How I Dremel Dog Nails

Trimming dog nails with a dremel tool

1. Have your dog treats handy.
2. Do not get in a hurry. If you become impatient, your dog will sense this.
3. Wear comfortable work slacks. I sit in the kitchen floor to do my dog nails.
4. You will be using a power tool. Wear protective eye wear.
5. Grinding nails creates dust . Wear a mask if you are sensitive to dust.
6. Try to do this procedure at night after your dog has eaten. They tend to be lazy and resist less.
7. Consider putting a muzzle on your dog for your own safety. You will be in close contact with your dog, so I use a fabric one. The metal ones hurt if they thrash and hit you with it.
8. SEE PHOTO #1 ABOVE
9. If your dog is new to this procedure, or has had a bad experience in the past, put the dog's hind end in the corner. Sit with your back also to the corner. I aim his butt to the left, lay him over my left leg, so I can use the Dremel or the clippers with my right hand (I am right-handed). My left arm can then help to hold him in place.
10. Usually if they try to excape, they will try to scramble backwards.With his hind end in the corner, he will have no direction to go but forward.
11. Talk in a low but firm voice.
12. If you are using the clippers and he is afraid of them, just have him sniff them and give him a treat. Rub your hands up and down his rear legs, paying particular attention to his feet. Give him several treats, then release him. Lesson over. You may need to repeat this several nights with his rear feet only until he begins to trust you.
13. If your dog has long hair, clip it, tape it, or otherwise secure it out of the way of the moving mandrel. If the hair gets wound around the rotating shaft, it will yank the hair. It will become a painful awful experiece for your pet. If you are putting the machine on the floor, also watch his tail.
14. Begin by clipping the very tip of the rear nails.
15. If this is your pet's first introduction to the Dremel, do not put the mandrel in the machine. Start with the revolutions on low. He may try to sniff it. It will startle him if his nose hits the chuck, but I have not had it truly hurt them, if you are paying attention. Give him a treat and release. Lesson over. Repeat this lesson several times if you need to, until they are ready to move forward to the next level.
16. Don't let the moving part of the machine connect with the cord, it will cut it in half.
17. When your pet is comfortable with the sound and feel of the machine alone, inset the mandrel with a coarse grit sanding band. If you are right-handed, hold the outer rear foot, (the one on top) with your left hand, touching a nail with the sanding band. It is not necessary to do a full trim with the first intruduction. The lesson is still about the sound and feel of the dremel. Gradually increase the time your dog will tolerate the grinding. I've read other articles that say to hold the band on the nail no longer than 3 seconds because it becomes hot. I move it around enough that I doubt I create any heat, but use caution because I suppose it is possible. Don't use it like it's a bench grinder, use finesse. Gradually begin to shape the nail.
18. Remember, the goal is eventually make the nails shorter. Each time you trim, the quick will recede further from the tip of the nail. It is possible to trim every 3 to 4 days, although you will not have as much nail to trim off. Your overall nail length will become shorter over time.
19. SEE PHOTO #2 ABOVE
20. After your pet is comfortable with the rear nails, begin on the front nails. Use the same patience and understanding you used with the rears, but expect a little more reaction because he can now see what you are doing front and center. If you gained his trust on the rears, you should be able to do so with the fronts also.
21. SEE PHOTO #3 ABOVE
22. Once your pet is familiar with the sound and feel of using a dremel on his nails, you are ready to get him out of your lap and lay him in front of you. If you are right-handed, put his hind end to your left and his front end to the right. Begin in the rear, with the leg he is laying on. It is very difficult for them to pull away in the position, so use caution, do not over-grind if you are new to this position.
23. If your pet is jerking his top rear leg away from you, either because of natural reflex or misbehavior, hook your ankle (heel) of your left foot behind the knee (you might want to call it his elbow) on the top leg, making it more difficult to pull away from you. Again, don't treat your dremel like it's a bench grinder. Shape your nail, do not hold the sanding band in one particular place for more than a second or two.
24. Move on to the front nails, keeping in mind that some dogs cannot tolerate the machine. Some of mine look away. They will still cooperate, but just cannot watch the actual procedure. Some adults I know cannot watch when they get a vaccination. I guess it's about the same thing for some dogs.
25. Be sure you reward your dog with a treat or two when you are finished. Praise him like he laid a "GOLDEN EGG". The "GOLDEN EGG" theory also applies when you are trying to house train your dog.
26. Remember, trimming dog nails is dangerous. The Dremel is a power tool. Be sure you agree to the terms and conditions at the top of the page before you start trimming dog nails.