Do you trim your pet’s nails? What kind of pet? What method and tools do you use? Dogs, cats, birds (nope, not fish or snakes, but otherwise)—many pets need regular nail trims for health and safety reasons. I wanted to hear about all the kinds of pets whose nails my online friends trim or have trimmed regularly and about the method/s and tools they use or have used, now or with past pets.
I asked, “What’s worked best … or not? Maybe you don’t do the trims yourself? Do you take the pet to a groomer, veterinarian, nail specialist for trims? What factors caused you to decide to outsource pet nail trimming? How does it work for you and for the pet? Would you recommend it to a friend?”
Here are some of their very informative answers.
Colette Kase (Mexico) I use a dremel. My boy is very good about having his feet handled and is not frightened of having his nails done, but he’s super ticklish. Some toes are worse than others. It seems that the dremel weirdly bothers him less than clippers. So we dremel his toenails every few days.
Christine Hale Vertucci (Tennessee) I use a dremel with a diamond grinder attachment. With one of my dogs, I had to work up to the dremel by using a scratch board and then a variety of pet nail files while conditioning her to the dremel.
Alisha Ardiana (California) I trim our Papillon’s nails, I also use a dremel for smoothing them down. There is a great Facebook group run by Deb Jones—“Cooperative Care.” There is also an archived “nail maintenance for dogs” Facebook group. Based on the work I have done with my dog, I am a group expert in Deb Jones’s group. Here is an article that I wrote early in our nail journey.
I don’t think they make mine anymore, but this is the one that I have; this is the head I bought for the dremel.
Risë VanFleet (Pennsylvania) I manually clip the dogs. It’s the Clippy Toes game—two to three nails, then a treat. Two of my dogs have had prior foot injuries and if they show any sign of stress, we stop. Sometimes it takes a few days to get all their nails done. This picture of Jake shows his preferred method—with a metal nail file. We start with the clippers, and because his cut nails tend to snag things, we smooth them out like this.
Photo by Risë VanFleet
Isabel Alvarez Arata (Texas) We have a very confident kitty that allows us to cut his nails with minimal effort. Cat nails are intimidating to me but they are thin enough that most pet parents can handle it with patience and positive reinforcement. Cutting cat nails is nothing like cutting a big dog’s thick nails that take the force of two sumo wrestlers to crack. My dogs had their pedicures at the vet or groomer. I couldn’t do it!
Donna Weidert (Washington) I have a parrot right now, and I take him once a month to someone who is VERY good at nail trims. When I had dogs, I did my own with nail clippers. I was very careful and gave treats. They were mostly okay with it.
Dale Ward (North Carolina) Dog, Rhubarb, black Labrador, dremel. I find black nails challenging to trim with nail clippers because I’m always afraid of quicking her. I find using a dremel much easier.
Adrienne Critchlow (United Kingdom) I only have dogs, and yes, I trim their claws. I use nail clippers, as I do cooperative care with all my dogs so it’s stress-free for all of us.
Neil Rubenstein (Florida) I have a 118-pound Great Pyrenees with very large and hard nails. I am a dog trainer and not a groomer. I take her to a groomer and let professionals do what they do best!
Erin Saywell (Indiana) I trim with clippers, but also use a scratch board. Depends on the dog and their comfort level. Mine love both, because it means TREATS!
Photo by Erin Saywell
Danyle Harry (United Kingdom) Parrots—usually when they can gouge my eyes out and I’ve had a night to say my prayers and hope I survive the ordeal. Dogs at least weekly if not twice weekly. Either clipping or dremeling depending on the dog and length of nail. When you get poorly and don’t do them for a fortnight, every other day with the dremel until back to the correct length.
Rose Wardian (Washington) I have tended to my critters’ nails for some time. Currently have two chihuahua mixes that are amenable to my using a dremel-style grinder. If the stress level is too high for either me or the critter, I take them to a groomer or vet. If you are not confident in doing it yourself or the critter is too stressed, I feel it is definitely worth the cost to have it sourced out.
Nyssa Gatcombe (New Hampshire) I trim my clients’ pets’ nails but don’t trim my own pets’. My dogs can file their own, my cats have scratchers, my mice and sheep have access to rougher surfaces. I find keeping the nail maintenance out of our relationship makes it stronger. I do make sure my dogs have a positive association with going to the groomer, though, so they behave for their regular spa days.
Stephanie Presdee (United Kingdom) I use Millers Forge and I have an indented metal nail file made by Mikki, all cooperative reward training.
Kathleen Huggins (Washington) Lick mat helps.
Amy Suggars (Ohio) I trim both my dog’s and my cat’s nails by myself. I use ordinary human nail clippers for my cat. I just hold her and then gently force the claws out one at a time and snip! I typically need to clip only the front paws. If I am good about regularly trimming my dog’s nails (once a month or so), then I can use a dremel to grind them. My dog is much more tolerant of the grinder than she is of the nail clippers. If I have let the nails get too long between trims, I’ll use the dog toenail clippers on her and then follow that with grinding. I like to keep my dog’s nails very short … no clicking sounds on the wood floors! There is a local person who makes house calls here to trim pet nails. Periodically I’ll have her grind my dog’s nails for me. Between the two of us (me holding my dog and her grinding the nails) we can easily get them to the short length I prefer.
Janet Velenovsky (Virginia) Having had eight dogs and helped dozens of clients with their own dogs’ nails, I have used clippers, nail scissors, dremels, and scratch boards for different dogs and different nails. Some dogs hate the vibration of the dremel, others have been made to bleed by clippers, so I audition the different tools to see what they like or dislike most. The essential ingredients are patience, good treats, sharp tools, a quiet room, and lots of breaks. If it becomes a battle, it’s best to go slower and/or quit for a while. For my ten cats, I use the nail scissors, since their nails are much thinner and easy to clip off.
Colette Kase This. Different dogs like different methods. I let my dog lead.
Lynn Brezina (Illinois) Cats and guinea pigs yes; dogs, rarely, ever since I no longer have show dogs. Plus what Janet said.
Tim Beau (Oregon) As a kid, I trimmed our Samoyed’s nails all the time. It was easy. I could easily see the quick. Then after years with no pets, we got Chiquis, with her black nails. Her first experiences must have been with someone who couldn’t find the quick. When I tried, I could find the quick, but could never get her to hold still to do more than one or two nails. So we took her to the groomer, where they charged only $5 per dog. When we got Lalo, we just took them together and kept going after Chiquis passed. They need the butt squeeze too (I don’t want to do that!) which is another $10. Not a bad deal I would say. I just hold the dogs while the clippers snap.
Connie Sagona Petit (New Hampshire) Dexter is a Cockapoo, so he goes to a groomer on a regular basis. She always does his nails, but if for some reason he needs attention before his next appointment, the groomer at the doggie daycare where he goes once a week handles the trim. I think Dexter and I both like it that way!
Glenda Lee (Maine) Two larger dogs, great pyr and lab/pit/GP mix and one cat. I always used to. However, once they started fixing my hands by removing bones … the pain prior to surgery and the limitations afterward caused me to always get them pedicures at the annual vet exam and other times at the groomer down the road.
Stine Theede (Idaho) For my cavies (guinea pigs), I used cat/small-animal nail trimmers or human nail clippers. I usually sat on a chair with the cavy on my lap. I should add that cavies often get little skin tags under their feet which are made up of dead skin like a callus. They have to be removed or they can make walking uncomfortable. I would trim those the same way I trimmed their nails.
Darcey Byrne (Washington) I use guillotine clippers for the chickens.
Dave Koch (Washington) Nope. Of course, [my dog] gets a lot of outside running time.
Deb Hunt (Washington) Depends on pet and temperament whether I use nail clippers or dremel or both. First I evaluate the pet’s reactions, then make the decision on approach. For some pets, it’s not a problem and for others, it can be overwhelming. I use accupressure points with a calming voice to soothe, and then may do one or two nails and reinforce their confidence, or go for it.
Micha Michlewicz (Maryland) Parrots, dogs, cats, any animal that needs nails trimmed. I teach cooperative nail trims when I have enough time. Some take to it faster than others. I prefer to use a rotary grinder on dogs, cats, and any other sizable nails. I use small clippers on smaller nails. I’ve found that clippers are easier to get them to accept, but more uncomfortable for them in the long run. It’s easy to slip and cut into the quick (vein) and I strongly suspect that it squeezes the nail, even when sharpened. The grinder takes longer to condition because of the sound and movement, but in the long run, seems to be much more comfortable for them. (With careful use.)
I like to have moist paws if possible, because it reduces the dust and softens the nails to make it go faster, and it helps to keep them cool from the friction. Coming in from wet grass, or a moist cloth, or in the tub. I firmly but gently hold the nail between thumb and forefinger to absorb some of the vibration to reduce their absorption of it. With parrots, I’ve found that it’s very handy to teach them to climb onto the side of the inside of their cage, so their nails are exposed and still, and easy to get at. Especially smaller ones.
For guidance on trimming the nails of any animal, consult an expert in that sort of animal—a longtime breeder, an experienced rescuer, a veterinarian who specializes in that animal, a groomer or nail technician who cares for that sort of animal frequently.
