Er googled Dremel.....all the power tools came up!Blimey I thought, bit much for even the hardest of claws then I Googled Dremel dog tool and of course ,the nail trimmer came up! There must be a decent file you can buy.....the first groomer I used who actually did do a great job,used to file after clipping and they were neat and angled when they were finished.... Need to get this baking done,I'll have a look round later! I'll take tooth brushing over nail clipping though anyway!
I didn't know that Dremel did a dog tool....it looks exact like the small power tool...wonder if you can just buy the right heads?
Do you not trim the fur between the toes as well? Some in the photos looks long enough to make the toenails hard to see and my dogs find that fur makes them slip on our hardwood floors. I used to send Oban retrieving on the sand and gravel trail and his skidding to stop kept that fur well trimmed and I only had to do it myself in winter, when the gravel was covered in softer snow. Now he can't do that so I use the OH's hair trimmer AND his nose hair trimmer. The nose hair trimmer is GREAT. It gets between the toes a wee bit so the trim lasts longer. I clip and trim outside so hair and blood, if I make a mistake, doesn't spread all over the house. The light is usually better outside too.
So.... The power tool (7700) shows a dog's nails being filed as one of the applications of the dremel - and it's £42.99 with 30 accessories (spare heads, polishing tools etc). The dremel pet groomer (also 7700) with no accessories is £64.92!!
I use the Wahl Pet Nail grinder - which is much cheaper - includes accessories - the only downside is that it is not cordless so you have to be near a plug and the wire gets in the way a bit as you move round the different paws soit is a bit of a pain. It does fine for my elderly lab who has really tough nails though. I think you can get it on Amazon for about £25
Ooh poor Dexter, hope he's OK Angela My friend uses a Dremel her 3 Staffies, makes my teeth go on edge Isn't it just quicker to clip the nails, it only takes me a few minutes, as a tool would take much longer, wouldn't it? x
I've just seen the Wahl one now when I've been having a look....my original groomer did actually use the word grinder when she was going through what she did to Dexter ...I thought it was the English word she was using for filing....the word grinder goes through me a bit! You are right Helen...clipping is much quicker but you need to have skill and confidence ....I think I could get skill through practice but my lack of confidence prevents me braving it,I'm so scared of nicking him.These tools take the worry of that out I guess as its a slower reduction of the nail length...bet there's a smell.....is there a smell?
Just to say...if you do nick them,whilst it must hurt and it is a bloodbath....it is over quickly as Rachael said...weve managed our full hour walk this eve ...but I did put a little sock on him ....
I would have thought the smell and the noise of one of these devices would be quite worrying to a dog though. Angela, I was really worried about clipping Charlie's nails but I clicker trained it and just take a few milimeters off every few weeks to help the quick recede. Touch wood, I have never nicked Charlie. Lots of yummy treats and you will get there. xx
I did nick my Charlie's nails, and I don't want to do it again. I also love the kikopup video where she smooths all the sharp edges off with a dremel. This stops dirt collecting in the uneven edge, and significantly reduces the risk of the dog splitting a clipped nail. It will be perfectly easy to clicker train Choc Charlie to like the noise, if he is even bothered at all that is. Here is the (somewhat gold standard) of kikopup nail trimming... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cq5X8aV95E
Having had Great Danes I hated clipping nails, they hated getting their nails clipped, none of the clippers seemed to be strong enough. So I ended up investing in a Dremel, highly recommend it. They soon get used to the noise, I have already started with Bruin not that his nails need doing but just to get him used to the noise and sensation, just doing it on a weekly basis and he's pretty good now.
Great video, thanks Julie. I will confess I haven't got any further on this with Simba. Ack. I keep thinking I'm going to spend some time on desensitization but somehow I never do....what is it about this that's so hard?? His nails definitely need a trim if I compare them to her video. Lots of clacking on our laminate floors. Sigh. Come on, Lisa, get going on this!!
Oh nothing about your encouragement Helen or the kikopup video makes me less fearful of doing this..thinking about it I'm squeamish about clipping my own nails so I think it's a right off for me!!..I am quite interested in the Dremel though....I think Dexter would definitely go for that,it doesn't seem that noises either. if I used it for maintenance then I could probably keep them down myself...he can start more pavement walking soon now the weather is changing so that will help too.... Thanks everyone x
I understand Angela you do whatever makes you feel most confident. I have just this minute given Charlie a complete pedicure and I hated every second, but he lets me do it and file them too!! They were pretty long as I didn't want to bother him whilst he was coned up after his foot surgery so really have to start again with doing them every couple of weeks to get those quicks receiding xx
Argh, Willow has gone really foot-shy for no apparent reason, and I've not been able to trim her nails for ages. They're getting far too long now - they grow SO quickly! - so I'm doing a whole load of daily desensitisation with raw beef. We've gone from her not letting me touch her feet at all, to being able to hold and manipulate her foot. I've started introducing the clippers, and I can stroke them on the tops of her feet and sometimes touch her nails, but she's really not happy with it. I have a feeling this is going to be a long road. I'm buying a Dremel when I'm over in the UK and I'll start really, really slowly with that, but in the meantime I need to get them cut without stressing her out. They're nearly touching the ground. Sigh.
Oh no.....funny, I was just doing Charlie's last night - and looking at the dremel online! It's not a natural thing for dogs to like, having their nails clipped at all. It's a tricky thing, if her nails really need doing but she's not happy. Can you speed up the desensitisation in anyway? That's tricky, I know. At the end of the day though, I have several things that Charlie "tolerates" rather than loves because I have compromised in the interest of time (and needing to do other stuff!) and just had someone feed him while I get whatever it is that needs to be done, done. It's far from ideal though....and only you know just how sensitive she is about it.
This is kind of a dumb question, but what position do you hav your dog in when you clip their nails? I guess I was wondering about the "lie-down" option that was on the kikopup video. I'm not sure I could get Simba to do that, but I started to wonder if it would be better to have him on his side? So I've started to train the lie down on side position, but it's still not ideal. So do you all have the dog sitting in front of you to do the front paws, and standing for the back ones? Just trying to figure out what position I should be training him in first!
I haven't quite cracked a good position for this - I haven't trained the "play dead" position shown in the kikopup vid. Charlie is not all that good about being pulled into different positions like she has trained her dog (unless he's really sleepy and he wants to be turned over for a tummy rub ). So I just have him lie on his mat. and he lies on his mat in a relaxed way, On his hip so both his back legs are on the same side. If I sit on the floor next to him, I can do his back paws easily, but the front paws are a little awkward. To do the other side, I just lure him round with a treat. It's not the best to be honest and I really should train a better position. I had my vet check the length of Charlie's nails last night, and he said they were fine and didn't need to be any shorter. But I can still hear them a bit on hard floors. Anyway, I'm going to keep just taking a tiny bit off each week and see how we go.
You can use a file too they are good for any rough edges and nicks if your dog can stand it. I use one on Doug as I can't his nails for obvious reasons (SLO) but he will let me file them happily. They don't take much off but I've found it a useful tool. I know some people who use a dremel sanding tool too.
