Anyone have any advice? Never clipped a dog's nails before, but our mutt has fast growing talons that require constant attention.
We take both of our dogs to Country Critter. It's only $5.00 and they do a great job! (Not sure what size your dog is but we have two big labs and they're still able to get the job done. It took all 4 of us at home & we weren't able to get even one nail done. lol)
Thanks! I guess I should have been clearer, I wanted to do it myself, and was looking for types or brands, etc. May still go to a vet, if we can't find any do it yourself ideas.
I found a pretty good pair of clippers at PetSmart. They look kind of like a set of miniature pruners and the actual clipper part is shaped like a bird beak so when you squeeze them to clip they come together as a circle around the nails. I didn't get the cheapest ones, but not the most expensive either. I think just make sure they are sharp and replace them as the blades get dulled over time. I've found it goes much faster/easier if the clippers are sharp. There are different sizes too so get a set that is comfortable for you to hold and fits your doggy!
My mom used to use a thing out of my dad's tool box to keep the nails trimmed. I think it was called a rasp. She would take our dog to the vet about every 6 months for a nail trim, and between trims just use the rasp on a weekly/monthly basis. I think the key is getting the pet used to it from the beginning if you can. We now have 2 cats, and I've been trimming their nails as needed, and they just think it's part of their grooming (they get combed and treats afterwards).
I just bought a thing called Pedi Paws. It is basically a dremel tool with a guard on it, but doesn't make near the noise of a dremel. I will let you know how it goes with my big babies.
Oh, yeah! I've seen that commercial. Sounds like a great idea, please let me know what you think of it!
They sell it in MANY stores now. It's 20 bucks, so far the dogs are not afraid of it. I have held the tool, turned it on and petted them and handed them a treat. They seemed fine with it. Let them sniff it before you go sawing away at their feet.:lol: makes them a little less anxious.
If you've never done it before I would suggest that you take your dog to a vet's office and ask them to let a vet tech teach you how to do it without hitting the dog's quick. A quick cut bleeds a lot, hurts a lot, and can make a dog fight you over any future nail trims. It's something like $5 to have nails cut at my vet's office.
Although I do agree with Ready, I am tempted to try the Pedi Paws. I have been able to get a pony used to the sound of clippers, which to them is pretty much the sound of something about to eat them (but then again, so is every other noise), so I think eventually my Gromit may trust me with a sander type object close to his ticklish toes. It may take about a year though, and he will probably chew his own nails off first. I am optimistic.
I'm glad to hear good things about the Pedi Paws. Every time we see the commercial we say, "We should get that", but I like to hear how it worked for others first, so thanks all that posted about it. Looks like the Snuff dog and his sidekick might get one for Christmas. Shh don't tell!
