for me. I was to much of a chicken because his nails were all black. When I brought Lady in to meet our vet he told me right away that since her nails were not black I was no longer allowed to be a chicken. He showed me how to do it, and he even gave me a pair of clippers. Our vet is sooo nice, I think it is because between Jester, our cats, and now Lady we have probably paid for his kids college by now. But seriously having a vet who has been with you forever is extremely helpful. He did say that if I need help just to call or stop in and he would show me again, but last week my husband and I did Lady's nails with for the most part no incident. She yelped once but no blood or anything came from the nail, and we didn't let her get all wound up because of it. I think her yelp was because her nails were so long when we got her that her quick is longer than it should be right now but the vet said if we trim them every week or at least every other week things will return to normal.


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## Dieselsmama (Apr 1, 2007)

I'm a nail nazi too. I dremmel both of my labs nails every week. I also brush their teeth at this time. I should brush the teeth more often, but hey at least it's getting done this often!!


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## Mdawn (Mar 3, 2007)

I clip my dogs nails. Eddie doesn't need his very often. He's really active and they mostly get worn down. Every now and then I'll have to take a tip off one or two nails. He does ok while I do it and just lays there watching me. Eddie is really good when it comes to grooming of any kind now. Even with baths, we discovered recently that he likes _really_ warm water, almost hot and will just sit calmly during baths. We used to have the water on the cooler side and it was difficult to get him to hold still.

With Uallis, he didn't take to it so easily at first. With him, my bf will give him a "massage" while I clip them. Uallis is then to caught up in the pleasure of having his back rubbed to care what I'm doing to his nails...LOL!!! Now, we he sees the nail clipper he just lays down on his side ready for his massage...


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## Felix (Sep 8, 2007)

I love when owners drop their dogs off at the salon, they describe how dramatic it was when they attempted to cut their nails and how bad their dogs were and how terrified they are of quicking a nail. Then when they ask me at pick up if it was it hard to cut their nails and if their dog was bad, I reply nope. they're usually shocked.


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## ACampbell (Oct 7, 2007)

I cut my dogs nails myself...I had rabbits growing up, same concept...that and I'm lucky enough that the APBT mix has light colored nails that are easy to see the quick, and the basset has some of each, so I guesstimate where the quick will be in the dark ones when I do the light ones.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

I don't like nail clippers because they're a PITA, and can splinter nails. The dremmel is fast and easy, and leaves a smooth, rounded finish.


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## Lulilgus (Nov 27, 2007)

I just clip the pointy ends of their nails if they are longer than the pads: hair/nails shouldn't be passed the pads. Quick and painless with guillotene clippers.


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

ACampbell said:


> I cut my dogs nails myself...I had rabbits growing up, same concept...that and I'm lucky enough that the APBT mix has light colored nails that are easy to see the quick, and the basset has some of each, so I guesstimate where the quick will be in the dark ones when I do the light ones.


I used to cut my rabbits nails too  as well as my parents' lab mix, but I can't cut Kim's...I tried once and she freaked out so I decided I'd rather take her the groomers right of the bat than risk quicking her as she struggles. Then she's have a legitimate reason to go nuts. No use making her really crazy and then making some poor groomer deal with her after I drove her batty. 

She lets me hold her paws and push on the pads and touch her nails, but as soon as I bring a clippers close to it she spazzes. Over Christmas I'll pull out the treats and clicker and set about desensitizing her as best I can. In the meantime, groomer it is.


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## Arriend (Nov 26, 2007)

We do clip our dogs nails, and have been trying to find a way to make this a type of "reward" for them. It's a team effort, usually one of us holding the dog (puppy massage works well to relax them) and the other does the clipping. After each nail trimmed we give our pups a treat (just a very small piece from a treat, not the entire treat).
We were told that once every other week was a good time frame for nail trimming. We have had our pup bleed while we were trimming her darker nails (on the clear nails you can easily see the quick and know how far you need to trim, but on the dark nails it's more of a challenge), but it doesn't seem to bother her. Just take it slow and if they do bleed follow the suggestions here (flour, direct pressure, blood stop, etc).


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## whimsy (Aug 19, 2007)

I've always clipped all my dogs' nails for years, from chi-pom-mutts-and shepherds. One or two slips, but never anything drastic. My friend brings her dog over for me to cut her dog's nails and she locks herself in the bathroom so she can't see it...she is petrified of blood....I have to be so extra careful as she would die if ever a drop of blood slipped out....lol.


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## dane&cockermom (Oct 16, 2007)

i do my guys nails. buddy use to be really really good! but suddenly he's become a little butt about it. so i was able to get his quick to draw back so his nails are pretty short, and we have new furniture so i just dremel his nails so they don't scratch up the furniture. 
with gwen, i can do her nails, but i can't do them at home. i have to take her to the salon. i take her once a week on sundays. we're working on getting her quicks to draw back.


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## Priss and Pedro's Mama (Nov 4, 2007)

I clip Pedro's nails myself, with just regular human clippers for now. He's just a wee little guy though. Priss is a brat about it so we just get them done when we go in for her glucose checks. My vet is AWESOME at cutting nails. If I've been lazy about taking her in and the nails are way too long, he can clip around the quick and get them super short. It leaves the soft fleshy quick area exposed, but it quickly wears off. Usually by the next day you can't tell there was ever anything hanging out of the end of her nail.


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## FidoTime (Dec 1, 2007)

I have to clip my dogs nails weekly. I have two boxers and if I dont clip their nails they walk funny, and I'm sure its painful


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## Dutchie (Apr 18, 2007)

I use regular clippers and then give them a quick file with a foam nail file cube. It fixes the rough ends so they dont split. I do this weekly.


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## Channel (Dec 7, 2008)

New puppy owner, very good information. My new puppy is Black with black nails. I guess I will have to leave it to the experts, unless you have a suggestion. I have clipped my Kitty's nails with no problem, so I do know how to do it, just not black nails??????
Mary


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## JessRU09 (Aug 25, 2008)

I had an ongoing problem trying to get Dexter comfortable to cut his nails. He screamed bloody murder if we tried to use a clipper (and yes, we spent weeks handling his feet and getting him used to poking/prodding). We got a dremel, and that terrified him even more.

We had one successful clipping by letting him mouth my fingers while my SO clipped. Chew toys and treats didn't hold his interest, and I could move my fingers in such a manner that kept his focus.

Now, however, I usually just wait until he falls asleep and start cutting. He sleeps right through it!


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## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

I don't as much as I should... only once a month at the groomer's. I am going to get a dremel and really start working at them now though, they're getting pretty long! I'm such too much of a chicken with the guillotine clippers to use them myself. =/


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

Actually, I've never had to cut their nails. They spend so much time walking on concrete pavement/road/etc that their nails are just worn down naturally.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I trim and grind my pooches nails every week or two...


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## Bellasmom (Aug 14, 2008)

I just took a break from reading this to trim my puppies nails while I was thinking about it. I hate the job! Its not because its hard. Its actually quite easy. Its because afterwards their nails are sharp! I have to get a dremmel!


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

I never need to trim Blazes nails, except for the declaws. he wears his done walking on different surfaces (we do alot of hiking every day) I think I have only cut his nails a handle full of times since I have owned him (5.5 years).

I always clips our dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, iguanas ect nails. they need to be done. and my boss would think i was crazy if I brought them in for her to do, as it is my part of my job to cut all the dogs nails at the grooming shop lol.


Black nails still scare me, but there is a little dot before you get to the quick in the center of the nail. If I can not see that dot, I just take a small amount of the nail.

I have only quicked one dog at work, and that was her fault, as soon as I was about to trim the nail she jumped up then down, putting more nail in to the freaking clippers. I about had a heart attack lol.


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## MyDogJinx (Dec 1, 2008)

I like to dremel my dog's nails. I feel that I have more control and can get closer to the quick for a better trim.


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## mellotune (Mar 11, 2007)

I used to clip my dog's nails but I'm clumsy and I hurt her once. Few months ago, I saw the Peticure infomercial on TV and I did some research. Peticure reviews were not so good and it's rather expensive. At the end, I decided to buy a small Dremel. It's not as expensive. It's a Dremel so quality is good and if needed, replacement parts should be easy to find. Anyway, the key is... it's so easy to use and my dog doesn't mind it at all since she knows I'm not going to hurt her again.


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## AgilityAddict (Nov 29, 2008)

I do clip mine and my parents dogs nails. I do them about every week/two weeks. I do always make sure I have Quik Stop on hand... just in case. But I'm lucky my dog has white nails, so I'm able to see the quik easier!


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