Dremel Advice

[dragonwoman]

You guys guilted me into doing my feral agility BC's nails last night. :D She's one of those contortionist wrigglers - but whe wasn't really too bad last night. I actually used the clippers first to take a little bit off, and then the Dremel - on a fairly low speed, to get a bit more off. I find that I can get it done a bit more quickly if I sort of hit the nail a bit, rather than just holding the ssnding wheel against the nail - seems to bite in a bit more.

The other snag - with both clippers and Dremel, in a coated breed, is that you need to trim the hair on the feet first, and maybe pin feathers back - otherwise the hair can get caught in the Dremel and slow the whole process down.

Fortunately my boy has been better trained, so he's quite good about feet - not happy, but quite good :laugh: . He really can't understand why my girl is making such a fuss. :D

Wrap paw in pantyhose so just claws stick through, no hair to snag

[Trishm]

Which model Dremel are you guys using, I have the Dremel Pet Tool model 761, but only have the sanding discs, didn't know that there were stones available !

[~Anne~]

I purchased a cordless dremel and it came with a little kit of attachments.

http://www.dremel.com/en-au/tools/pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=1100

I had Boof's nails trimmed yesterday by the vet so now I'll try to keep them trimmed with the dremel. Oliva is undergoing more dental work on Tuesday and they will do hers while she is under as he it too wriggly for anyone to hold.

Edited August 11, 2013 by ~Anne~

[Mim]

Anne, that's the one I've got and I love it!

[Rebanne]

Anne, that's the one I've got and I love it!

same here

[~Anne~]

I chose this one because I actually took your recommendation Rebanne from the thread in General. I know. Stunned or what. :laugh:

[Mim]

How fast do you have yours set when you use it, Rebanne? I like it to sit on 3 (unmarked, but the dot in between 2 and 4). My technique is to grind in a sort of stroking motion, on and off. I feel like I can control the trim more and it's more effecient this way than if I just hold the grinder to the nail.

When trimming Daina's nails with clippers, she would squirm, kick and push as she protested. It wouldn't be constant, but enough to annoy me and make the job take twice as long. She would time her kicks, just as I was setting up my aim with the clippers and about to snip. She is so at ease with the dremel though and just lies there without a fuss. Hopefully your dogs will come to like the dremel too, Anne.

[Rebanne]

I chose this one because I actually took your recommendation Rebanne from the thread in General. I know. Stunned or what. :laugh:

:laugh:

[Rebanne]

How fast do you have yours set when you use it, Rebanne? I like it to sit on 3 (unmarked, but the dot in between 2 and 4). My technique is to grind in a sort of stroking motion, on and off. I feel like I can control the trim more and it's more effecient this way than if I just hold the grinder to the nail.

Mine's on about 4 and I use the same sort of on/off method

[Erny]

Mine's not a "pet" model (bought mine before the Dremel became the well-known dog-trimming tool that it has) and mine is not cordless. I use mine at speed 3 or 4 (mainly 3, but pep it up a bit if I feel I need to). At this speed I find it grinds the nail quite quickly. I also do the "grind for a few seconds then move to the next nail and then back again" routine. The trouble with going too slow with the speed is that it will take longer to grind the nail. The trouble with going too high is that it will generate more heat on the nail/nail bed. So it is a matter of finding what works with what and how you're doing it. My boy's nails are a bit like tree-trunks. Tough as.

[Andisa]

If you are finding it awkward then I would suggest trying the flexi shaft with the dremel. I find it so much easier since there is less to hold on to and less coming at the dogs. Mine would be around 8-10 yrs old and have only had the shaft repaired once and the Dremel serviced once either last year or the year before. Great unit and well worth the money.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Andisa

[~Anne~]

That looks like it would be really handy Andisa.

[Nushie]

Just thought i would pop in and ask some advice on nail cutting and dremels etc.

My pug hates having his nails cut. We used to do it ourselves and when he was a pup we took one too short and it bled and we havent been able to get near his with nail cutters since. So we started taking him to a groomer every 6 weeks (we used to play down at the beach so a good proper groom every 6 weeks just kept him schmick and they did his nails). Every time i picked him up, i would ask if he caused any problems and they would say he was fine, but i never specifically asked about his nails. We have now moved to Melbourne and i have tried cutting his nails and i still cannot do it. He wriggles and finches and moves and if someone holds him he just flips out. So we took him to a groomer, who when we picked him up said that they couldnt do his nails. So since then i have been working with him and getting him used to the nail trimmers, he is fine, up until the point where i pick up the trimmers, these are roughly the steps i have taken, each working progressively and not moving onto another step until he is settled and relaxed. I use the approach and retreat method so have him sit, move trimmers in front of him, move them away, treat, repeat until relaxed - take a break - do it again - some steps i spend days on before moving on to the next.

Have trimmers on ground in front of him, give him treats

Have him lay with trimmers in front of him

Pick up trimmers hold them for a moment put them down.

Pick up paw with trimmers on the ground

Pick up paw, pusj trimmers along the ground.

But if i have his paw in my hand and i go to pick up the trimmers, he snatches his paw back, if i hold his paw he twists around, throwing himself onto the ground or into the air until i let go. I dont know how to overcome this, i have spent weeks on this step and if i go back he is happy and relaxed again.

Do i just give up with the trimmers and start slowly with a dremel? New tool = no associated fear??

I have booked into the vet this weekend to see if they can trim his nails. I hope they can without sedating him...

[trinabean]

Do i just give up with the trimmers and start slowly with a dremel? New tool = no associated fear??

That worked well for us Nushie. We did take our time and get him used to the Dremel (see my post #19). :)