Quote: Charlie Snyder

BTW, my guy seems to be able to count. If I try to sneak an extra nail in on a single treat, he starts pulling his paw back.

Just when I think my dog has rocks for brains, he does something like this!

Patricia how does he act for picking up his feet? Also are his nails Amber or are they black? The difference is can you take a small flashlight and shine any light through from the side on amber... and black won't let light through.

I file all my dogs nails. Makes it really easy for the black nail dog and they turn out super smooth and don't have to worry about the quick.

I clipped for awhile and its a pain. Takes a little bit for them to get used to the noise but its well worth it.

His nails are black and he will tolerate me holding his paws.After this incident I am not sure if i had a nail clipper in my hand how he would react.He was having them clipped and rounded with the sanding tool at the groomers.I have always been afraid I would clip the quick and hurt him. So I never tried on my own.

After trying a couple of different tools, I wound up using these smaller, Miller's Forge clippers.

(Available from Leerburg's)
http://leerburg.com/811.htm#small

They have a guide which helps limit how much you trim. The dogs seem to tolerate them better too.

I've recently seen a new (to me) tool in the dog catalogs, which is a nail clipper that has some kind of laser deal that can show you exactly where the quick is with black-nailed dogs. Might be worth checking out...

However, I also prefer the grinding tools for nails, and GSDs can be so foot fussy<g>. Mine was.

One of the many early mistakes I made with her was to take her to the vet to get her nails done, since she was HORRID about it. I could hear her screaming from thru three closed doors as I waited for her in the vet's waiting room. (This, of course, was no doubt due to my not doing an effective job of introducing the whole nail-trimming thing to her... moved too quickly for her, used too much force, etc.)

However, this is a bad thing for your relationship, as it turns out. You should be able to trim your own dog's nails, and finding the best way to accomplish that is part of your job as her owner.

In my own case with my GSD, once someone explained this to me, I got to work on the training side, and using a grinding tool. Your dog is already used to the grinder, so your job should be so much easier! Still, start out one nail at a time, use great treats, and it shouldn't take long to be able to do her nails yourself. (You may have to back it up even more, and just treat your dog for touching the tool...letting it run near it's foot...take your time and start where your dog is comfortable, moving gradually towards the point where you can do all four feet in one session.)

One thing I found surprising during this process is finding the right position from which to do the grinding. The grinder only rotates in one direction, and depending on which of your hands is dominant, that will determine how you have to hold the grinder so that it's comfortable for you to use effectively. This is sounding more complicated than it really is, but if you start trying this, you'll find out exactly what I mean . With a really bad back, I eventually discovered that if I had my GSD lie between my legs, on her back, snugged right up to my crotch, I could have her feet in the right orientation to be able to hold the tool and her foot/nail and grind effectively.

For her part, she loved getting all the treats, but every so often (and I'm talking after years, not weeks) I'd try to cut a nail with clippers...it would always set us back with the grinder..so eventually, I just stopped trying that out. She clearly preferred the grinder and that was fine with me.

So far, I have used the rechargable battery grinders (I get them from hardware stores, as opposed to buying dog-specific brands, with which I have no experience). However, after a year or so of recharging, the batteries lose their ability to hold a charge, and it can be impossible to find a battery replacement when you need one (Craftsman for one doesn't make them...sure, they just want you to buy a new tool...). I think the next one I get will be corded...

Anyway, good luck and get to work with doing it yourself!

leih

Here's what i use, REALLY simple,

Dremel with the drum sander http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=1100

Drum sander attatchment http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/CategoryProducts.aspx?catid=44&catname=Sanding+Bands

instructions on how to use the dremel
http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merensjp/doberdawn/index.html



FWIW, the pet version advertised on TV just doesn't have the omph to do the job on Shepherds.