[nlkeple]

When I had Jester my vet would trim his nails for me. I was to much of a chicken because his nails were all black. When I brought Lady in to meet our vet he told me right away that since her nails were not black I was no longer allowed to be a chicken. He showed me how to do it, and he even gave me a pair of clippers. Our vet is sooo nice, I think it is because between Jester, our cats, and now Lady we have probably paid for his kids college by now. But seriously having a vet who has been with you forever is extremely helpful. He did say that if I need help just to call or stop in and he would show me again, but last week my husband and I did Lady's nails with for the most part no incident. She yelped once but no blood or anything came from the nail, and we didn't let her get all wound up because of it. I think her yelp was because her nails were so long when we got her that her quick is longer than it should be right now but the vet said if we trim them every week or at least every other week things will return to normal.

[Dieselsmama]

I'm a nail nazi too. I dremmel both of my labs nails every week. I also brush their teeth at this time. I should brush the teeth more often, but hey at least it's getting done this often!!

[Mdawn]

I clip my dogs nails. Eddie doesn't need his very often. He's really active and they mostly get worn down. Every now and then I'll have to take a tip off one or two nails. He does ok while I do it and just lays there watching me. Eddie is really good when it comes to grooming of any kind now. Even with baths, we discovered recently that he likes really warm water, almost hot and will just sit calmly during baths. We used to have the water on the cooler side and it was difficult to get him to hold still.

With Uallis, he didn't take to it so easily at first. With him, my bf will give him a "massage" while I clip them. Uallis is then to caught up in the pleasure of having his back rubbed to care what I'm doing to his nails...LOL!!! Now, we he sees the nail clipper he just lays down on his side ready for his massage...

[Felix]

I love when owners drop their dogs off at the salon, they describe how dramatic it was when they attempted to cut their nails and how bad their dogs were and how terrified they are of quicking a nail. Then when they ask me at pick up if it was it hard to cut their nails and if their dog was bad, I reply nope. they're usually shocked.

[ACampbell]

I cut my dogs nails myself...I had rabbits growing up, same concept...that and I'm lucky enough that the APBT mix has light colored nails that are easy to see the quick, and the basset has some of each, so I guesstimate where the quick will be in the dark ones when I do the light ones.

[poodleholic]

I don't like nail clippers because they're a PITA, and can splinter nails. The dremmel is fast and easy, and leaves a smooth, rounded finish.

[Lulilgus]

I just clip the pointy ends of their nails if they are longer than the pads: hair/nails shouldn't be passed the pads. Quick and painless with guillotene clippers.

[Shaina]

Originally Posted by ACampbell

I cut my dogs nails myself...I had rabbits growing up, same concept...that and I'm lucky enough that the APBT mix has light colored nails that are easy to see the quick, and the basset has some of each, so I guesstimate where the quick will be in the dark ones when I do the light ones.

I used to cut my rabbits nails too as well as my parents' lab mix, but I can't cut Kim's...I tried once and she freaked out so I decided I'd rather take her the groomers right of the bat than risk quicking her as she struggles. Then she's have a legitimate reason to go nuts. No use making her really crazy and then making some poor groomer deal with her after I drove her batty.

She lets me hold her paws and push on the pads and touch her nails, but as soon as I bring a clippers close to it she spazzes. Over Christmas I'll pull out the treats and clicker and set about desensitizing her as best I can. In the meantime, groomer it is.

[Arriend]

We do clip our dogs nails, and have been trying to find a way to make this a type of "reward" for them. It's a team effort, usually one of us holding the dog (puppy massage works well to relax them) and the other does the clipping. After each nail trimmed we give our pups a treat (just a very small piece from a treat, not the entire treat).
We were told that once every other week was a good time frame for nail trimming. We have had our pup bleed while we were trimming her darker nails (on the clear nails you can easily see the quick and know how far you need to trim, but on the dark nails it's more of a challenge), but it doesn't seem to bother her. Just take it slow and if they do bleed follow the suggestions here (flour, direct pressure, blood stop, etc).

[whimsy]

I've always clipped all my dogs' nails for years, from chi-pom-mutts-and shepherds. One or two slips, but never anything drastic. My friend brings her dog over for me to cut her dog's nails and she locks herself in the bathroom so she can't see it...she is petrified of blood....I have to be so extra careful as she would die if ever a drop of blood slipped out....lol.

[dane&cockermom]

i do my guys nails. buddy use to be really really good! but suddenly he's become a little butt about it. so i was able to get his quick to draw back so his nails are pretty short, and we have new furniture so i just dremel his nails so they don't scratch up the furniture.
with gwen, i can do her nails, but i can't do them at home. i have to take her to the salon. i take her once a week on sundays. we're working on getting her quicks to draw back.

[FredMom]

I clip Fred's nails once a week. He has black nails as well so I have to be careful. Once I finish clipping them, I also get a nail file and file down the sharp edges. He hated it at first, but I stayed consistent and now, even though he doesn't like it, he tolerates it because he knows its part of his weekly grooming routine, along with cleaning his ears. He just lay on his back and try not to look.

[Priss and Pedro's Mama]

I clip Pedro's nails myself, with just regular human clippers for now. He's just a wee little guy though. Priss is a brat about it so we just get them done when we go in for her glucose checks. My vet is AWESOME at cutting nails. If I've been lazy about taking her in and the nails are way too long, he can clip around the quick and get them super short. It leaves the soft fleshy quick area exposed, but it quickly wears off. Usually by the next day you can't tell there was ever anything hanging out of the end of her nail.

[FidoTime]

I have to clip my dogs nails weekly. I have two boxers and if I dont clip their nails they walk funny, and I'm sure its painful

[Dutchie]

I use regular clippers and then give them a quick file with a foam nail file cube. It fixes the rough ends so they dont split. I do this weekly.