# Do you Dremel or clip your dog's nails



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I use a long scissors with a rounded tip and sort of lay the scissors flat in between the pads. No pointing of scissors down into the pad area. However, Mia stands like a statue. Otherwise, I would not do it. I have never cut her in all these years.


It isnot the point of the scissors that worries me. It is the blades themselves that are razor sharp. A sideways slip could leave a real slice. I MIGHT be able to do it on Panda, because, Like Mia, she is VERY compliant during grooming. Forget about the other wigglers!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> It isnot the point of the scissors that worries me. It is the blades themselves that are razor sharp. A sideways slip could leave a real slice. I MIGHT be able to do it on Panda, because, Like Mia, she is VERY compliant during grooming. Forget about the other wigglers!


Definitely not for wigglers. I guess I am so used to it I don’t think of it as dangerous but I am very careful. I say if the clippers work, use those. But if I use those on Mia she will need chiropractic adjustments at the least. I am really fearful she will get hurt she hates it so much and is a super wiggler!!! Night and day!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> Definitely not for wigglers. I guess I am so used to it I don’t think of it as dangerous but I am very careful. I say if the clippers work, use those. But if I use those on Mia she will need chiropractic adjustments at the least. I am really fearful she will get hurt she hates it so much and is a super wiggler!!! Night and day!!!


Definitely use what works! And the best way is to get them used to things when they are very young! That‘s why Ducky got his nails Dremeled for the first time today! LOL! A little fussing and struggling initially, then he just sat in my lap, as relaxed as he normally is about clipping. Of course he got MEGA rewarded!!! STEAK!!! LOL!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> Definitely use what works! And the best way is to get them used to things when they are very young! That‘s why Ducky got his nails Dremeled for the first time today! LOL! A little fussing and struggling initially, then he just sat in my lap, as relaxed as he normally is about clipping. Of course he got MEGA rewarded!!! STEAK!!! LOL!


Definitely best to start conditioning them as young as possible. However, for those who did not, know that there is hope. Mia has made a complete turnaround, although it took quite awhile and lots of treats, along with the right tools and a more experienced dog groomer mom.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> I can understand why you would feel this way. Mia stands perfectly still for me to do her paw pads with scissors and I make sure not to go to deep between the pads. However, when I try to use clippers she becomes a bucking bronco. I am actually more fearful of her hurting a joint or muscle when using clippers vs. the scissors. Mia is so amazingly good for paw pad trimming with scissors I am giving in to her on this one. I also prefer not to shave them because I believe a little bit of hair acts as protection for digging dogs which I have. I am not sure why she is so good for paw pad trimming because she is not as good for nail trimming. It may be because I am obsessed about paw pads and so I do them really often.


In terms of staying still, I _might_ be able to do Perry's back feet but he hates hates hates anything touching his front feet (even just lightly touching them let alone actually doing anything to them) so I would never touch them with scissors even if I was confident. He's been like this since I got him - despite years of regularly just touching them, treats, etc. to try to de-sensitize him from it. The groomer does them with scissors though and while he does pull for her she's so much faster and confident. 

To groom his pads (and do his nails) I have to flip him on his back and put him on (sometimes between) my legs while I'm sitting on the ground - it's the only way I can do it without worrying about him pulling / pulling a muscle or something.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> In terms of staying still, I _might_ be able to do Perry's back feet but he hates hates hates anything touching his front feet (even just lightly touching them let alone actually doing anything to them) so I would never touch them with scissors even if I was confident. He's been like this since I got him - despite years of regularly just touching them, treats, etc. to try to de-sensitize him from it. The groomer does them with scissors though and while he does pull for her she's so much faster and confident.
> 
> To groom his pads (and do his nails) I have to flip him on his back and put him on (sometimes between) my legs while I'm sitting on the ground - it's the only way I can do it without worrying about him pulling / pulling a muscle or something.


Some dogs may just be more phobic about foot touching no matter what you do. For example, my yorkie is still phobic but much better. Mia is a dream. Both have same owner. Luckily the yorkie has little or no hair between the pads so I lucked out there!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

mudpuppymama said:


> Some dogs may just be more phobic about foot touching no matter what you do. For example, my yorkie is still phobic but much better. Mia is a dream. Both have same owner. Luckily the yorkie has little or no hair between the pads so I lucked out there!


That's why it's a good idea to make a point to handle a puppy's feet - spread the toes, massage the feet, touch their nails, etc. I was taught that way back when I took puppy classes with my corgi.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Jackie from Concrete WA said:


> That's why it's a good idea to make a point to handle a puppy's feet - spread the toes, massage the feet, touch their nails, etc. I was taught that way back when I took puppy classes with my corgi.


Absolutely - one (more) of the challenges of having a rescue . I definitely tried to do that when I got Perry, but he was already 8 months old.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> Absolutely - one (more) of the challenges of having a rescue . I definitely tried to do that when I got Perry, but he was already 8 months old.



And that's WAAAAYYY too late. Ideally, it should be started when they are almost newborn.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> Absolutely - one (more) of the challenges of having a rescue . I definitely tried to do that when I got Perry, but he was already 8 months old.


Well you at least tried! I didn’t even try because I had no clue I was supposed to do this, and I got my yorkie at 8 weeks!


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

Melissa Brill said:


> In terms of staying still, I _might_ be able to do Perry's back feet but he hates hates hates anything touching his front feet (even just lightly touching them let alone actually doing anything to them) so I would never touch them with scissors even if I was confident. He's been like this since I got him - despite years of regularly just touching them, treats, etc. to try to de-sensitize him from it. The groomer does them with scissors though and while he does pull for her she's so much faster and confident.
> 
> To groom his pads (and do his nails) I have to flip him on his back and put him on (sometimes between) my legs while I'm sitting on the ground - it's the only way I can do it without worrying about him pulling / pulling a muscle or something.


This is *exactly *what I do with Flo too!!!! If we are having a good foot day then I can leave her on my lap as opposed to in between my legs. If we are having a bad foot day she tries to kick me off with her back feet. Like Perry Flo doesn’t seem to mind her back feet being done quite as much as her front. I’ve also noticed her back claws seem to be a little softer too so I don’t have to spend as much time having paw tug of war🐾


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

Do you dremel or clip your dogs’ nails? I’ve only managed to clip Mando’s nails twice and the second time, I trimmed a bit too close to the quick and he yelped loudly. We were both traumatized. He now runs whenever he sees the Resco clippers and promptly tucks in his feet when I catch up with him. 🙁

Mando doesn’t mind having his paws touched and handled but does not like it when I try to separate and handle each nail individually.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mia prefers me to dremel her nails. I feel the dremel is safer as far as avoiding the quick. My yorkie prefers clippers and I use a Zen clipper on him which I prefer to regular clippers. If you get the correct size Zen clipper for your dogs nails, you cannot hit the quick. The hard part is finding which Zen clipper is the right size and sometimes the dog has different size nails. So I have a couple different sizes. I am too scared to use regular clippers. My yorkie used to horrid for his nails. I suspect he was knicked by the groomer a couple times. But now he is very good about it.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Here is link to Zen clipper. I use size 4 for my yorkie but some of Mia’s nails need size 5.









Amazon.com: Zen Clipper Puppy and Small Dog Nail Clippers – The Worry-Free Grooming Nail Clippers, Avoid Painful Overcutting – Stress, Injury-Free Nail Cutting – Unique Blade Clips The Tip – 3mm Hole


Find Zen Clipper Puppy and Small Dog Nail Clippers – The Worry-Free Grooming Nail Clippers, Avoid Painful Overcutting – Stress, Injury-Free Nail Cutting – Unique Blade Clips The Tip – 3mm Hole and more at Amazon.com



www.amazon.com


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mando's Mommy said:


> Do you dremel or clip your dogs’ nails? I’ve only managed to clip Mando’s nails twice and the second time, I trimmed a bit too close to the quick and he yelped loudly. We were both traumatized. He now runs whenever he sees the Resco clippers and promptly tucks in his feet when I catch up with him. 🙁
> 
> Mando doesn’t mind having his paws touched and handled but does not like it when I try to separate and handle each nail individually.


My yorkie used to be horrible for his nails. I had to condition him. What I did is each day I would hold a paw and the clipper but I kept the clipper away from the paw. I would then give him a treat. Each day I would move the clipper closer and give him a treat. Finally I would touch the paw with clipper (but not clip) and give a treat. Then I would touch paw with clipper and actually act like I was clipping by closing clippers and give a treat. He is now good for nails but at the end of our daily grooming session I still touch at least one paw with clipper and give him a treat to remind him how “fun” nail clipping is!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Mando's Mommy said:


> Do you dremel or clip your dogs’ nails? I’ve only managed to clip Mando’s nails twice and the second time, I trimmed a bit too close to the quick and he yelped loudly. We were both traumatized. He now runs whenever he sees the Resco clippers and promptly tucks in his feet when I catch up with him. 🙁
> 
> Mando doesn’t mind having his paws touched and handled but does not like it when I try to separate and handle each nail individually.


When I have to do them myself, I prefer the dremel (sometimes I use both) - but either way dremel or clippers I find that I definitely do not clip them short enough when I do them myself compared to the vet or the groomer. So, when I'm in the US I let the vet and groomer clip them for me  In fact, because I can't get him groomed for a while, at his last bandage change I asked the nurse if she could clip all of his nails for me 😇


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> Here is link to Zen clipper. I use size 4 for my yorkie but some of Mia’s nails need size 5.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


"size" 4 and 5 being the mm size (wait, that can't be right because the 4mm says its for dogs 20-40lbs)? The sizes are listed as "small, medium, large, etc." with the medium being 3mm.

For comparison - how big is Mia otherwise (weight)?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mando's Mommy said:


> Do you dremel or clip your dogs’ nails? I’ve only managed to clip Mando’s nails twice and the second time, I trimmed a bit too close to the quick and he yelped loudly. We were both traumatized. He now runs whenever he sees the Resco clippers and promptly tucks in his feet when I catch up with him. 🙁
> 
> Mando doesn’t mind having his paws touched and handled but does not like it when I try to separate and handle each nail individually.


I almost always Dremel, but I didn't always. I used to clip nails, and I dreaded quicking them. I CAN tell you that they are MUCH more traumatized by our REACTION to quacking them than they are to the deed itself. It's really not THAT painful. The moment it's over, it's over. And they are NOT going to bleed out. Keep calm. Say something bright and cheerful. Hold Quick-Stop TIGHT on the nail until it stops bleeding, and go right on clipping the other nails as if nothing happened, giving a treat for each successful nail. If you stop the moment you quick them, that is the last thing the dog will remember about having been quicked... the "trauma", and how upset everyone got! Is it a wonder that they don't want to do that again? 

In the long run, I DO think you'd be happier with a Dremel. I KNOW that Mando is big enough, because I'm already Dremelling Ducky!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> "size" 4 and 5 being the mm size (wait, that can't be right because the 4mm says its for dogs 20-40lbs)? The sizes are listed as "small, medium, large, etc." with the medium being 3mm.
> 
> For comparison - how big is Mia otherwise (weight)?


I have the medium and large. That is the only problem with the zen clipper. The sizes are wonky. The small is even too small for my cat! Mia is 12 pounds. I use the zen clippers on my yorkie and dremel on Mia. But the medium and large would work on Mia. Her nails are thicker than my yorkies. The medium works fine on him.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> When I have to do them myself, I prefer the dremel (sometimes I use both) - but either way dremel or clippers I find that I definitely do not clip them short enough when I do them myself compared to the vet or the groomer. So, when I'm in the US I let the vet and groomer clip them for me  In fact, because I can't get him groomed for a while, at his last bandage change I asked the nurse if she could clip all of his nails for me 😇


I think the great thing about being able to do our dog’s nails is that they can be done more often. I try to do them weekly. Therefore, if I don’t get quite enough off I will be hitting them again a week later vs a month later! I also keep an eye on them and if I need to I do them even more often. For example, today I did Mia’s front nails again even though I only did them five days ago. I also notice that the front nails grow faster than the back on mine.


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## LeleRF (Feb 18, 2021)

Glad to read these posts as I will also be starting to use a dremel on Mr. Chase. The baby clippers I had been using (or most days _trying_ to use) are too small. Let the conditioning process commence with the dremel!


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