Thank you everyone for your advice. I will follow up on the information you have given me and hopefully we can find a suitable solution for him.
dancinbcs, he does not like any of his nails being worked on - or his feet as a whole for that matter. If a blower is used to dry his feet after he's had a wash, it looks as though he is doing a dance on a hot tin roof :-)
However, it is only the dew claws that are problematic because the others are kept to a reasonable length from the wear from the cement in the backyard and on walks etc
Thanks again everyone