# Do you cut your dogs nails?



## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

After today's visit to the groomer, I'm thinking I should start clipping Eevee's nails myself. Taking her to the groomer is just too stressful for her, even just getting her in the car is a big ordeal. I have a thread on her car issues here: http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dog-health-issues-question/15091-anxiety-treatment.html 
And then at the groomers there are a lot of dogs and noise, Eevee gets anxious and will start screaming and crying very loudly. 
It'll be easier on the both of us if I learned to groom her myself!

But yeah, any tips? Do you groom your own dogs? What kind of clippers are recommended? Should I use a dremel? How do I know where the quick is? Her nails are nearly black.

Any help is greatly appreciated! :biggrin:


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Ruby has black nails too, but with her I just look underneath you I can see the white of the quick so I know where to cut. I was thinking of getting a dremel myself, she doesnt like the clippers. But then again, pugs are notorious for being drama queens with nail trimmings. 

The groomer I go to takes one appointment at a time in her house, maybe you can find a different groomer who is in a more quiet setting? I took Ruby to the groomer for the first time only this year when she was 2, and she was perfectly happy. 

I can see how it would be stressful for your dog with other dogs barking and crying, so if you cant find anyone else in your area with a quieter grooming setting, I would consider doing it myself at home if I were you.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

with black nails i would reccomend a grinder instead.

personally with Cesar ive never had to clip his nails if anything i have to woory alot about them being too short!
his nails are short and get worn down to the quick till they bleed just from his walking.


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## Cara (Apr 17, 2012)

I do clip my dogs nails at home. I get an empty peanut butter jar, smear some fresh peanut butter around the inside of the jar and let them go to town while I work on nails. It works well for me, my dogs don't give a care about what I'm doing to their feet and it keeps them nice and still. I do the same thing when trimming their hair between their paw pads. I'm not sure what to say about black nails and knowing where the quick is, I do have a dog with black nails and I just make sure not to go too far back on her nail and I've yet to hit a quick. I don't use a dremel currently, but I'm looking into getting one as my dogs quicks are a bit long which means their nails have to be left a bit longer than I'd ideally like and the dremel would be great for 'shortening' them.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I worked at a grooming salon and had to learn how to cut dogs nails so there is no way I'm going to pay someone to do it! 

Its easy with black nails, you just have to know what to look and feel for. Mikey and Sprocket have mostly black nails and I have never quicked them.

Just start with taking a little bit off, then a little bit more until you see a soft inner core. Then stop and cut them again next week or whenever.

I try to cut my dogs nails every week because Mikey came with SUPER long thick hard nails that never wear down and I dont' want Sprocket to have cat claws like SO many chihuahuas have.


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## Luvmypibble (Apr 4, 2012)

I clip them but I also grid them..with a dremmal...


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

I clip Tucker's myself, it's something we specifically worked on since he was a pup to make sure we could do it (as I don't know anyone personally who can clip their dog's nails). Unfortunately the clippers I first used were dull and the clipping caused him some pain so he's not as wonderful about it as he could be, but some string cheese and we're good to go. I have to get him comfortable with me manipulating the paw (so treats for allowing that) and then I work up to doing everything, including placing the clippers over the nail, but clipping them. He gets treats for that. And then I can clip. I'll clip one, do a few more bluffs, clip another, etc. I use one string cheese for the whole session. This is for his front nails. His back ones I can just do, no treats needed, they don't bother him one little bit for some reason...most of them are pink so I probably haven't accidentally hurt him doing those ones. His fronts are all black. I've quicked him once or twice and it does set things back, he can't forget that sometimes it hurts to get clipped, you can see the anxiety in his face when i go to cut, sometimes he even sharply inhales like a person gasping with fright, so I take it slow, if he pulls back I let him have his paw and go a step back, if he lets me keep it he gets cheese. I err on the side of caution and only take off a small amount each time, so they are longer than is ideal. The times I've tried taking off more than a little are the times I've quicked him. If your dog will tolerate the dremmel I would go with that instead. I have a dremmel but the sounds terrifies Tucker. I use nail clippers like this









The ones that hurt him were guillotine style, I prefer the ones I have now because they are sharp on both sides of the nail so less pressure gets pushed on the nail than with the guillotine style that is only sharp on one side (if that makes any sense!).


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

my dogs nails are too thick to clip easily so i dremel up to the quick as Kat explained. it took a lot of training to get my dog used to the dremel but it was well worth it so don't give up on it if you try it and it doesn't go well. i started slow with having him lay down on his side when i said relax, touching each foot, then treating for the dog being calm near the sound, then just one nail, you get the idea. i'm pretty sure it took me 3 months to get it down (i started when he was a puppy) but now murphy lays down on his side and hands me his paw when i give him the command.

remember you can only do it on each nail for a few seconds at a time so it doesn't get too hot and make sure to buy one with a low rpm---i have the dremel minimite model 750 (it's not a pet one). i'm pretty sure the petsmart groomer just held it down on murph's nail until it hit the quick and traumatized him before I learned how to do it myself so that's an important point

i think it's important to be able to touch your dogs paws and trim their nails because sometimes you just need to be able to do those things for other reasons like looking at injuries. good luck!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

None of my dogs have ever been to a groomer for anything. I've just always done everything to them at home. When we got Shade, he had spent his whole life outside and was petrified of having his nails cut. If you just got out the clippers, he ran and hid. There was no way to cut his nails without a very big person holding him down. It's taken me two years but he's now at the point where he just lays on the floor and lets me do all 4 feet with no one holding him at all. 

I started by just having him lay on the floor and getting his tummy rubbed with the clippers on the floor next to him. Eventually I held the clippers in one hand while he got a tummy rub. Then I actually held the clippers near his foot while I played with his feet (but didn't actually do anything with them). Then i held the clipper up to a toe and said "clip" and made the clipping motion. Then he got treats. I finally worked up to cutting one toenail. And he got a treat. We'd do a toenail each day. Then we got up to 2 nails at a time! 

Now he's a pro at it. Well, he lays there and looks concerned, but he lets me do it and he gets lots of hugs and treats after all 4 feet are done. All my other dogs were started as puppies so they were never a problem. A dremel would probably petrify Shade so I've never tried it. He HATES loud noises so I think that would be worse for him.


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Yeah, Tucker ran out of the room when he heard the dremel come on...I think he thinks it's a little vacuum or something.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

This is a very timely thread for me as my dog has black nails that naturally wear down walking on the streets, although my husband has filed them. But his dew claws are quite long and my father in law said to file them but also gave us his clippers which are the guillotine type, but not sure how they would work on dew claws. I only want to take a bit off anyway and because he has a short coat I can see how they are growing but I am worried that they are going to get caught on something and tear. (my dog is accident prone)


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## 7766 (Sep 20, 2011)

I clip one of my dog’s nails the others spend so much time in the yard that they really don't need it. I live on a bluff and the yard is very rocky which helps. The one I do clip it's an ordeal. She is my problem child, it takes one person to hold her and calm her while the other one cuts. She is terrified of vacuums so I am afraid to use a dremel. She still has her dew claws and one is double (as in two nails connected like they are one), so it takes a few tries to get it cut sometimes. So far I have never hit the quick but I cut shallow and do it again if I need to.

I used to let the vets do it. This is back when I lived in my apt and the dogs used to go to daycare a few days a week. They would get a bath, nails cut and ears cleaned. 

Sozzle - mine will start chewing hew dew claws if I let them get to long.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

We use a dremel. Everyone gets their nails done weekly. I start puppies at three weeks. I like the dremel with various settings as the lowest are very quiet. This video is great on exactly how to dremel (grind) nails. How to Dremel Dog Nails @ DoberDawn.com With scared dogs I usually hold them in my lap or sit on the floor with them and smear some peanut butter on the roof of their mouth and just run the grinder on the lowest setting around their paws and nails so they get a feel for the sound and vibration and start to see it is no big deal. I also hate nail clicking and we have pergo floors throughout the whole house so everyone who comes here gets their nails done.


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## Roo (Oct 17, 2010)

Lola will let me clip her nails, I somehow trained her to give me each paw when I tap on it, and she knows to hold very still during the clipping processing. I usually clip and sometimes dremel if needed, she has light and dark nails. She gets a treat after every nail I clip, so she actually likes to get her nails done. My other dog is completely opposite he cries, growls etc, and he won't let me touch his nails after I accidentally clipped one too short (his nails are dark and the quick is long). I take him to a gentle groomer, never stay in the room with him (my anxiety about it feeds his), and give him Pet Rescue Remedy (natural anxiety stuff) about 15 min before we go to the groomer to help calm him down.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

I do not groom them.....but the intro can take a few visits before I leave them with whoever trims nails and bathes and trims.

I will not be the bad guy.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

For those of you who use a dremel, what do you recommend? I think with her dark nails the dremel is the way to go, I dont want to accidentally clip her quick!


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

I've been told that the ones made for pets are usually junk, very weak. Based on recommendations from another forum I bought a Minimite dremel, lots of people there use them. But like I said I haven't been able to. It's cordless with a rechargeable battery and has a high and low setting. I got mine at Walmart for 20 something dollars.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

liquid said:


> After today's visit to the groomer, I'm thinking I should start clipping Eevee's nails myself. Taking her to the groomer is just too stressful for her, even just getting her in the car is a big ordeal. I have a thread on her car issues here: http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dog-health-issues-question/15091-anxiety-treatment.html
> And then at the groomers there are a lot of dogs and noise, Eevee gets anxious and will start screaming and crying very loudly.
> It'll be easier on the both of us if I learned to groom her myself!
> 
> ...


We use a dremel on both dogs. Zio's nails are all black & Cheeney has mixed white & black, so it MIGHT be easy to see the quick on them but he is a drama queen with the clippers (even good Millers Forge ones). So we have developed a routine for doing "paws, claws & shnozz" that seems to work well.

It also happens to include a few of their favourite mini-biscuits. :heh:


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I usually clip my guys every 2 to 3 weeks. Angel was my worst when I got her. She would literally lose her mind when the clippers came out, but I'm bigger, so I win. :biggrin1: Now she's my best one, probably because I had to work with her a lot. I can do 7 of my dogs with minimal drama, but Bailey, Briana and Toby act like you may possibly be plotting to kill them one toenail at a time so hubby holds and I cut. Camden has become more difficult but the poor guy has ripped his toenails out on several occasions so is a little sensitive to having his feet messed with. Most of mine have black nails but I just try to be careful and have only quicked a couple of them in their lives. 
The only dog I've ever taken to the groomers for toenails was my precious Tommy. He was a puppymill dog and had toenails that were complete double loops when I got him so had never had his nails cut. The first time I cut them I think he was too frozen in fear to fight at all. The second time he literally passed out from fighting me. I thought he died. Totally freaked me out! After that I took him to a girl that grooms for the humane society. She's fast so could be done with him before he got too worked up.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I use both. On Blaise (who's my sound sensitive one, go figure), I use the pedipaws grinder (I would not reccommend this for big dogs). But on Scotty, I use the clippers because he use to have a complete meltdown with the grinder. When I began, they got "super, extra special" treats (chicken/duck jerky was a fav) that was used only during nail trimmings and they got a treat for each nail done. After a while, I got down to a treat per foot and Scotty will let me grind his nails for a short time (I clip then smooth or if I "lost" time and the nails gotten a little long, I'll clip down as far as I'm comfortable, then grind it shorter).
I know that there are clippers out there that are supposed to have a "quick finder" so as to prevent over clipping, but I don't know if they're any good.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

Celt said:


> I use both. On Blaise (who's my sound sensitive one, go figure), I use the pedipaws grinder (I would not reccommend this for big dogs). But on Scotty, I use the clippers because he use to have a complete meltdown with the grinder. When I began, they got "super, extra special" treats (chicken/duck jerky was a fav) that was used only during nail trimmings and they got a treat for each nail done. After a while, I got down to a treat per foot and Scotty will let me grind his nails for a short time (I clip then smooth or if I "lost" time and the nails gotten a little long, I'll clip down as far as I'm comfortable, then grind it shorter).
> I know that there are clippers out there that are supposed to have a "quick finder" so as to prevent over clipping, but I don't know if they're any good.


I heard that those clippers with the 'quick finder' thing built in are useless. I've read many reviews where people either just clipped right into the quick or the thing would "sense" quick at the very tip of the nail.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I dremel Murph 1-2 times a week. I think the dremel does a nicer job honestly.


I don't have a regular dremel, I have a "pet" one but it works quite well, I have no complaints. It's definitely not junk like the pedi paws (which my mom and I tried on our boxer years ago). This one actually works lol. 

Amazon.com: Dremel 7300-PT 4.8-Volt Pet Grooming Kit: Home Improvement


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

I'm looking at dremels right now and replacement sanding bands :tongue: About how often does the sanding band need to be replaced?


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

I was a groomer's assistant for a while so I did a lot of nail cuts. Don't use the guillotine kind, they suck. Use the kind that was previously pictures, they are much easier on you and the dog. Always have styptic powder to staunch bleeding in case you cut or grind too close. It works much faster than corn starch (although, if you are in a predicament, corn starch does work, just takes longer).

I have a dog nail dremmel. I bought it when they first came out. What a useless 70 bucks that was! My dogs are terrified of it. No matter how I approach them with it, the noise and vibration throws them off. Therefore I just cut them. Even though I am experienced, my dogs are nutjobs.

I never have to cut my labs nails, he grind them when we play fetch. It is quite something. The mastiff came to me with nail cutting phobias. If I am by myself (husband is out of town for work) I wait until Dozer is sleeping and get one or two nails cut at a time. If hubby is home, he sits on Dozer and rubs his mouth (his achilles heal) which distracts him while I cut. I took him to a groomer once. He is so big they don't put him on a table. Instead they hook him to the wall. He tore the hook out of the wall. So I don't take him there anymore. I took him to the vet and they had five techs sit on him. So I just do it at home myself as it is less stressful for Dozer. Just more stressful for me. 

Sarge is another pain in the ass. He is good for other people, just not me. His nails grow really fast too. I just hate the idea of paying someone to do a five minute job when I can do it myself. 

Make sure you make it a positive experience so you don't have a Dozer/Sargeant on your hands. LOL.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

LOL Dozer's achilles heel!! I'll be sure to make it a positive experience for Eevee :thumb: I dont think she can handle hubby sitting on her!


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

I've always done my own dogs. I keep telling myself I need to invest in a dremel, because Kai is a pain in the butt with the clippers. I've been clipping her nails since I brought her home, but I nicked her a couple times and she's become a real drama queen.....sigh. It's gotten to the point where two people are needed to tackle her nails. No amount of bribery or desensitization works with her now. When she was good about it she was really cute......I would take a paw and she would watch avidly for the clip, almost getting her nose in the way because she knew that meant a treat LOL. NOW she starts hyperventilating as the clipper approaches and then yelps when I clip. No amount of backing off, or just plain leaving the darn thing within sight and treating works.

Ari hates his nails done too....his eyes about pop out of his head...but he puts up with it fine. He hides until I call him for his turn, then he comes slinking over and I lay him on his back supported between my legs. Otherwise he'll try and tuck his legs under him while I work. He relaxes with lots of massages and belly rubs in between feet.

Layla.....nothing I do to her phases that kid.......she's nonchalant with just about everything I do with her.

I swear, My Chi's were never such wussies when it came to their nails.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I have always groomed my dogs at home, even as a kid, but I worked as a bather at Petsmart so I know how to do everything quickly and efficiently. I feel that I can do it better than any groomer can because I know my dogs. 

We have a self serve bathing station at our local dog and cat supply store so, for baths (which are rare), we go there. They have the Hydro Surge, the dryer, and the big metal tub. I like going there because we live where it is freezing cold for most of the year here and it's too cold for both us and them to bathe them outside and I don't want them in my bathtub. They don't like it and water ends up EVERYWHERE. Because Petsmart uses all of that equipment, I know how to use it and I can get both dogs done in under an hour so they charge me for one dog instead of two (one dog = one hour and two dogs = two hours).

Then I take them home and clean their ears and trim their nails in our own home. I do use clippers because I haven't been able to get a dremel yet and I want them to be used to clippers just so that if I ever DO manage to get a dremel and I am without it or it breaks or whatever and I need to do their nails I will still be able to do it because they are used to the clippers as well. I do like the dremel better than the clippers though.

For black nails there is typically a little white spot that you can see right before you cut too far down. When you see that white spot is when you stop. Dude's nails are ALL white (even his dewclaws) except for two black nails on his front right foot. Buck's nails are ALL black.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

I think dremeling weekly a little bit is easier than trying to use nail clippers and hope not to quick. Also I love the rounded edges are never sharp.

I just bought this one and love it. I buy from Pet Edge.com

TP4013
Master Grooming Tools Power Nail Grinders
ONLY
$39.99

This is the one I had for three years and I can't even count how many dog's nails I have trimmed when it died It was excellent.
TP19130
Master Grooming Tools Pet Nail Grinder Kit
ONLY
$26.99


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I use both a grinder and a guillotine depending on the dog and my mood. One of my poodles is fine with guillotine or grinder. Another one has a freaking panic attack if I use a grinder, and is fine with the guillotine. And last but not least, my girly girl gets very stressed out about the guillotine but does not mind the grinder. 

Gah!

I try to do their nails about once every week to ten days.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I've been using miller forge brand like this one Amazon.com: Nail Clipper with Orange Handle Medium Size: Pet Supplies

I recently misplaced them and I found a wahl grooming kit at big lots with nice clippers. Uno has really hard nails, and its been working out really well so far. I'd like to try dremel at some point, but I think he'd freak out at the sound.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

Jackson gets professionally groomed by the mobile groomer about once every 8-12 weeks depending. I ALWAYS say I am going to keep up with his nails and NEVER do... ugh, I suck. It's just a pain to do. He actually is okay, for the most part, with me touching his feet, etc, after lots of de-sensitizing but he pulls his paw back a lot and makes it more difficult for me and I am too nervous that I am going to cut into the quick. I never want to be the bad guy. :\ lol. But I REALLY need to learn - I'd like to get a dremel. Because it always seems, even after he gets his nails cut, that they are too long. So I think a dremel would help with that.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

I have the same clippers as Maxy....everyone gets done once a week. Even the cats!:wink: (well I've slacker and not don't them for a month or so, which I'll probably regret with Pidgin, but Ducko loves getting pampered!:thumb

I've never used a dremmel, never had dogs that would have taken to it....I'll probably get one here soon though and get all 5 of my current dogs ok with one!:thumb: Oh and between 20 feet we are about 50/50 with white and black nails!:wink:


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Murph was raised with a dremel vs clipping....

For awhile I could never do his nails. I would try to clip them and he screamed bloody murder (he sounds like a pig squealing when he gets dramatic). It was awful.



....and then I tried the dremel. And he sits up on the stove with a towel down (wish I had a grooming table lol) and sits like a little gentlemen while I dremel them.


A few weeks ago, I decided for sh*ts and giggles I would try clipping him....and I quicked him on the first try. 


The end result was his toe wrapped in a band aid LOL


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

meggels said:


> Murph was raised with a dremel vs clipping....
> 
> For awhile I could never do his nails. I would try to clip them and he screamed bloody murder (he sounds like a pig squealing when he gets dramatic). It was awful.
> 
> ...


Awww poor baby, he looks utterly heartbroken in that picture. Ruby is the same drama queen with her nails  Shes not as bad when I do it, but oh man, when my friend used to do it she would scream and whine, it sounded like we were skinning her alive. One time, when she even just saw my friend, she peed on her when she was about to clip her nails lol. And my friend NEVER cut too deep, and she was calm and nice, but Ruby wouldnt have it lol.


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## StdPooDad (Mar 16, 2012)

I have two poodles, they get groomed every eight weeks, but I still cut their nails in between. Seamus has nails that grow "normally", i.e. kind of curved down. I walk them a LOT, so his usually just wear down on the concrete. 

Teaghan, on the other hand, has weird nails. They grow almost straight out. To make matters worse, they're really thick and black. Not a big deal though, I don't worry about cutting them really short, I just basically take the points off. LOL

The only time I quicked a dog was Seamus. I was cutting his nails in the backyard and had neglected to take my styptic powder out there. By the time I went in the house, got the powder, and returned Seamus had blood going all the way up his leg past his hock. It didn't faze him at all though, he just stood there while I stopped the bleeding. It was bleeding so much that it was difficult to stop. I put a boot on, packed gauze in the bottom. I think he bloodsoaked 3 boots before it finally stopped.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

StdPooDad said:


> The only time I quicked a dog was Seamus. I was cutting his nails in the backyard and had neglected to take my styptic powder out there. By the time I went in the house, got the powder, and returned Seamus had blood going all the way up his leg past his hock. It didn't faze him at all though, he just stood there while I stopped the bleeding. It was bleeding so much that it was difficult to stop. I put a boot on, packed gauze in the bottom. I think he bloodsoaked 3 boots before it finally stopped.


Ugh. I had that happen with my white boy poodle. He had just gotten back from living with his show handler for 3 months so his nails were already pretty short, though they hadn't been clipped for a week and I wanted to stay on it. Well, he yanked his foot as I was clamping down with the clipper and it cut it wayyyyy too short. When you are already that close to the toe, the quick is much bigger and bleeds a lot more. Styptic powder wasn't working because it was a mad gusher. I had to put him in the bathtub and run warm water for about 30 minutes. (And he's VWD clear, so..) It was traumatizing for both of us. Ahh! I now am v e r y careful to make sure nobody moves while I am clipping. Funny thing is, even though this happens, he still prefers when I use a clipper as opposed to a grinder.


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## Love my lab (Dec 9, 2010)

I do them myself. In the beginning when reahven was a pup I was terrified so my sister in law did them.( they are all black) then I felt like I should just do it myself. Took some time but we got it. Never hit the quick and she is tolerable when getting them done. Drake is a million times better and I so appreciate that! Lol. Good luck.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

ask the groomer to come out to the car and do her nails. you could try
a different groomer just to see if your dog will act differently. i use a dremel.
when my dog was in his puppy class (10 weeks old) the dremel training started.
everyday the dremel was turned on and and one nail would be quickly touched
with the dremel. sometimes the dremel was turned on and the body of the dremel
was rubbed over his body. sometimes when he ate the dremel was rubbed over
his body. .

if you decide to dremel your dogs nails start slow. get your dog use to the dremel
before actually usuing it to file.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

I use a dremel weekly for Yogi's nails and not that he loves it but lays patiently waiting for it to be all over. I've never used clippers on him...dremel from the beginning. His breeder trimmed their nails regularly when they were puppies...sure that helps with him being so blasé. The dremel we use really isn't that loud at all and works great. We've only gone thru two bands in one year...last forever.




BrownieM said:


> Ugh. I had that happen with my white boy poodle. He had just gotten back from living with his show handler for 3 months so his nails were already pretty short, though they hadn't been clipped for a week and I wanted to stay on it. Well, he yanked his foot as I was clamping down with the clipper and it cut it wayyyyy too short. When you are already that close to the toe, the quick is much bigger and bleeds a lot more. Styptic powder wasn't working because it was a mad gusher. I had to put him in the bathtub and run warm water for about 30 minutes. (And he's VWD clear, so..) It was traumatizing for both of us. Ahh! I now am v e r y careful to make sure nobody moves while I am clipping. Funny thing is, even though this happens, he still prefers when I use a clipper as opposed to a grinder.


I practically did the same thing to "Little One" who we had before Yogi. He went to the groomer every month but his nails were never cut to my liking...so started doing them myself. Then one day I cut too short and nothing we did would stop the bleeding. I put his paw in warm water and seemed to bleed forever. I never did his nails again from that point.

Love the dremel!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Wow. You guys cut your dogs' nails every week? No wonder my dogs' nail are so dang long.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

xellil said:


> Wow. You guys cut your dogs' nails every week? No wonder my dogs' nail are so dang long.


Haha, yup.....Brody and Dixi drive me bonkers if I don't, all that noise!! Leo "can't" walk on the hardwood/Lino if I don't, and Keeva is too Young to allow her to go longer then a week. 
Now Rhett? Well he can go 2-3 easy.....but if that boy had a pedometer I don't think it could keep up with him!!Lol :lol:


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

xellil said:


> Wow. You guys cut your dogs' nails every week? No wonder my dogs' nail are so dang long.


I cut mine every week because Mikeys grow like weeds, and I can't handle little dogs with long nails. 


Gunner has white nails and they don't really need trimming.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Weekly grinding - sometimes even more often to keep them really short for shows and for walking on hardwood.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

BrownieM said:


> View attachment 7230
> Weekly grinding - sometimes even more often to keep them really short for shows and for walking on hardwood.


Wow. If i cut my dogs' nails that short they would bleed to death. The quick is WAY longer than that.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

xellil said:


> Wow. If i cut my dogs' nails that short they would bleed to death. The quick is WAY longer than that.


Oh, yeah! This takes a long time to achieve if the nails have gotten long. You have to grind very frequently to get the quick to recede slowly. If you keep on the nails from puppyhood, the quick does not get long and the nails can be kept very short.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

BrownieM said:


> Oh, yeah! This takes a long time to achieve if the nails have gotten long. You have to grind very frequently to get the quick to recede slowly. If you keep on the nails from puppyhood, the quick does not get long and the nails can be kept very short.


So you think if I got a grinder I could shorten the quick? I guess I've been very lax - since my dogs are rescues and neglected they all had lots of quick but I'm not great about clipping, either. Maybe once every couple of months.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

xellil said:


> So you think if I got a grinder I could shorten the quick? I guess I've been very lax - since my dogs are rescues and neglected they all had lots of quick but I'm not great about clipping, either. Maybe once every couple of months.


Definitely. You grind as much as you can without hitting the quick about every 10 days. Because you are grinding close to the quick, but not hitting it, the quick will recede. It takes diligence but it does work. It may take several months, but it's definitely the most humane way to get the quick to recede.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks. I would love to just get their nails short enough so they aren't scratching my floors to pieces.


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## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

BrownieM said:


> View attachment 7230
> Weekly grinding - sometimes even more often to keep them really short for shows and for walking on hardwood.


Those are gorgeous! I'm super obsessive about short nails- can't stand long ones but Deeken's are nearly that short and pretty. I clip and grind weekly and his don't touch the floor or click though. I've been working on shortening them since I got him and they're slowly getting there.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

My dog's nail are not quite that short but we are working towards it. I was told just the heat of the grinder helps make the quick recede. It does take time but it is well worth it. Not having the clicking is priceless.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

We call it "stealth mode" after they get their nails clipped and the floors are silent


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

My other 2 poodles nails are a tad bit longer. They haven't been showing so I get lazy and go a month without clipping or grinding sometimes. Though I have to say, even my white boy with the short nails manages to scratch our floors horribly. He's been living here for a year and still hasn't figured out how to not be a spaz when turning corners on hardwood.

I was lucky because all came to me with very short nails. Especially my white boy. He was being kept with his breeder because she was going to show him and so she just never let them get long from the time he was born. I just stayed with it and they really have never gotten long enough to click.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

xellil said:


> Wow. You guys cut your dogs' nails every week? No wonder my dogs' nail are so dang long.



Long nails are a pet peeve of mine...I see people with these cute adorable French Bulldog pics and all I can think is "cut your damn dog's nails"...I always feel for the dog.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

frogdog said:


> Long nails are a pet peeve of mine...I see people with these cute adorable French Bulldog pics and all I can think is "cut your damn dog's nails"...I always feel for the dog.


Oh you would think the same thing if you saw my dogs nails! You guys are making me ashamed.

Well, Snorkels just got her nails cut but they are still not very short.


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