do nail grinders, such as the one by Oster, work very well on big dogs?

Question

I have a 80 lb pitt bull who absolutely freaks when she see the nail clipper. At the vet she has to be sedated. Does anyone know if buying the Oster nail grinder would be a worthwhile investment? Are they very noisy? Do they work on big dogs? Any ideas/thoughts are appreciated!

Answer 1

I only grind my dogs nails...they are introduced to the grinder when they are babies...
There have been times when I've had to muzzle a dog to do its nails....
I use a Dremel tool, you get it at WalMart in the tool section. Around $20...does the same thing as the one by Oster.

Added: posted this before I saw Freedom's answer...Great Advice..
(I hate dial up! )

Answer 2

Totally agree with Freedom, I have a Doberman and she is just a puppy (17 weeks) and we started her with the dremel about a month and a half ago. it order to get her used to the noise (cause she was freaking out) we would put it on the lowest setting and would let her get used to the noise for a couple of minutes (without even touching her paws). Then we started touching her paws with the side that has no vibration at all (this would go for a couple of minutes and end) Then we started doing a couple of nails, and taking off just a little bit (the first few times we did this, after a couple of second she would start screaming like she was dying, and it wasn't from pain it was from us holding her and her being force to do something she absolutely didn't want to do. (she would scream even if we weren't touching her paws) This was her way of acting up. She would scream for a minute and then when she would realize that she is not going anywhere she would come down and just lay her head down basically saying common get this over with already. now, 7 weeks later :-) of doing this a couple of times a week, we can get through all nails with only a few tantrums, (not as bad as before). She still tries to escape but they last only a couple of seconds and then comes back down.

By the way, we got our dremel at HomeDepot (not at a pet store) those are much cheaper and from what i can tell work the same

Answer 3

I think a dog who has to be sedated would freak over a dremel. I use a dremel on my Danes but I have started it when they were just weeks old and got them used to it. What you need to do with this dog is go slow and start over. Get someone to hold the dog down on the floor and do ONE or 2 nails and be done with it. Continue to hold him until he is calm and pet him and release him when he is relaxed.
Letting him get away with it only encourages the behavior.
Just don't try to do all of the nails at once. Let him know slowly that you are not hurting him and when he is behaving well, praise him. Use no words, just actions while doing this. No sense in yelling at him or turning it into a fight.
One of my Danes used to hate getting her nails done and now she doesn't love it or anything but she does lay still and knows she is getting a treat when its all over.
Be patient and go slow and start the whole process over.

IF you do decide to use a grinder Go VERY slow the first few times just lightly tapping the grinder on each nail but not actually taking anything off the first few times. The beginning will just be getting him used to it. Also, use the most coarse sand paper you can get. It works faster and the fine stuff you have to hold on the nail to long and it gets hot. Also use a firm grip just above the nail to cut down on vibration. Just a quick tap at first. Make it a pleasant experience and ALWAYS end the session on a good note no matter which method you choose. He doesn't get to scramble to his feet and run away and you don't stop if he is squirming and acting bad. It has to end on a good note everytime. Have a treat available to reward him immediatley when he is good.

Answer 4

I know plenty of people who use grinders on their Dobes and Great Danes, so I know they can be used on big dogs.

DP might have more insight on this.

They can be noisy, and the noise/bumpy feel of the grinder might upset your dog at first. But they are faster/easier than trying to clip nails on a struggling dog, and you can't really "quick" them with a grinder...it cauterizes the tip of the nail.

It may take a few training sessions of letting your dog get used to the sound and feel of the grinder, and remaining calmly restrained, but hopefully she will come around.

I use a grinder on my Standard Dachshunds' nails -- they struggle at first, but after a few sessions they learn to "go to their happy place", if that makes sense!