# I hate doing show nails it is so traumatizing



## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

dremel, dremel, dremel


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

You can quick them with the dremmel, on the underside. Don't turn it on too high.


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## poodlesplease (Sep 6, 2011)

What attachments do you recommend using? I have heard that if you do it every couple of days for a few weeks, then you can go to every 3-4 days. 

Her nails are still fairly long as I have never gone much beyond the beginning of the quick, except for one nail where she moved while I was going down (ugh), poor baby. 

But we will just do the best we can and if its not good enough for show people, well too bad for them.

It does seem to me that Poodles have very long quicks though as my Toy's nails stay fairly long since I only cut to right below where the quick is. I have accidentally quicked him a tiny bit before just trying to make them shorter, since a couple of them are really long. Maybe the dremel will help with him too.

Thank you for your thoughts.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I would not do that to my dog for a show or any other reason!!


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Dremel every 2 days until you get them back to where you want them. That's what I do with Trev. Grind the nails right back to the quick, then sort of grind around the quick without actually grinding into it...does that make sense?! Basically, you're exposing the end of the quick without causing it to bleed. Within a day, the quick will have drawn back into the nail. 

Yes, poodle nails DO grow very quickly....I've found that the faster their hair grows, the faster their nails grow. If I want to keep Trev's nails really short, I have to do them every 3-4 days. Usually I just do it weekly though, as he isn't a show dog and once a week keeps them at a "short enough" point. I think that toy and mini nails grow longer faster than a standards too....probably has something to do with weight, plus we tend to carry them around more. 

ETA: attachments...hmm, not sure what you call the one I use. I have the little wheel with sandpaper on it. You can change out the paper when it gets old, too.

ETA again: if you do quick your dog accidentally, try not to make a huge fuss about it. If I do quick a dog, I say "oh, I'm really sorry Fluffy", put some styptic powder on it, rub her ears a bit, and continue. No hysterics, no hugging and crying, no whining. If you make a huge deal out of it, then the dog reacts to you being upset, which can make them feel apprehensive about getting their nails done when you continue. And while yes, quicking doesn't feel good, it's not all that painful either. I've "quicked" myself a few times..yeah, it pinched and was a bit uncomfortable, but nothing to really whine about.  dogs endure much more painful things all the time. Ever plucked the hair in a dogs ears when they have an infection in there? The screams are heartbreaking, but unfortunately it's gotta be done. The infection cannot get better when airflow is being blocked by the forest of hair...and it seems like all the dogs with infections have forests. Which makes sense I guess...the hair holds moisture and bacteria in. Yuck....makes me want to strangle some owners for neglect! *shudders*


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Please don't do this again! Neither you or Dolly deserve this misery! I'm glad you're ready to forget about what certain show people think and just do what's right for you and your girl. : )

Yes, file those nails! This site explains in really good detail how to get as short as you can: How to Dremel Dog Nails @ DoberDawn.com I use this method on my groom dogs and it's amazing how short quicks can get even at an 8 week interval. (Not this short, obviously, but pretty darn short for that frequency!) Good luck! : )


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## AngelsMommy (Nov 3, 2012)

I clicked the link above and it gave me an error, but I got the info using this one: DoberDawn.com

Great help thanks for the tip.


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

I don't quick nails, ever. Not on purpose, anyways. And I haven't accidentally quicked a nail in years unless I'm dremeling and then, only a minuscule bead of blood and the dog isn't even aware of it. No flinching, no notice of it at all. 

If you're cutting, you need razor sharp cutters and you shave off the excess length, a layer at a time. From back to front, not side to side. The cutters should never squeeze the nail. It should be so sharp that it slices right through without any resistance. This way, I've never quicked a dog.

Even so, I prefer to dremel if dogs let me. I use the Dremel Minimite. Don't just do it every couple of days, go around the nail, grinding away excess anywhere you can. Even on the top of the nail. The nails will end up looking like sickles but that's okay. The less the quick is protected by the bed of nail, the quicker and better it'll recede. Also let the dog walk on hard surfaces to further help the quick recede. Then when you have the length you want, then you can go back to nicer looking nails by grinding at the tip and the bottom, no longer all around. 

Ginger's quicks go right to the very end of her very black nails so there's really nothing to cut, only grind. They grow extremely fast so unless I stay on top of it, the length and quicks come right back and we're back to making them recede again. 

I heard about one additional trick to get them to recede. Grinding away the nails as I mentioned above and soaking the feet in brine. Apparently, osmosis helps to dry them out even faster. I haven't tried it yet so I don't know if it really works or not.


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## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

I can get the nails short in a small amount of time by grinding every other day or so. I grind in way that is like sharpening a crayola. I will have to post photos so you can see what I mean. You have to be careful not to quick the nail tho.


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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