# Cutting Nails?



## Charlotte~ (Apr 5, 2011)

So today I cut Daisy's nails. And if you looked at my arms, you would've thought I'd been self harming!

Seriously, she acts like it's torture. 

I use nail clippers what we would use for our nails - which work fine, it's just she tries to pull away and Im worried it'll hurt her.

So how do you all cut your chi's nails? What works best for you, in positioning them and getting them to hold still?

Eventually I had to get my mum to restrain her and I clipped them.


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## guccigrande (Apr 17, 2011)

I use guillotine clippers, a lot of people say they are no good, but personally I find them much easier to handle.
I normally position them on their back with their head on my belly, hold their paws and clip them. They do wiggle but they get better at it each time.
I never cut Chanel's nails though, the groomer does that because she is black and I can't see the quick on her nails so I am scared.
But with Prada and Gucci I have no problems


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I use a dremel grinder once a week. Works great. No worries about cutting into the quick.


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## CHITheresa (Apr 30, 2011)

I got a dremel Amberleah was scared to death, so I gave it to my daughter, I just cut Amberleah nails yesterday, I have to have my husband hold her while I cut, she also thinks I am killing her, each nail I gave her her favorite treat helped a little then after I gave her treat.


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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

We have been looking at Nail Clippers for Jaxx. We usually just take him to a groomer but my boyfriend pointed out that for the price we pay for his nails clipped we could get some of the more expensive clippers that are supposed to help make sure you do not hit the quick and they be paid for within 2 or 3 times of going to the groomer.

At the groomer we always have him ground instead of clipped. 

I like the option that they ground them so it is not sharp. Is your dogs afraid of the Dremmel? Are they hard to use and is it easy to know how far down to grind?

My boyfriend suggested maybe getting his nails done and then buying a Dremmel and keeping them up dated on what the groomer had done. That way we know how short to keep them.


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## Jerry'sMom (May 5, 2009)

try just clipping one nail a day for a few months. make it a happy time with lots of love
and maybe a treat afterward. eventually they get used to it


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

intent2smile said:


> At the groomer we always have him ground instead of clipped.
> 
> I like the option that they ground them so it is not sharp. Is your dogs afraid of the Dremmel? Are they hard to use and is it easy to know how far down to grind?


Next time you go to the groomer, ask them to show you how to do it. Most are happy to show you how to do it. 

No, Brody is not afraid of the grinder. It's really not hard once you get them used to it. It is quick and easy and I'd never go back to clipping. If you get close to the vein, they will pull their foot back and then you just go to the next nail. And no, I've never quicked a dog using a grinder but unfortunately I have using a clipper. That's awful. Painful for the dog too. I just find using a grinder the best way to go. And Brody has jet black nails. You learn how far to go.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

I use human nail clippers. Works fine. I would suggest trying different things to see what works best for you and your baby. I hold mine on their back in my lap, and clip away. They don't like it, but they sit still for it. : )


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## appleblossom (Mar 10, 2005)

I use human toe nail clippers (the bigger ones) & it works just fine I tried the grinder before & all my chis hated it & acted like i was going to kill them. Tader has black nails so Im a bit scared of clipping him I used to take him to the groomers for it but we had a bad experience the last time we went so now I just clip at the ends of his nails


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I know that you have been given a lot of advice already, but just to add my two cents I use human clippers also. I just hold Lulu in my lap and clip one at a time and tell her "good girl." She is very good. I just nip the ends, and if I get too far back she will pull her foot back.


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## CHITheresa (Apr 30, 2011)

lulu'smom said:


> I know that you have been given a lot of advice already, but just to add my two cents I use human clippers also. I just hold Lulu in my lap and clip one at a time and tell her "good girl." She is very good. I just nip the ends, and if I get too far back she will pull her foot back.


I use human nail clipper on Amberleah too !! they work great..


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## Jennmay (Dec 31, 2011)

Zoe I take to get hers clipped usually one every other month my vet charges 5.00 she has mostly black nails a couple are white but I can not see her veins so I do not do it. Now the puppy i used baby nail clippers on hers are white and i can see her veins very well. She tolerated it just fine she just laid there while I did it.


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## LittleLuxie (May 7, 2011)

Yesterday I trimmed Luxie's nails for the first time and I waited until she was sleepy, then I just laid her on her back on my lap and petted her so she would relax and then I clipped her nails with this: Small Dog Nail Trimmer

I think it really helped because she was so relaxed, she didn't care that I was cutting her nails. As I petted her I also gently played with her paws before i went to cut so she got used to the feeling of me doing her nails.


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## quinnandleah (Sep 28, 2011)

I use clippers. I have a pedipaws and all the dogs are scared of it.


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## deb5and (Oct 30, 2011)

i use pedi paws is fast easy and very gentle rotating emery bands gently file your pets nails my little honey dont mind it with pedi paws


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Charlotte, just wondering if you tried any of the suggestions and if anything worked? Odie has been getting worse and worse with nail trimmings and tonight was an all time high for chaos. She is usually such a happy girl, but she was full on trying to BITE both me and my husband, and whimpering. I don't know if she would have actually bit us, but we eventually had to put one of her dog sweaters basically over her head so she couldn't snap, and we quickly got the job done, but it was extremely stressful for everyone involved. She was back to her happy self after it was over but... wow.


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## Charlotte~ (Apr 5, 2011)

KrystalLeigh said:


> Charlotte, just wondering if you tried any of the suggestions and if anything worked? Odie has been getting worse and worse with nail trimmings and tonight was an all time high for chaos. She is usually such a happy girl, but she was full on trying to BITE both me and my husband, and whimpering. I don't know if she would have actually bit us, but we eventually had to put one of her dog sweaters basically over her head so she couldn't snap, and we quickly got the job done, but it was extremely stressful for everyone involved. She was back to her happy self after it was over but... wow.


Hiya, yes I have tried some of these. I have the human nail clippers, and just the sight of them makes her run away. Usually I need mum to help hold her, but D gets so stressed out. She never bites me and mum usually, but she does if we're clipping them. She pulls her feet away too each time I get close.

I've never cut the quick, so she shouldn't be scared but it's totally impossible. 

I wouldn't use a grinder, I just know she wouldn't let me. 

I've had to resort to using a nail file on her, takes ages but she actually let's me and she doesn't get stressed out.


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## Timmysmom (Jan 30, 2010)

I never cut Timmy's nails myself. I am just too afraid because he has a lot of black nails. So he always goes to the vet for that. It's $10, so well worth it.

But his nails have grown quite long, because the vet doesn't take a lot off.

So this weekend my mother did it, she has had a lot of practice with having a lot of chis.

I was too scared to watch, but when I went to look if she was finished, Timmy's nail was bleeding very bad. I freaked out, but she put his bleeding nail into a saucer of flour and the bleeding stopped immediately.

A good to have on hand is flour in case something like this hapens.


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## Charlotte~ (Apr 5, 2011)

Timmysmom said:


> I never cut Timmy's nails myself. I am just too afraid because he has a lot of black nails. So he always goes to the vet for that. It's $10, so well worth it.
> 
> But his nails have grown quite long, because the vet doesn't take a lot off.
> 
> ...


I would let the vets do it, but Daisy is terrified of the vets and won't let them touch her. 

Also, I got the vet to cut her nails when she was under for teeth removal, and they did an awful job, leaving them at different lengths and not as short as I hoped. 

I'm so sorry Timmy got hurt, I hope he is okay now. Good tip about the flour. Thankyou. I think I also read you could use a bar of soap to stop the bleeding? Or did I imagine that?


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## jenschi (Feb 2, 2012)

for my pups i just use baby nail clippers meant for human babies there really good and let me do it. guess im just lucky that they are so good


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## Timmysmom (Jan 30, 2010)

When I take Timmy to the vets, I put on his ski parka with a hood, so he hides his head in the hood and can't see what the vet is doing. I hold him in my arms and it's over in a minute. But I have noticed that he is not clipping them short.

That's why my Mother did it on the weekend.

Timmy is perfect now. It took about three seconds for the flour to clot the blood.

I have never heard of soap before. I would think it would be hard to put the paw into the soap.

Believe me, the flour was a miracle. I thought I would have to take him to the emerg vets when I saw all the blood. But it worked like a charm, thankfully.


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## theshanman97 (Feb 19, 2012)

ive never done our dogs nails :S x


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## mandyschihuahuas (May 14, 2012)

I find walking my Chis daily tends to keep the nails fairly short but once a fortnight have a dremel to just trim the ends.
It took a while for my latest two girls to get use to it but for the first few times just ran the dremel and didnt trim nails. Gently and patience are the key and they always enjoy a little titbit as a treat for being good


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## Charlotte~ (Apr 5, 2011)

jenschi said:


> for my pups i just use baby nail clippers meant for human babies there really good and let me do it. guess im just lucky that they are so good


I wish D would let me cut hers xD



Timmysmom said:


> When I take Timmy to the vets, I put on his ski parka with a hood, so he hides his head in the hood and can't see what the vet is doing. I hold him in my arms and it's over in a minute. But I have noticed that he is not clipping them short.
> 
> That's why my Mother did it on the weekend.
> 
> ...


I'll have to remember that about the flour then, thankyou. I did have a near miss with cutting the quick once because she kicked about so much. 



theshanman97 said:


> ive never done our dogs nails :S x


Has no one? Aren't they really long?



mandyschihuahuas said:


> I find walking my Chis daily tends to keep the nails fairly short but once a fortnight have a dremel to just trim the ends.
> It took a while for my latest two girls to get use to it but for the first few times just ran the dremel and didnt trim nails. Gently and patience are the key and they always enjoy a little titbit as a treat for being good


Yeah, that's how I got her to tolerate me filing her nails. I can't get her to let me near her with the clippers though, to they're a no go even with praise.


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

Rico hates gettign his nails done. I have tried it all. I don't think long nails are good so I do them onece a week--id he was easy I'd do them twice--haha. A breeder who is also a groomer recomended that I wrap him snuggly in a blanket and hold him with my legs and pull one paw at a time out of the blanket. It keeps him calm and still. He can't even try to bite me this way--or bite the pedi-paws. He doesn't like it but we get through it.


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## Jennmay (Dec 31, 2011)

Someone gave me a Pedi Paws last week did both girls nails with it and they are so smooth. They both will let you clip with clippers to. Holly I started doing hers at 6 weeks so she is just used to it. She is wiggly though so my husband or oldest son hold her while I do hers.


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