# Do you cut your own dog's nails?



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Just curious! Nails are such a pain. I can do my oldest dog's easily, she just lays there.... my middle dog is a PAIN... and Bailey is somewhere in between. He requires many treats, but I can get the job done. 

Just wondering how many of you do your dogs' nails yourself or have the vet or groomer or Petco or whatever! do them.

First time doing a poll, hope this works....


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Dont see a poll

I cut my own. The vet would not cut close enough and I have seen too many groomers just quick a dog and move on.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Just switched to the vet because they cut them shorter than I do.... without cutting the quick. $9 is a bargain.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

I do the majority of the time but i'd rather someone else do it. I usually have to do a couple passes before i feel comfortable i got close enough to not hit the quick but also cut the nails short enough to not clickity clack on the floor. If i dont feel like doing it, i'll take them to Petco and have them do it. I've finally reached the point i dont have to physically sit on Shasta anymore to keep her still lol. Riley just deals with it. Shasta still wiggles a bit but she's gotten a lot better about it.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

I use the pedi paw dremmel. Did it with my lab, and started with Rocket at 11 weeks. He just acts bored lol. I love it!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Didn't vote....with two of my dogs, I trim their nails(one fights me but I deal with it and one puts her paws in my palm for her mani-pedi and foot fluff trims)
The other of the three dogs fights~hates feet touched and I can't do it on my own, because he is big and agile. 
So he does go to a groomer once a month so they can get a work out. They have his butt in a corner while one holds and one dremels. The holder is always red-faced and out of breath when they bring him back to me a few minutes later. He howls and wails the whole time.

He's fine when they are done dremmeling/gives the groomer kisses as soon as she takes off the muzzle, but what a drama queen during it. I pick my battles with him and nail trims aren't worth a fight.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

I'm lucky in that two of the dogs have white nails and you can very easily see the quick. Gives me more confidence. My oldest dog has *some* dark nails and I once cut the quick and hurt her. She hated doing nails for some time after that... poor girl, dumb owner. We're back on good terms now.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

nails are no big deal for me. Usually I take the clippers out there and do everyone. I sometimes nick someone. There are never any repercussions.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

I cut Ditto and Daisy's. If I slack and I am in the vet I get them cut. Dakota's are so thick I can't do them very well. I can do the very tips, so I do. But to get them clipped properly, we do it while he is at the vet. We don;t take them to a groomer.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I dremel while my husband feeds treats. Keefer is more cooperative than Halo is, he'd probably hold still while I do his nails if he just got love and attention - not that he minds the treats! Halo is squirmier and a bit of a diva so she usually decides she's done before she really IS done. Fortunately, her nails don't grow nearly as fast as his so I don't need to spend as much time on her.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Both are done at home.

Stark will sit there and look sad but actually put his paw out to me to do it... lol.

Zefra WAS good about it, but has recently realized that she doesn't HAVE to sit there if she doesn't want too and tries to run/fight me, so my friend who works at a vet clinic comes over and helps while I hold her and get torn apart... lol.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Once every 3 weeks they get cut like clockwork.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I do them. I just can't stand to pay someone to do something I can to MYSELF. I've been doing my own dogs and others for more than 30 years. (Since I was a teenager.) It's been YEARS since I quicked one and the vast majority of the dogs I do have black nails.


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## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

I clip all mine. My female hates hers done. I have to be quick.

I clip first then dremmel afterwards. The click clack drives me crazy!!


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## Todd (Sep 6, 2004)

Dremel. Heidi was easy. Abby is ok with it, but it's certainly not the highlight of her day. I have to do it every few weeks.


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

My vet charges $10. Well worth the money. I tried to do it myself, and was not successful.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I cut my boys nails...no big deal...been doing since we was 8 weeks. He will just lay there...it does not take long at all.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

I cut all of my dogs/cats nails. If we are at the vets for something I let her clip, she cuts a lot more off than I do. I have the pedi paw but I am so used to clipping I usually forget about getting it.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Because of Hondo's funky foot & toes, I let the vet do it. The nails on the two remaining toes on his foot grow in an upwards angle. They never touch the ground, therefore they grow really fast. So far the vet hasn't charged me when I come in to have that one paw trimmed. I don't feel too bad about paying to have all of of his paws done.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

I do both myself. Conor hates it and has to be distracted, Anja is stoic about it and is no trouble. (Gives me a withering look though LOL...)
___________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Yup, I do them myself. No drama. The only nail-related drama we've had was when Kopper tore his dewclaw and and was hanging on to the actual pulp of the nailbed. I tried to remove that and it wasn't happening. Ended up taking him to the vet and lightly sedating him to get that cleaned, cauterized, and wrapped. 

Other than that, no issue with nails.


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## Batzmomm (Nov 8, 2011)

Always did on my last 2 shepherds. Tank WILL NOT stand for it, so therefore I let Petsmart deal with him. He lets them. LOL


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

Yes, I use a dremel. My son dremel's and I feed. It's easier that way. I can do it myself but without food but she will not tolerate it for long and I just get frustated because I want the job done.

Do no like the clicking of nails. 

I think I like neat feet. When I had my English Setter I was very very fusy about triming her nails and the fur around her feet. Could not stand that feathered look that they get. Love the fact that I don't have to do that with my GSD.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

I do all of my nails here. Veda my first dog and Havoc are by far the best. Veda will roll over and won't even flinch she adores getting groomed unless it involves a bath. But she even loves being blow dried out. One of the few dogs I know that likes it and she is my nerviest dog.
Havoc is great let's me do it, he is on the verge of flinching a little. He will stare at what I'm doing to make sure I do it right as if he would know.

(i used to just clip with clippers)
I recently switched to a real dremel. (tried those pedipaws crap)

Loki used to flinch often while I did his nails but laid there. Now with the dremel the first few times I had to sit on him and actually wrestle him to do it. 

Nina with the clippers hated it. She would shift every part of her body but let me do them, still flinched a little. The dremel improved her attitude. I think the clippers put too Mich pressure on her quick and it was uncomfortable. Now with a dremel the nail melts away and cauterizes the quick if I catch it.

I am in LOVE with it.

Speaking of, nails are due.


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

Yes - I clicker trained her with the dremel when she was pretty young. I make a dinner session out of it...I cut her nails with the dremel as my fiance rewards her with treats (her kibble). It's pretty non-eventful.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

Either the vet clips them or the groomer @Gone to the Dogs.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

I do my own dogs, but I'm a groomer, so by all rights I should have voted in two categories.


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