What's up with them daggers? - cutting nails

[technodoll]

Browsing through the "feetsies" thread, i noticed some pretty looong daggers in there... Just curious to know how many forum members trim their dog's nails on a regular basis? I know most dogs haaate the ordeal and it becomes a chore of monumental proportions for some of us...

i know i need to do it every week but i've been slipping up... down to twice per month now BUT i blame it on the crappy nail trimmer! My old one conked out in November so I ordered a new one, different model... big mistake, it's a piece of crap that wouldn't cut through butter! so after more procrastinating i finally ordered another one yesterday, same model as i originally had... will finally be able to trim those doggy nails back into submission! For me, a perfect foot should be trimmed and show no nails when in standing position. Must be leftovers from the show days... where visible claws are frowned upon

so... what about youse guys?

[Rottielover]

it taks me an hour and a half to cut harleys nails, and that is when he is tired.
After his toe ordeal, his feet are a very sensitive part of his body.
His nails are naturally long, the quick is anyways. I do my best, but even with a muzzle, he throws me..I have to wait for a friend to help. Not many friends want to hold a rotty.

[Cathy1]

We have a big problem with Duke's nails because the kwik(sp?) doesn't receed so we take him to the vets to have it done about once a month. The vet can't explain why it won't receed. I have never had that problem with other dogs. Jasper fights us all the time, growling, squirming, and biting.

[susieqt]

I do my doggies nails every few weeks, or try to, should I say. They all hate it! Sometimes if they are going to wild in the house, I take out the clippers and they all settle down under the kitchen table to hide very quickly!

[TeriM]

LOL, I should try that trick sometimes. Lucy has very long kwiks and hates to have her feet done. I really have to bully her to do it (usually throw a good ear clean in just to really wreck her day :sad: ). I have tried to be quite diligent with Riley so that his kwiks never get as long.

[Dracko]

Dracko is a good dog for me, never shows me any aggression, etc...UNTIL I try to cut his nails. I think this comes from the fact that he has Rheumatoid Arthritis and doesn't like his limbs handled. His feet are VERY sensitive as well. I've started to wait until he is asleep and snip one! Usually he wakes up like, WTF, but then lays his head down. If I push it and try more than one, no way. Usually when he goes in for something like an xray I have his nails cut. I can give him pills, bath him, etc with no fuss, but the nails are another story.

[mafiaprincess]

Dremel every week. Cider was jamming her toes on the a frame and jumping off I think.. That and she scratches me when long..

[TeriM]

I tried the Dremel with Lucy and she went loopy. I should give it a try with Riley because he doesn't mind loud machines like the vacumn etc.

[technodoll]

i had to muzzle my male dobie, and my (ex)hubby had to SIT on him to hold him down so I could trim his nails without getting kicked in the face or nipped oh man, it was such an ordeal. my girl dobie would just sit there quietly and hand me her paws... she was cool

we started on the wrong foot with dakotah (no pun intended), he bled once and that was IT even as a 3 month puppy he would buck and scream bloody murder, the two of us couldn't hold him down! it was exhausting and traumatic. so i used my noggin and decided to win him over, no way were we going to do this with a 120 lbs adult dog with big teeth

i started to sit with him outside on the balcony, a place not associated with any "bad things", made him lay down, and brushed him, gave him cookie tidbits. Held the nail clipper, let him smell it, handled his feetsies, more cookies, then gently and quickly clipped the tip of one nail, another cookie. Repeat the process for a few week, and meh, it worked!

he now comes to lay down on the carpet when i call him with the nail clipper in my hand, he still haaates it but holds still and doesn't look at me, sighs, "get it over mom!" thank goodness cuz he's a BIG boy with BIG thick nails! whew!

[Dad of Dog's]

Dogs are not born with long nails and overgrown quicks. This is due to allowing them to overgrow.

Ideally their nails should be done every two weeks. The quick will have no time to grow out with the nail if the nails are kept trimmed to the end of the quick.

Unfortunately just taking off the tips will not keep the quick from growing.
Some people will say that their dog files their own nails but they walk just as we do, never evenly so some nails will be kept up but others won't.

When a dogs nails get long enough that you hear them it means that every time their nail hits the floor it is shoved up into their toes which can be painful and can actually cause aggressive behaviour.

The best tools to clip nails are the deluxe clippers and the rotery tool.

The best methods to get the quick to recede is to clip the length back right to the edge of the quick without cutting it. The #1 way is with the rotery tool. File back the nail as close to the quick as possible and then file the sides almost to the quick. This will force the quick to move back for protection from being exposed.

A method that works and usually done by vets for dogs with grossly overgrown nails is to cut back the nail along with the quick but this method is very painful and will make the challenge of clipping the nails almost impossible.

If you are not comfortable clipping them yourself get someone else to do it.
Places like Petsmart and Superpet usually have persons clip with very little experience which means they do what is safe, take only the tips off.

Don't forget to clip the dew claws if your dog has them.

[hazelrunpack]

We clip the Pack's nails...but not as often as we should . They don't resist much--they like the attention and they like the treats they get as a reward when we're done...

The reason we don't get them done as often as we should is due to age ...ours, not theirs! It's hard to get down on our knees...and then to stay down to do all 6! Plus, you gotta get them when they're in a napping mood insted of a wrasslin' mood... So we do one or two at a time as a favorable situation presents itself. And then, of course, we have to get back up off those aged knees...

I'd say it probably takes us about 2 weeks to get them all, but it's hard to tell for sure--it's such a continual process since by the time you get to number six, number one needs them done again

We just use a hand-clipper, not a dremel--it's too easy to grind the nail too close to the quick with a rotary.

[erykah1310]

B had his clipped today, training back the quick
Puppy is good bout nails as is Kita...
Meik... well if you can actually get him to sit still long enough he is alright about it too.
My doggies have "daggers" right now cause ... welll... im just slacking no other reason

[Mocha's mum]

I get the groomer to do Mocha's nails. He doesn't tolerate mum doing anything like that to him. And everytime I pick him up and ask how he was, the groomer always says 'oh, he was so good. We love him here' Ha ha ha!! My finicky baby :love:

[erykah1310]

Do ya think groomers lie to us?????
I heard the same thing this summer with Meiko... ' he was excellent, im gonna miss him so much"
I mean, when i watch one of my friends kids i do that... although they could have been the himself I say... " no no they were good" Im going to hell i think...
But i also think groomers lie... they would have to from time to time right?? If i knew my dog acted like the nutbar he could be, in there. Im not sure if i would bring him back... outta embarassment

[jiorji]

no daggers here. Just fuzzyness

[Hunter's_owner]

Cassie doesn't mind getting it done at all, and her nails grow really fast, so I end up doing them once a week or every two weeks.

Hunter's don't grow very fast, thank goodness, because it is always such an ordeal to cut them. He once had a nail cracked off past the quick and had to go to the vet to get it cauterized, since then he will kick up quite a fight. My bf usually pins him down and I do the cutting. It is horrible, but he gets lots of treats after

Hunter actually hates it so much that when we cut Cassie's he barks at us

[Odieandmaggiesd]

We're terrible for cutting nails...both Odie and Maggz hate it...MAggie was fine with it when we got her, but I cut her quick one day when she figited and that was it...Odie just hated it from day one...they may be small dogs (odie 38 and Maggie 44) but if you ever want to test their shear strength, just pull out the clipers and try to hold them still..OMG...I'm 240 and I can just barely hold them still...I think I'm gonna try using a dremel...not sure if they'll go for it...but if I can get their quics to go back maybe I can get rid on the daggers...

[Dracko]

Originally Posted by jiorji

no daggers here. Just fuzzyness

ADORABLE little cat feeties.

[technodoll]

Originally Posted by hunter's owner

Hunter actually hates it so much that when we cut Cassie's he barks at us

OMG that is hilarious! what a character!

jiorji cats do have that unfair advantage over dogs

[jessi76]

I clip Tucker's nails every other week or so. Just last night I clipped his front dew's because they were a little too long for my liking. the rest of his nails get worn down on their own, I only really need to trim 3 or 4 at a time. Tucker doesn't like it, but I simply put him in a stand/stay, tell him "I'm going to clilp your nails, AND YOU WILL LET ME" in a firm tone, and just do it. having a good stand/stay really helps the whole process. he doesn't move until released.

when doing his nails I REALLY notice how dogs respond to your "energy". I get into the "get the job done" zone, tucker picks up on it, knows that I mean business, and grudgingly complies.

I trim my youngest cat, Lulu, about once a week. (her fronts only) just so there are no mishaps - like Tucker getting scratched in the eye when playing w/ her. my other cat came to me w/ her fronts declawed (:sad: ), so we leave her alone.

[technodoll]

when doing his nails I REALLY notice how dogs respond to your "energy". I get into the "get the job done" zone, tucker picks up on it, knows that I mean business, and grudgingly complies.

yes that is sooo true... send out the "business" vibes and dogs settle down quicker than if you hem, haw and hesitate... they then take advantage... squeal murder and the clipper is still inches away from the foot!

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by technodoll

For me, a perfect foot should be trimmed and show no nails when in standing position.

I can't cut them that short or else they'll bleed, I don't know if it's because they're goldens,but I have to keep them longer. My guys are real good about it, I just make them lie down on their side and voila !

[technodoll]

frenchy you have to start "taming the quick" when they are puppies... then it's manageable. since your dogs are all rescues (i think?) they came to you with quicks that were too long anyways... it's not your fault!

see? perfect golden foot... no claws showing http://morningsagegoldens.freeserver...Grooming2.html

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by technodoll

see? perfect golden foot... no claws showing http://morningsagegoldens.freeserver...Grooming2.html

Wow ! that's short (yes they are all rescue,seniors rescues) I do trim their paws like in the picture but the nails are wayyyy longuer.

[Prin]

Some dogs have cat-like feet, and some have long toes and longer nails. There's even variation in a breed. I've seen goldens with toes like that, but I've seen goldens with really long gangly toes too.


I cut Boo's about once every week and a half and they still look like bear claws. I can't go shorter than I do because he's got these fingery things that hurt. Like his nails don't go all the way around (like all doggies) but the underside is really sensitive for some reason, so I can't cut near it. So I just cut so the nails are about 1 mm off the ground if he's extended fully (even though he somehow manages to still touch the ground anyway).

Jemma gets cut about once a month, if that, and her feet are cat like and the nails don't show much.

My dad's doggy's nails are clear and the bulk of the finger inside goes really far down in them so his nails are always a bit long looking until you look closely and see they can't be cut any farther.

Depends on the doggy.

[Dog Dancer]

My grrrls both have black nails and it's very hard to see the quick to cut them. They are good with the front feet and just let me lift them up and trim them, but they're tougher with the back feet. The front nails, my fault, are too long, the back nails aren't too bad really. I have new clippers also TD and they suck. Will have to look for another set. I am currently trying to tame Shadows back down so I try to trim her (just a shaving) every three or four days. Halo's click when she walks, but they're really not that long.

[Prin]

Forgot this bit:

Originally Posted by Dad of Dog's

When a dogs nails get long enough that you hear them it means that every time their nail hits the floor it is shoved up into their toes which can be painful and can actually cause aggressive behaviour.

That's not always true. When dogs discover their nails, they start using them more and more and even if they are ghastly short, the dog will still manage to make noise with them on the floor. Puppies are always silent, no matter how long the nails are, just because they don't use them yet. As they get older, they use them more and more for stability and balance. I've always had dogs who were loud on their feet and I do keep them as short as their anatomy allows.

My point is, just because a dog clicks on the floor, doesn't mean they're in pain and are neglected.

[technodoll]

My point is, just because a dog clicks on the floor, doesn't mean they're in pain and are neglected

True! some just love to "grab" the ground surface with their claws, while others couldn't be bothered. it does depend on the dog. IMO if the nails are trimmed as short as the quick allows, it's all good, unless the dog was in fact neglected to a point where the long nails harm the dog's movement and posture.

My dogsitter,s pitbull has awful long nails and I can only trim the tips every month or so, however after a trim (even with semi-daggers, LOL) he makes no noise at all on the hardwood floor.

[Rottielover]

hey TD, wanna help me do harley, he needs to be done soon

[Prin]

Originally Posted by technodoll

My dogsitter,s pitbull has awful long nails and I can only trim the tips every month or so, however after a trim (even with semi-daggers, LOL) he makes no noise at all on the hardwood floor.

hehe feel free to try Boo one day... lol You'll be all "What? Wha? But how? Huh?"