Is there an easy way to trim dogd nails?
I am having problems trimming the black ones. How can you tell where the quick starts?

Very difficult, you can't. The best way is to do it little and often and get them down that way.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

I have a black cocker and just tip her nails every week. I'm probably over caustious but I don't want to cause a massive bleed and upset her.

Fiona
x x x

I do the same - just little and often. I also find that an emery board can be quite useful.

If you have a Dremel or similar in the house these can be very useful. Just remember they get hot very quickly.

I'm not sure which breed you have but I have also used a bastard file on my Dobes, expecially one who would not tolerate you cutting them but loved having them filed - even with the dremel which has noise, dust, vibration, heat she would lay there!

If you look underneath the nail (and pick the mud out) you may find that there is a hollow bit at the tip - you can cut all this off, behind this is the quick which again you can see if the underside of the nail is clean, don't cut this. If there is no hollow bit then just cut or file the tip off.

Christine

Here is a GREAT site with instructions on how to dremel dog nails. On the left frame near the bottom is the link to the dremel pages.

http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merenski/doberdawn/index.html

Wendy

Just out of curosity - is Dremelling dogs toenails a paricularly Dobermann thing?

Christine

I would say about 80% of the people on one of my whippet boards dremel so I don't think it's more dobes than other breeds. But maybe a bit more common in any breed with black toenails.

I bought one and tried it. What a laugh. Printed off all the instructions, did the 'touch and treat' method. My whippet cross was fine and allowed me to do a couple of toes. My purebred whippet hyperventilated and thought I was killing her. In a backward way it still worked though as I gave up on the dremel, got out the clippers and she was good as gold for the clippers (guess she decided it was the lesser of two evils.)

Wendy

Like I told you Wendy "The little Lady with the BIG personality" She knew what she wanted and it wasn't the dremel <LOL>

Yes, but BEFORE the dremel it wasn't the clippers either!!!!!!!! I thought the dremel might save us the horrible clippers routine. Now I just buy a new pair of clippers every couple of months as she's not too bad as long as they're sharp. We found a really good pair at a dog show recently and she's much better with them so we'll buy a few more to put away (theyweren't expensive). Also someone recommended the big file for filing down your feet, so I've picked up one of those. Her nails are 'just' inside the right length, but I'd like to get them back further. I didn't do them as often because it was such a fight until recently.

Wendy

How do you keep a pup still when trying to do nails? Mine wriggles like crazy and bites my hand. They need doing, but I'm afraid she'll jerk and I'll get the quick. I tried doing them once while she was sleeping and got about 5 done before she objected.

Lots of fighting - shouting at hubby who isn't holding the pup properly etc LOL. Seriously it's finding the right position and perservering. I've *just* quicked them both a few times because of squiggling about. I use a small dab of super glue on a cotton bud to tip it and keep from bleeding (don't shout at me all at once!!). But with the file it is much easier - they will sit still and let them be filed much easier than clipping. Also - like I said in my above post -make sure the clippers are SHARP. Also you can try the 'touch and treat' method. Touch the nails with the clipper and praise like crazy when they don't pull away. Do that for a few minutes to desensitize, then work slowly up to clipping - sometimes praise isn't enough and there does need to be a treat reward.

Wendy (who doesn't have it perfect, but works on it every time LOL)

Have the puppy fall asleep on your lap and do it sneakily with the scissor-style dog nail cutters :) If she wakes up, pretend you were just petting their paws and lull her back to sleep ;)

I use the dremel on my Greyhound, lurcher, whippets and the Italian Greyhounds. Only had one who really objected.

Thank you for all the replies... but isnt a dremel a diy tool?

I have a jack russell, i think that would take her paws off

I actually use a rechargeable human nail file a bit like a dremel but not as strong and my rough collie loves it but the Border Collies run a mile can't stand the sound:D Gillian

Hi Heather

I have used it on tiny puppies as well - does not leave those sharp edges that will scratch their mum, but I do use it on the slow speed for this

Christine

Mine all think a hairdrier is a tool of the devil goodness knows what they would think of a Dremel Ja:Dkie

I brought a set very much like a dremmel
I wanted one that started at around 7500 rpm and the dremmel was 1000rpm and £59,the one i got was only £14.99 including all the attachments from a diy store.I thought our dogs would freek when i used it for the 1st time on them
only 1 wasnt to happy the others were great and it doesdo them so much better than the gillotine type

I bought one that sounds very much the same as your drill, and I have had fantastic results when grinding my Sharpei nails, even the youngsters :-)

Carolyn,
What's the name of the multi tool you bought. I'd quite like one and it's more my price range than a Dremel?
Thanks
Dot

Please to have found this thread as I have been thinking of getting a dremel or similar for the Pugs - they all think they are being murdered at just the sight of the nail clippers. I wondered about the mnicure type file as well, is it strong enough for pug nails?
Gwen

well my manicure type file does rough collie nails and she aint pampered runs with our borders and is often mud up:D :D :D Gillian

I have a large file, the sort that you use on feet, and it is strong enough to file the sort of nail you need to use a hammer for. Ja:)kie

Hi Dot

The one I brought is from Focus DIY.
Its called champion rotary tool kit 130 watt
it comes with 40 pieces and a hard case.
£14.99 you could try it and if the dogs dont mind it you could always replace it with a dremmel,I was just a little worried about buying a dremmel and then the dogs not letting me get near them with it
but at £14.99 its not such a great loss if they wont.

Thanks Carolyn
Dot

Ah, but Dremmel stands by their product. My mom has used one for around 20 years in her repair work (porcellan dolls, figurines, etc...). Her dremmel died about a year ago. She called up the company. They had UPS pick it up. They checked it out, and sent her a brand new one!!! It even came with the new accessories! :) :) :)
toodles

Wow. It doesn't sound as expensive if they last as long as your mums and well done Dremmel. Good customer service.
Dot

And she uses hers on average about every other day for several hours at a time :rolleyes:

Kitchen Aid did the same thing for me with the "Stand mixer". I inherited it from mom a while back. It went on the fritz and tried to shock me when I touched the housing. They sent me a new "reconditioned" model and picked up my 22 years old one for no charge. Amazing!!!!! :) :) :)

nope, i dremmel sharpei-my sister dremmels rotties and her lhasa