Best with a guide light: GHG Dog Nail Grinder
Why it made the cut: For skittish pups, this nail grinder comes with a guide light and has three rotation speeds for better customization.
Specs
Pros
Cons
This dog nail grinder from GHG features a diamond bit, a rechargeable battery, and a quiet motor that produces under 40 decibels of sound. It has three rotation speeds settings and three grinding ports to suit your pet’s size and nail thickness. A LED light located under the grinder shines directly on your pet’s paw, brightly illuminating the quick, so you know where to cut. Turn the light on and off at will, depending on which pup you’re trimming or the natural light in the room.
Exciting Update: I am launching a new, affordable, in-depth, at-your-own-pace “How To Dremel Your Dog’s Nails” online master course! Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when the course is live. By subscribing to our newsletter you will also get infrequent updates about new posts on M&E:
Sign up for our newsletter! Leave this field empty if youre human:
Dremeling dog nails is a fantastic alternative to the traditional method of clipping. It is not surprising that many dogs react poorly to nail clipping. Even if you do not cut painfully into the quick, the motion of clipping still pinches the sensitive nerves inside of the nail. Dremeling is a great way to maintain healthy nails and to lessen stress for everyone involved. You don’t have to be a professional to do a good job, but, there are some important steps involved in properly Dremeling nails.
- Speed/RPM: Ideal dog nail grinding happens at between 10,000 – 15,000 RPM (a.ka. it’s speed -the sanding drum’s rotations per minute). Anything RPM lower than 10,000 RPM will be too slow, and anything higher than 15,000 is TOO HOT and will cause too much heat to generate as you Dremel. If you are new to Dremeling, it is ideal to start out at 10,000 RMP. If you have questions about models and RPM, please comment below, I am happy to help!
- Corded, or Cordless? I prefer cordless. Cordless is less tricky for you to maneuver, and much less disruptive to the dog. Just remember to re-charge your cordless Dremel battery about once every 2 weeks.
In my opinion, these are the three to choose from. They are all cordless:
Miles is a dog that absolutely cannot stand having his nails clipped. I cannot emphasize how passionately he used to fear nail clipping! No amount of food or training could convince him to tolerate nail clipping. It was terrible. With training, however, he is completely content to relax while I Dremel his nails. This is because I introduced the tool slowly and carefully, and because I use it properly.
Because you will be using this tool once or twice a week for the rest of your dog’s life, it is critical for both you and your dog that there is no fear or force involved. For many dogs, the whirring sound of the Dremel can be suspicious at first, and understandably so! If you train your dog that the Dremel isn’t a scary thing long before you use it on their nails, there is a much greater chance it will be a tool they won’t mind for life. Please work with a experienced trainer who uses “force-free” methods if you are unsure of how to approach this task — update — see the beginning of this post!!!
You can practice putting your dog in “Dremeling” position for short periods of time while giving them treats before you introduce the Dremel. In combination with Dremel training, your dog will realize that the sound and vibration of the tool, along with this position, are routine, and not at all scary.
For a medium or small dog, I recommend that you place the dog belly up on your lap, or on their side on a comfy dog bed. A large dog can be laid on his or her side on the floor in front of you, ideally on the couch or on a dog bed.
Turn your Dremel on, and set it to to between 10,000 and 15,000 RPM (again, if you are unsure what this means, comment below). Hold up one paw, carefully push any fur away, then select a nail, With your free hand, hold fur away from the nail. While supporting the nail between your fingers, touch the sander against the nail for 1-2 seconds, and then retreat. Never leave the sander touching a single spot on a nail for more than two seconds, and never apply pressure. The goal is to smooth little sections off, while never putting enough friction on the nail to generate any heat. That is why using a Dremel that has variable speeds is very handy for the safety and comfort of the dog, because the slower the speed, the longer it takes to build friction, and the more control you have over ensuring the process never creates any heat, or sands the nail down too fast. As long as you never put pressure, and you gently and briefly smooth the sander along the nail, and never remain in one spot more than a second or two, you will do just fine. The best way to Dremel nails is to focus on one paw at a time, rotating between all of its toes.
Over time you will learn exactly when to stop sanding. A sure indicator of when to stop is when you begin to see a little white dot in the center of the tip of the nail. Also, the tip of the nail will start seeming a bit softer – and less dry and flaky. That is because you are entering the “living” part of the nail. That little white dot is the beginning of the quick. The first time, don’t do too much. You can always try again in a few days. If you don’t see a little white dot, but you get too close to the quick, your dog will lightly flinch. Stop sanding if your dog shows sensitivity, as this is an even clearer indication that the nail is finished.
When you are finished Dremeling all of your dog’s nails (bottom left), the final two steps are:
Over time, not trimming dog nails often enough can lead to all sorts of health problems. Every single part of your dog’s body depends on, and is affected by his feet. Nails that aren’t clipped often enough will to grow longer quicks over time. This means, if your dog goes for periods where his nails are on the medium/longer side, the live part of the nail will also longer, and that is the part that you cannot cut. Not regularly trimming your dog’s nails leads to them being longer, long term.
For most dogs, Dremeling once a week is a good schedule of how often to trim. If you can manage it, I like to Dremel twice a week.
How often you Dremel really depends on how fast your dog’s nails grow, and how often she is running around on rough surfaces, which also can aid in wearing down the nails. For this reason, avoid Dremeling your dog’s nails right before strenuous activity. The soft part of the nail can be a bit delicate for the first few hours after Dremeling.
Additionally, say you’ve just discovered Dremeling, and your dog has a longer quick area than he should. I have found that if you Dremel on a schedule of around every 3-4 days, you can actually get the quick to retreat over time. With this sort of frequent trimming, you will need to be diligent and to trim every 3-4 days on a strict schedule. Once the nails have reached the desired length, you can go back to regular maintenance 1-2x weekly trimming.
One great advantage of Dremeling your dog’s nails is that if you introduce the process slowly and positively, the likelihood that your dog won’t mind it is much greater than the alternative of nail clipping. I know this because my own dog Miles is extremely sensitive, and couldn’t have his nails clipped, and he is now very accepting of having his nails Dremeled (see below video).
If you Dremel using the instructions here, it is great because it is:
Reviewing The Best Online Dog Nail Grinders
This useful pet nail grinder comes with a diamond bit grinder, which provides fast and precise trimming of your pet’s nails.
The trimmer is cordless, making it much easier to navigate around your pet! Also, with a 10-hour working time when fully charged, you should be able to trim quite a few sets of nails on even the most stubborn dog before it runs out of battery.
It has step-less speed regulation, meaning you can adjust the speed to your specific need for your pet and more safely trim the nails.
This pet nail grinder also has a powerful but quiet motor, with controlled torque to 40dB, so your sound-sensitive dog doesn’t get scared of it.
You can use it on small, medium, and large pets with different-sized nails.
This pet nail grinder is safe, effective, and precise. Also, with a diamond drum bit grinder, it can painlessly and precisely trim your dog’s nails. This electric pet nail grinder used a robust motor and whisper-quiet technology to avoid the sound’s fear to keep your dog calm and get the nail grinding over faster and more controlled.
This pet nail grinder is also cordless and rechargeable, with a battery that lasts two hours.
With three ports, you can use it for small, medium, and large dogs.
This lightweight cordless rotary tool has a grinder and offers a safe, effective and stressless way of trimming your dog’s nails. It comes with variable speeds to control the 60-grit sanding drum on top of the high-density plastic clipper and is designed to be harmless while grinding your dog’s nails.
This pet nail grinder charges in a port and will last you for three hours when fully charged.
As the sanding drum is on top, it can be used for any sized dog and may even help cats with a tendency to turn their couch into shreds!
This nail grinder recently got an upgrade with a quality motor, but with torque still controlled to 40dB. It comes with two different rotations speed, which you pick based on your pet’s nails’ hardness, but with its strong motor, it can trim even the most giant dog nails – it can even polish metal!
This pet nail grinder also uses a diamond pit grinder and will last you for five hours after only one and a half-hour charge with a USB-charging cable.
This cordless nail clipper has a diamond bit grinder and allows your control and precision when trimming your dog’s nails. It also comes with the cleverly designed LED light right below the grinder, making it easier for you to avoid over-grinding the nails on even the darkest dogs.
It has two speeds and three different sized ports, meaning it helps any size of dog.
It is charged with a USB cable and can be used with any computer, power bank, or even a USB adapter and will last you for four hours when fully charged.
This pet nail grinder has a diamond bit grinder that will never need replacing! It is precise, with a very low vibration design, and makes almost no noise when trimming your dog’s nails—making your dog feel a lot more at ease when having their nails trimmed. A benefit of this one is that you can remove the piece over the cone for easy cleaning.
It is rechargeable, and the package includes a USB wire for convenient charging anywhere.
This pet nail grinder is easy to use and provides a safe and gentle alternative to traditional nail clippers. This clever machine has a nine-piece grooming accessory set for multiple nail grinding options – and the EZ twist nose cap makes it easy to change the supplement at any time.
It also comes with a 45-degree nail guard that guides you to the optimum trimming angle and reduces the risk of clipping the claws too short or hurting your dog – and four-speed settings will allow you a lot of flexibility when trimming the nails.
It is lightweight and cordless, with a soft grip material making it comfortable to hold for hours – and a battery indicator light will let you know whenever it is time to put it back to charge.
With the different accessories, you can use them for any size dog or cat!
LuckyTail vs Dremel Dog Nail Grinder Comparison
We all know the sound of dog nails clicking on the floor as they run towards us. For some owners, this is a welcome and beloved sound, but it also means the nails are getting too long. It’s time for a nail trim, and we all know that clipping a dog’s nails is often nowhere near as easy as it sounds.
Luckily there is now an easier way to trim your dog’s nails. Instead of using a traditional nail clipper, more owners, groomers, and vets turn to pet nail grinders. These are small machines that wear the nails down instead of clipping them, often causing the trimming to be a much calmer experience for you and your dog.