# Nail length - need advice



## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

My 8 month old is very hard on his nails, and I'm wondering if I should buy a dremel and try to get them as short as I can. But how short is too short? Do very active dogs require shorter nails?

The trouble is, because of his heat intolerance, the majority of his exercise is coming from swimming and running along the river bed. This is very rocky, and I just noticed last week that a couple of his back nails had what looked like scuff marks along the top of them. Sorry I can't post a picture, but the top ridge is lightened and worn. At first I thought that they might be cracked, but they aren't split. I clipped them down further, although they weren't what I would consider "long" to begin with. 

Any advice sure would be appreciated! Thank you


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

I keep all 3 of my guys nails inside their hairlines of each toe. I use a dremmel and I try to schedule each dog 1-2x a week. (monday/thurs-Lexi, tues/fri-Kimber, wed/sat-Zeus) This way their nails are kept short and not in the way of getting caught in or on anything, no chanes of broken nails etc. PLUS I CAN'T stand the sound of the clicking on the wood/tile floors...especially bc I am prone to severe migraines due to 2 major life changing concussions/brain damage. Dremmels are great! The more you use them and shorter the nails get the quick will recede further up the nail bed.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

As short as possible is the correct length of nails. For sure if you can hear clicking when they walk on a hard surface, they are too long. Get a dremel and grind away.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Thank you both for replying. I have a confession - I didn't use the search function before posting...bad bad bad. What I did do was a random google search of split nails and I was freaked right out when I saw the word 'cancer' in some of the articles, so I quickly posted my question here with some plausible excuse for the discoloration of his nails. 

Anyway, I am now the proud owner of a dremel-ish rotary tool. I bought a different brand because it was on sale and it came with an attachment wand that lets you get in closer and keep the actual noisy part away from the dog. Wow, what a wonderful thing it is!! Why did I wait so long to buy this? My, what lovely soft and smooth nails he has claw me with, lol!

So here's a question I didn't see addressed when I was going through old posts: do the nails protect the toes? If I take the nails down to super short length, will he now end up breaking a toe with all his roughhousing?


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

The nails do not protect the toes. They help provide traction and some grabbing function. Too long nails can get caught and torn. No issues with short.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

Nope not there for toe protection. Short is the way to go


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Any particular model of Dremel? Joey won't let me cut his nails, and when the vet does it, they don't seem short enough to suit me.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Thanks 

I'm going to grind them into beautiful little pebbles...eventually, lol. I thought they were a perfect length before, about 1/8 " up beneath the fur line. Never clicked on the floor, since I can't stand that either. Now I've taken about another 8th of an inch off, and I'll try to do a bit a few times a week until they're super short. Seeing those light streaks really scared me, since I've never seen that before. And seeing the word "cancer" put me in a panic mode!


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I've been using the old fashioned clippers on Raina's nails. She doesn't fight it and I trim them every weekend a little bit. I would like to switch to the dremel but she was forced to let her nails be dremeled one time when she was younger by my old trainer and she hated it. I don't know how I can desensitize her to the sound it makes. I thought maybe if I could borrow one I could just let it run and feed her treats while I played with her feet and she could hear the sound without getting it close to her but I haven't found anyone willing to let me just borrow one long enough to desensitize her - it will take a while because she has a really good memory and doesn't forget stuff she doesn't like. Anyone know of anything that has the same sound I could start out with?


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

I've never had a problem with clippers either. But because I wanted to work the nails to a shorter length, I thought the dremel would be the way to go. With black nails and a squirmy puppy, I've already quicked him once and I don't want to do it again.

I have to say that it was so much easier than I thought it would be. I highly recommend the wand attachment, because you can keep the noisy tool on one side of you, and then get in nice and close with the tip. The wand is basically just a cord-type thing for precision work. It goes into the tool where the grinding wheel would go, then the grinding wheel goes into the end of the cord.

It only took a second for him to realize that it didn't hurt, and then he was just laying there letting me work on his front nails - to anyone looking, he was enjoying getting a manicure, lol.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

Blanketback said:


> I've never had a problem with clippers either. But because I wanted to work the nails to a shorter length, I thought the dremel would be the way to go. With black nails and a squirmy puppy, I've already quicked him once and I don't want to do it again.
> 
> I have to say that it was so much easier than I thought it would be. I highly recommend the wand attachment, because you can keep the noisy tool on one side of you, and then get in nice and close with the tip. The wand is basically just a cord-type thing for precision work. It goes into the tool where the grinding wheel would go, then the grinding wheel goes into the end of the cord.
> 
> It only took a second for him to realize that it didn't hurt, and then he was just laying there letting me work on his front nails - to anyone looking, he was enjoying getting a manicure, lol.


Those black nails are tough. Raina's are black too. It's hard to see the quick but I keep stypic powder around for emergencies. I still want to try getting her used to the dremel so I don't have to worry about the clippers cracking a nail.


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