# Painless but rapid reduction in nail length technique



## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

I don't know how well known this trick is so I wanted to share.

Obviously, cutting into the quick can be painful, which is why I don't like to quick dogs to make their quicks recede, even with black nailed dogs. But some dogs nails grow fast, some dogs don't live in areas where their nails get worn down naturally, some quicks go to the very ends of the nails (like my Ginger), you may get a new dog with long nails or they've gotten away from you, whatever. It happens.

Equipment: Get your nail grinder (bear with me). I HIGHLY recommend the Dremel Minimite. Got it off Amazon for around $25, I think. I didn't get the pet one, that's like a buck less and comes with fewer attachments but it doesn't make much of a difference if you just use it for dog nails. (If you groom professionally, get two battery packs.)

Why I like it: It's quiet on high but just about silent on low. If you catch hair, it stops spinning. It's powerful, yet light and easy to hold.

Training: Condition your dog to, if not enjoy it, at least tolerate it the grinder. 

How to use it: Search Youtube on how to hold the paw and the Dremel if you need to. 

Safety: I put long haired ears in socks and hold back hair around the paw, at the same time, I hold the paw firmly with my two fingers stabilizing the nail I'm working on to cut down on discomfort from vibrations.

The trick: Grind all the way around the nail, like you're sharpening a pencil. You don't have to grind away an even amount on all sides, and you probably won't be able to. Just get off as much as the nail as you can up until the desired length of nail that you want left. Last time I did this, I ground away a 1/4" length band around the nail. 

You DO NOT have to grind away so much nail covering that you expose the quick in the first few sessions and it's actually better not to. By leaving a thin layer of nail around the quick, the quick will be semi-protected but will begin to shrivel up. I did this over a course of three sessions and removed the final layer on the fourth. 

If you live in the city and the dog is walking on hard surfaces a lot, I'd be more patient and give the quick more time to recede in between sessions.

You'd think that it may be painful to SEMI-expose (remember, you don't lay the quick bare in one session) the quick but I haven't observed the dogs showing any signs of distress when walking or running, unlike when I see dogs having their quicks nicked. 

That's pretty much it. The quick recedes VERY rapidly this way and since you're doing a band around the nail, it recedes quite a bit. Even if it looks funny for during the process. The nails resemble pencil points but they're not actually sharp, so don't worry about scratching.

Sure, you could dremel a little length off the tip of the nail every other day or so but I find this to be tedious and slow going for really stubborn quicks and if you slack off at this, you quickly lose progress. 

The benefit is that with dark nails, you can easily see the quick. It's lighter than the actual nail. There's VERY little chance of bleeding it unless you're not paying attention and grind into it. The end goal is that the quicks shrivels up a lot and there's a good, dead length to it that the blood flow and feeling has left.

ONE other trick I've heard but haven't tried is soaking the nails in highly concentrated saline. I dunno if Osmosis will really have that much of an impact or if the dogs will stay still long enough for it. Might be worth trying though.

Hope this was easy to understand, sorry for my overly complicated instructions. 

This is what I've found to really work but others might prefer another way but maybe this will help some people.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

I'd like to try that, but Callie won't let me get near her with the dremel no matter how I approach it. (Funny, because it is quieter than her clippers!) Her nails always seem too long to me. She's two now, and I clip her nails, but they are dark and hard to see the quicks which are long. I try to clip a little every week or so. The other day I tried to shorten them again, and (she HATES it) she pulled away and I cut the quick! I felt awful and quickly used styptic on the bleed. I shudder to think how she will act the next time I bring those clippers out. I don't like the clippers as then I have to file the nail to smooth it, and she doesn't like that. Her nails don't look nice and smooth after using the guillitine clipper. Maybe I'll invest in the dremel you suggest and hope this time I might be able to convince her!


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

My mini is very sensitive about her feet to. I'll try to look for a good training video for the dremel to reference later but what helps is just getting them used to having their feet held and manipulated first without any clippers/dremel. I find that either the front feet or the back feet are more shifty than the other and I start with those. 

If she enjoys petting and hand play, work her feet into what you pet/touch. 

For actual handling, gently clasp a foot and keep feeding tiny pieces of whatever until she draws her paw away. Then the treats go away. But let her make the decision, don't force her paw to stay. Then work up to longer holds and firmer holds.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

I am so glad I'm a Dremel using woman! Chagall is too. What was suggested works. See!


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## KidWhisperer (Apr 3, 2012)

*Awesome*

I will try this next grooming session.


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

Look at Chagall's nails! So nice and short! I wish we could zoom in to see how neat and smooth they are. 

This seems like a pretty good video but I wouldn't bother clicking. Your hands will be busy. You can use a verbal marker but you don't really need to since precision timing isn't a part of this exercise. But it might help just as further encouragement.

You don't need to bother with the flexi shaft attachment if you have the Minimite. It's so quiet and easy to handle. When I had a plug in model, I used to use the flexi shaft.





Second part


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

msminnamouse said:


> Look at Chagall's nails! So nice and short! I wish we could zoom in to see how neat and smooth they are.


This is an enlarged view. I have since neatened and rounded his nails up a bit more. I'm getting better and better at doing it. Chagall is endlessly patient and such a doll about my less than deft dremelling. I used to be so afraid of cuttimg his black nails for fear of hurting him, but the dremel makes it easy and safe to do.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Misha gets hers dremelled every week. We've been doing it since we got her and she is very relaxed about the whole thing, though she does stick her nose in there sometimes to try to see and smell what I am doing. I am always worried I will dremmel her nose! lol


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

Looks good chagalls mom! 

I will give this method a shot. I'm trying to get Sandy's nails shorter and since I've been doing it every 2-3 days it's getting there. Last night I did around the quick to see if it helps instead of just the tips. Sandy's fronts need a lot of work..they don't click when she walks but they are still too long I think. 

Sandy isn't that bad but she does try to either block me with her face or pulls back (and I know I'm not hurting her). She just isn't fond of getting them done but puts up with it once I insist on her behaving.


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## Ms Stella (Aug 16, 2010)

Chagall's mom said:


> This is an enlarged view. I have since neatened and rounded his nails up a bit more. I'm getting better and better at doing it. Chagall is endlessly patient and such a doll about my less than deft dremelling. I used to be so afraid of cuttimg his black nails for fear of hurting him, but the dremel makes it easy and safe to do.


Those nails look fantastic!! Good job. Your shaving is also very nice...Madonna is such a baby about her feet that I have a hard time getting a good shave on them because she is constantly pulling away..your look great! Do you do your own grooming? Chagall ALWAYS looks fantabulous!


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## MTWaggin (Nov 17, 2010)

We have dremeled Sterling's nails forever, some dogs do better with clipping others with grinding. Find what works, make it comfy, we actually sit on one of the dog beds and he lies down so I can grind. Another trick, get an old pair of nylons (if you have em) and pull over the foot and just nip some nail holes if they don't go through (no reinforced toes peeps) and pull up. Will keep the hair from getting caught in the grinder.


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

I tried the nylon trick and it got whipped off by the grinder and scared the bejezus out of the dog!


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