Using a Dremel Tool for Dog Toenails

It is no secret that unless a dog is active enough to wear down its toenails naturally, the toenails must be trimmed. Overly-long toe nails will negatively affect how a dog walks, and is uncomfortable for the dog. The quick also grows too long, making effective nail trimming very difficult.

Traditional nail cutters are a good, effective way to keep nails short, but my dog trainer showed me an even better way...using a Dremel tool with a small tube-type sand paper accessory. I get the coarsest grit, and it does a great job! My dog trainer trims her dog's toenails once a week...I do my dogs about once every two weeks.

Using a Dremel tool has several advantages over traditional methods. It leaves the nail smooth, so if the dog should jump up on someone, the person does not get scratched...this advantage is also beneficial for not scratching other dogs during playtime, or causing skin damage when the dog scratches itself, especially in its ears.

Another advantage is that the sand paper on the Dremel tool tends to heat up, and in an overly-long nail this will help the quick to recede naturally as time goes on.

There are some cautions to pay attention to when using a Dremel tool to trim dog toenails. First of all...introduce the dog to the process slowly, and with praise and rewards so they associate the tool with good things. The vibrating will scare some dogs, and the fear must be worked through.

Also...it is best to use eye protection when trimming...I had a friend who was trimming her Rottweiller's nails without eye protection and a tiny piece of toenail landed in her eye, resulting in a bad eye infection. My dog trainer always wears a light breathing mask, as breathing the dust from the toenails bothers her lungs.

I have slipped with the dremel tool and accidentally sanded my leg, and another time I sanded my hand. My skin did not stand up well to the sand paper, so thank God for band-aids!

And...if you have long hair, keep it out of the way! Once I was trimming my dog's toenails, and somehow my hair ended up in the process. Very quickly, it wrapped up around the rotating tool, jamming it. I found myself with what I was afraid was going to be a semi-permanent hair accessory stuck to my head, and my kids laughing hysterically at mom's new hair-do...the 'Dremel Do'.

All in all, I prefer the results of Dremel tool for doing dog toenails. It provides a nice smooth finish, and is better at keeping the quick back. Also, the process goes faily quickly...as long as you keep your hair out of the way!