Instructions
Massage your dog's paws and pet her affectionately before you begin. You should do this for a few minutes each day, a few days before you even introduce the nail trimmer. Dogs will commonly resist having their nails clipped, and if you only touch her paws when it's time to have them cut, she will develop negative associations and may begin to resist you before the clipping even begins.
Put the dog on your lap if possible or sit down on the floor beside him and examine his nails. If his nails are light in color, look for the pink coloration in the center, known as the "quick." The quick consists of live nerve endings and you must take care never to trim this area because it will hurt the dog. If your dog has dark nails with no visible quick, you will need to simply exercise caution when trimming, removing only a small sliver at a time.
Introduce your dog to the trimmer. Turn it on, allow her to see it, examine it and feel it. Show her that she need not fear the strange trimming tool. The website Pet Place recommends that you introduce her to the tool in the days leading up to the actual trimming and not at the moment at which you plan to begin trimming.
Begin trimming. Hold up his paw and lower the tool toward the tip of the nail at a 45 degree angle. Shave only a small piece a time and continue until the nail is even with the paw pad, or until the dog begins to fuss. Keep a close eye on the nail as you work, to ensure that you do not cut into the quick.
Work on the nails gradually. If your dog shows signs of resistance, put the tool away and resume the next day. Even if you can only trim one nail per day, you will make continual progress. By contrast, if you force your dog to sit still while you get the job done, you raise the risk of slipping and cutting into the quick.
How to Use a Dremel Tool on a Dog's Nails
If you struggle to trim your dog's nails with a traditional clipper or guillotine-style nail trimmer, you may have more luck with a Dremel-style trimmer, particularly if you begin using this device while the dog is still young. Dremel is a brand of power tools from the Dremel Company. The Dremel tool in this instance is a rapid, oscillating device with a sandpaper blade, commonly used for carving fine materials, polishing metals, engraving words into solid objects and performing other household tasks. Some pet supply companies manufacture small, handheld tools like the Dremel designed specifically for dog nail trimming, usually referred to as dog nail grinders.