Tag: Dog Nail Grinders

It does not matter what you use, Nail Grinders or Clippers. What matters is the comfort of your dog and the ease of performing the task for you. If you are uncomfortable with the clipper, and most people are, Chances are you will like the grinder. Nail grinders are more precise and chances of hurting the dogs too is much lesser. Chances are, your dog will prefer the grinder better than the clippers any time. Clippers often tend to injure the dogs toe and dogs usually don't enjoy their nails being trimmed with a clipper. Grinders are silent and safer.

Grinding is often safer. Unlike Human nails, dogs' nails are different. While the nails do look long and ready to be cut to the shortest, dogs nails contain something called the Kwik which runs inside the nail . If you cut into the kwik, it will bleed and hurt your dogs. Trim our dogs nails regularly and the kwik will recede. Not knowing where the kwik begins and cutting your dogs nails will injure your dog and often create anxiety every time it sees a clipper. With a grinder, chances of injuring your dog is much lesser and you can control how much and how fast you can trim.

There is only one right answer to this question and it would be when your feel your dogs nails require trimming. Some dogs tend to have their nails grow slowly while others seem to grow them faster. The diet plays a major role in the growth of nails and hair but its also their lifestyle. If your dog is more outdoor and runs around in tarmac or concrete, his nails will be trimmed naturally. Digging too keeps the dogs nail slightly trimmed. Most small breed dogs, toy dogs and medium sized dogs which spend their time indoors will see their nails grow faster. Its not that their nails grow faster but they are not trimmed naturally. These dogs may need trimming more often than dogs that are outdoor and active. Older dogs too will require more grinding than younger dogs which are always active and playful. Watch your dogs nails often and if you feel that its ready for a trim, use the grinder. 

For short nails , Grinders are more preferred than clipping. Its safer, silent and less stress for your dog. Clipping is ok for dogs too as long as you know how to do them. For most dog parents, its easier to use a nail grinder instead of a clipper because its safer, easy to use and you can control the nail grinder more easily than a clipper. Also, your dogs will prefer a grinder to a clipper anytime.

Yes dogs do feel pain if you don't take care while cutting their nails. Cutting nails are usually a stressful process for your dogs. They don't enjoy it and often try to avoid it because its painful. Once bitten twice shy. Making grooming an enjoyable process is important. If your dog is going to run every time he sees a clipper or trimmer, it will make the process horrendous for pet owners. Learn to make the dog like the process. Ensure that you don't hurt your dog when you are cutting nails. Use a grinder instead of a clipper. Ensure that you don't grind the dog's nails for more than a few seconds. Ensure that the grinding head is not hot before grinding your dog's nails. Taking small precautions can avoid injury to your dog and make the entire process easy for you and your dog.

Do its slow and dont rush into it. A millimeter or two each time is safe. Cutting or grinding too deep into the nail often ends up cutting into the kwik of the dogs nails which hurts the dog. No matter how overgrown your dogs nails are, there is no short cut to getting it short again. Its more or less like a weight loss process or brushing your teeth. Cut a bit today and wait a few day to a week to come back again to it. By this time, the kwik would reced and the nails would be ready to be cut again. Everytime you cut the nails right, the kwik recedes and its safer for your dog to have his nails cut.

When you are cutting your dogs nails don't go flat out at 90 degrees . this is not the right way to cut the dogs nails. For an effective cut, grind the nails of your dog at 45 degrees or roughly around that angle. This not only gives your dog an effective cut but also ensures that you don't cut through the Quick / Kwik that easily. 

Lift your dogs paw carefully and look for a dark spot under the nail. If your dog's nails are black, you will find a darker shaded black spot. You can cut till that area as that black spot is often the beginning of the Kwik. Ensure that you grind the dog's nail at slow speed if the nails are already short and make sure that you do it at a 45 degree angle.

If your dog's paw is scratching on the surface of your floor everytime it walks or you hear a clicking sound every time he is about and around, its often the nails which are making the noise and it needs a bit of trimming. It sounds like your 5 year old was walking around with your high heels in the house. If you look carefully, the dog's nails should protrude from its paw nearly touching the floor. The nails should not touch the surface of the floor. If its touching the floor… its time for a trim.

Dog walking to some extent does trim the dogs nail. It depends on a few other factors too. Are you walking your dog on asphalt or concrete which is rough or in the park or in a smooth surface area. If the surface is rough, the nails will gradually trim down but it also depends on how long you walk your dog and how regularly you do it. Dog walking is not an alternative to trimming your dogs nail though. It isn't practical to walk your dog 2-3 hours every day for most people. 

The answer could be a quick Yes. It does hurt the dog if you cut the quick and thats one of the main reasons dogs hate getting their nails trimmed. If you have cut through the quick ever before, your dog will shy away when you try to cut its nail. You should be careful and practice cutting your dogs nails. The key is to trim only a bit every few days so that the quick recedes .

Chances are , if you are using a clipper, you have either cut through the quick or you have bent the nails because you got the wrong position. Often its the quick which hurts the dogs.Even while grinding , you do sometimes go too close to the quick and that hurts .

Long nails are a problem in dogs. While naturally its not so painful, activities like digging and playing in the park could be a problem. While they are playing or at the park, chances are they really don't care or feel the pain but later, you find the dog limping around at home because their nails hurt. Trimming your dogs nail regularly is important. Its safe for you and hygienic for your dog.

Dogs need to be calm before you can cut their nails. If they have been injured previously due to the process, they will not be cooperative while you touch their paws or see a clipping or grinding device in your hand. Calm your dog and let him smell the device. Help him be comfortable around you, touching his paw and slowly move by touching the paw with the device while its not on. This may take time but once the dog realizes that there is nothing harmful in the device touching it, it will eventually calm down. This may take a day or two of practice. Once the dog is not really worried about the device any more, try to hold his paw. Most often the dog will not be worried anymore. Trim slowly and every nail you complete, treat the dog. Sooner or later, the dog will associate food with the process and will be encouraged to cooperate. Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJX2LP7oLxc .

While both the devices are nearly the same, a dremel is not really designed for grinding dog nails. Dog Nail grinders are designed for the purpose and are much more suitable for trimming dog nails. Avoid using a dremel on a dog or for that matter experimenting with odd devices.