Tag Archives: dog grooming

How we trim dog nails

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There are a lot of dog nails in our house. We trim dog nails regularly – we’ve had a log ot practice. Four dogs, each with 16 toenails, in addition to Torque’s two bonus nails – he has dew claws on his front feet.

Just to make our lives more difficult, two of the dogs grow their nails at a great rate – making weekly trims imperative. Fortunately, one of them is the best dog ever for doing nails. The other, not so much.

Scaredy cats

We freely admit that we’re scaredy cats. We cringe at the thought of the damage possible with the squeeze-type guillotine nail clippers. Simon, the angel-for-nails dog, would be fine. But Booker? He has a hard time holding still for a millisecond. 

Booker is a very special boy. Not in the best sense of the word. He tries very hard, but life is difficult. He’s a high-anxiety boy. Touching his paws isn’t a problem. But keeping hold of a paw, positioning a clipper, and making the cut wouldn’t be possible. And we want to avoid horror-movie scenes. Not to mention hurting our boy.

Using power tools

The tool we use to avoid a bloody mess is the rotary power tool. There are lots of manufacturers, ours is made by Dremel. We use a fine-grit (120) sanding drum on the dogs’ nails. 

You might wonder how Booker reacts to that. It took some training (both us and him), and it still takes some patience, but we know we can’t do any major damage and there’s rarely blood.

The handiest hint we can share is to get the “Flex Wand.” It makes the sanding drum remote from the motor – and its whine. It lets you hold the sander like a pen. Not to mention not having to hold a heavy tool while you’re trying to perform a delicate task. 

Getting accustomed

Training the dogs to ignore the sound of the motor didn’t take long – aside from Booker. We just turned it on (placed on a flat surface) across the room and gave them treats. If dogs get a treat every single time they hear a certain sound – they’ll quickly learn to like the sound. Even love it.

Trim dog nails with a rotary tool and sanding drum

Not that our dogs “love” getting their nails done, but they don’t really mind (aside from Booker.) They know they get a treat after each paw. And they know our grooming routine. When we take out the tote bag with the rotary tool, they line up for their turns, and their cookies. It may not be a favorite thing to do, but to trim dog nails isn’t traumatic, either.

Second stage

The other factor, aside from length of the nails, is how smooth they are. Our dogs all use their paws a lot, usually to get attention. And if the dog is pawing at you, you don’t want to get scratched by rough nails. So we use an emery board on all the nails to take off any rough edges the rotary tool may leave. It’s an extra step that not everyone uses, but it makes the dogs’ pawing just naughty instead of painful.

You can find many charts and diagrams online recommending the correct length and angle to trim dogs’ nails. If your dogs’ nails have gotten a bit lengthy, don’t try to take off all the excess at once. A little bit at a time and you’ll get there.

Walking on pavement

We also see advice to walk your dog on pavement to wear down the nails. It’s never worked for us, but we’re also not miles-at-a-time walkers. If you enjoy walking, it’s certainly a great excuse to get out and enjoy the time with your dog.

Dog grooming in the time of corona

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Tango is looking a little scruffy these days. Grooming in the time of Corona Virus is problematic, to say the least. We don’t know why dog groomers haven’t been considered “essential” – most of what groomers do is absolutely vital to dogs’ health and well-being! The AKC is keeping a chart to update us on the status of dog businesses and services in each state.

Picture of a Brussels Griffon dog who needs grooming

Our own situation is a bit different at the moment. The groomer who’s been taking care of Tango (a rough Brussels Griffon and our only long-haired dog), closed her shop at the end of 2019 in a planned retirement. We knew we’d be facing this year without our Tango-support staff. We just didn’t know every groomer in the area would be closed when it was time for Tango to get a touch-up!

So, Fran’s Brussels Griffon boy didn’t get a haircut for his 11th birthday. He did get his face washed, teeth brushed, nails buzzed, beard/mustache tidied, and a sanitary trim. But he’s still a scruffy dude.

Shut down grooming

We understand that Google searches for “dog nail trimmers” are up tremendously. We’ve also seen some incredibly creative people posting their solutions on social media. Our favorite was the incredibly clever woman who wrapped her head with plastic wrap, slathered peanut butter on her forehead, and got to work trimming her dog’s nails. Fortunately, the video showed she was doing it outside. We can’t even imagine the mess attempting this anywhere else for the first time. 

It seemed to work for her – but she had a big retriever on a grooming table. Our usual position for nails is Fran holding the current victim upside down on her lap while she sits in a chair, and Hope doubled over grinding away with the Dremel tool sanding drum. It works for us, but does require two people.

Oddly enough, our best dog for nails is Simon, who takes a nap and lets us do whatever we want. Tango is next best for behavior accolades, but he flexes his toes constantly. He has adorable, tiny round paws. You wouldn’t think that the flexion would be a big deal, but Hope’s hands get sore trying to keep him in place and uninjured.

Tricks of the trade

We wish we had some magic formula for grooming, but there isn’t one. There are highly-skilled professionals who are excellent at what they do and we hope they can safely return to work in the near future. All of the people with long-haired dogs, we’re sure, agree.

Whenever Fran brought Tango home from the groomer, you could always tell he felt altogether spiffy. He’d stick his little butt up in the air, give a little yell, and go tearing around the house like he was all that and then some. Does your dog seem to know when he or she looks particularly terrific? Isn’t it funny that they know and they’re pretty pleased with themselves?

The dark side

For the moment, Tango doesn’t have a lot to be proud of, appearance-wise. We’re keeping him clean and making sure he can see, but our scissor skills are minimal. It seems that our complete lack of skill in cutting any kind of straight line is magnified with fur. Or you can totally see every single, too-straight line where the scissors weren’t quite where they should have been. 

The nice thing is that, while Tango knows when he looks particularly great, he doesn’t seem to be at all vain now that he’s a scruffy beastie. He doesn’t care that his ears look crooked, or his beard is uneven. Much like age, if he doesn’t mind, it doesn’t matter. But we do hope that it’s safe for grooming to start up again around here. There’s only so many bad haircuts a boy should have to endure.

Trimming dog nails without trauma

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Trimming dogs’ nails isn’t the dog equivalent of a human’s trip to the salon.

The dog doesn’t understand what’s going on. He probably doesn’t like a stranger messing with his paws. And he definitely doesn’t want any part of those scary clippers. Much less that awful-sounding grinding machine.

Dogs don’t speak conversational English and don’t understand when you say:

  • “Hold still and it won’t hurt.”
  • “It will go faster if you don’t move.”
  • “You’ll feel so much better with shorter nails.”
  • “I’m not going to hurt you!”
  • “Stop it!”
  • “Don’t move!”
  • “Knock it off! Nobody’s hurting you!”

But our dogs need short nails. There are very few of us who take our dogs on enough pavement-based walks to keep them “naturally” sanded down.

So how can we make it less traumatic for everyone?

Familiarity breeds acceptance, not contempt.

Lots of puppy advice says “Play with your puppy’s feet to get him accustomed to his paws being handled.” Great advice, except we’ve never met anyone who thought it worked. Dogs know the difference between sitting on the couch watching TV and messing with his paws and having the nail clipper handy.

nicely trimmed dog nails

Part of it could be that we tense up, knowing that our dogs can be resistant to having their nails done. Dogs can sense our tension. They may not know exactly what’s causing it, but if you think something awful’s about to happen, they think so, too!

Rather than planning to “do your dog’s nails,” have a plan for teaching your dog to accept having a “mani/pedi.”

If you use a clipper, have it next to you while you’re watching TV and play with it as your dog is next to you. Open and close it. Pretend to use it on yourself. Let your dog sniff it. And put it aside. Do it at intervals until your dog ignores it. 

If you’re using an electric grinding tool (like a Dremel), do the same thing. Let your dog see it, sniff it, become accustomed to it. Turn it on for a second, then off. Play with it and let it be part of the scenery. You’re sending your dog the message that it’s not particularly important, and definitely not a cause for anxiety.

Next steps

Let whatever tool you’re using touch your dog’s paw. Don’t attempt to cut or grind the nail at that point. Just let it get close enough. And put it down. Get your dog used to every stage of the process gradually: seeing it, hearing it, touching it, using it. 

Keep to the gradual introduction as long as you can. Don’t try for all the nails – be happy if you get one done. Have treats ready to reward for any stage that’s a bit farther than you got before. 

Trimming dog nails is always easier with two people; one to hold the dog while giving treats, and the other to do the trimming or grinding. But you can do it yourself if you’re patient.

Don’t get frustrated

If you feel yourself getting frustrated – let it go. There’s always another time.

We’ve all seen the videos of children getting their first haircuts. Some are rock stars and have a wonderful time. Others believe they’re being tortured by monsters from the depths of hell. Some dogs are cool, calm, and collected. Others will squirm until the task becomes impossible.

But if you take is slow and steady, your dog will learn to allow nail trims. 

We use a grinder to do our dogs’ nails. We get together on Sunday mornings to do all 66 dog nails in the house (Torque has dew claws.) About once a month we do 86 nails (the Bearded Dragon has five toes on each foot).

Two of our dogs are rock stars. Simon’s (Boston Terrier) been unfazed by the process from the get-go. He’s one year old. Tango (10-year old Brussels Griffon) also couldn’t care less – he takes a nap. Torque (5-year-old French Bulldog) fusses a bit – he exercises his twitch muscles.

Booker (7-year old Boston Terrier) used to be tolerant. Until Fran got Simon and he regressed to the point where we had to retrain him completely. We went back to the beginning – one toe at a time. After a year, we’re back to being able to do all four paws in one session. With a “cookie” for every paw, instead of every nail.

Be patient with your dog

If you take the time to gradually introduce, or re-train your dog, you will get him to accept the inevitable. It may never be a “favorite” for either of you, but keeping your trimming dog nails is part of proper care. Your dog will be more comfortable and will walk with better posture. Your clothes won’t get snagged and your legs won’t be bruised.  Worth mentioning – your floors won’t get scratched. It’s worth it.

While Tango’s away …

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Fran on Friday

Booker

Booker

Tango is at the groomer’s for a much-needed haircut. So Booker and I are here at the shop by ourselves. That means that Booker gets uninterrupted training and play-time. He seems to enjoy the one-on-one time with me.

I’ll take more but shorter training breaks with him. So hopefully he’ll be very tired when we go home later! I know that Tango will be tired (after his initial crazy puppy zoomies when he gets back) when I bring him back to the shop later. I know that at first he and Booker will race around the ring like lunatics, like they haven’t seen each other in years!

There’s nothing better than having tired dogs in the evening. They’ll be sprawled out on the couch or the floor, and Hope and I can watch TV in peace. Or take a pre-bed nap with our sleepy dogs. Yes, I’ve reached the age when I fall asleep on the couch after dinner. The thing that makes me feel better is that on the evenings that I go out for dog training, I’m wide awake when I get home. And usually stay that way until I decide to hit the sack.