Dremel - Go for It

[JMFS]

I bought a dremel last month ($30 from Chewy.com) and I'm Very much enjoying it; far less stressful than clipping. Gertie rolls over onto her back and puts her head in my lap while I file away her claws. She's got über long quicks so it's taking a lot of time to get her nails short, but we'll do it. Abbi sits in my lap, but is trickier with her arthritis and black claws (most of Gertie's are clear). She tolerates it far better than clipping, though. I do Abbi's when the husband isn't home because his nervousness makes Abbi nervous and then it's an annoying thing instead of enjoyable. Both girls are relaxed by the time I'm finished.

 

I tried Momo today and that was a big ol' Nope in his book. As usual, he's the tough nut to crack. Armed with Zuke's minis, and many baby steps (touching his paw, treat, touching the dremel to his paw, treat, barely touching the dremel to his claw while it's on, treat), I'm now easily able to touch his nails with the dremel turned off. When it's on he's not so sure and we've had to backstep a couple times, but we're talking a 10-minute session so he was coming around quickly. The battery ran out when the Zuke's did so we'll try another day to see how much further we can get. He's such an intense boy - nothing is done halfway with him.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

I have used Dremels instead of clippers for quite some time. Both my dogs were mostly bothered by the smell of the powder being released upon grinding their nails more than the grinding sensation itself. Sometimes I had to place myself in between to prevent the powder from reaching them as it often irritated their airways and made them sneeze.

 

Careful with it though, I know you are great in reading your dogs, but when we are busy looking at the nails and concentrated on making sure they aren't cut too short, we may miss some important "I have had enough'' signals.

[JMFS]

Never hurts to be reminded! Gertie flops over into my lap like a bowl of pudding. Abbi is stiff but compliant. Momo is the one I'll have to watch carefully and believe you me, while attempting to maintain a nonchalant mood I'm watching that boy like a hawk! He's really good at whale eyeing, pulling away, stiffening up, whining, then growling before he takes action, thankfully. Lots of warning. I don't think I'll touch his nails for quite some time but instead do Tons of positive reinforcement for him relaxing and handing over his paw. Thankfully he wears them down mostly by running around like a mad dog all day (though he's Finally starting to slow down a little now that he's 9) so it's not urgent. It would just be nice not to get big ol' red marks every time we play "high five" and "shake." :D

 

I got an attachment for the vacuum cleaner to suck up his hair as I brush him and I gave up on that one for a while. He's Such a nervous pooch, skittish even. I tried the vacuum across the room, turned on, and he wasn't having it. Turned off he didn't care one bit so there's a step between those two I need to figure out to bridge the gap. We have this 99 cent bucket I bought from Walmart, nothing special, but to him that thing is some mystical portal to an evil bad place - he won't go near it and he eyes it suspiciously. Getting him used to the push pedal trash can took some doing, but he'll at least walk by it now when I'm opening it. Adopting Momo as my first dog was like putting a Kindergartner in grad school, I was in Way over my head!

 

Oh, and Abbi sneezes like the dickens when I get a good shear on her nail. She and Momo have Excellent noses and are made to sneeze easily. Gertie falls asleep while I'm working, complete with snoring, lol. I can't even imagine getting all of Einstein situated for a session - he's a lot of canine!