Nail grinders are very popular tools that are being used today to trim dog nails.
Nail grinders or sanders, as they are also called, are being sold today as “pet nail trimmers” and come with precision emery wheels attached. So the question is:
Is a nail grinder an appropriate tool to use for trimming your dog’s nails?
The original nail grinder is an all-purpose rotary tool that you can purchase at any hardware store. If you put a small sanding drum the size of a thimble on the end of the rotor, it becomes the perfect tool to sand your dog’s nails. Your dog does not feel any pain when you file his nails with this sander and it leaves his nails looking good and smooth.
This technique has been used by breeders, dog show people and groomers alike for many years now.
Professional Nail Grinders
Professional nail grinders for dogs are now being manufactured using the rotary tool design. These nail grinders are made to operate with electricity or with batteries. They operate at a speed fast enough to file down the hard, thick nails of big dogs.
Some grinders come with two speed settings so that you can use it at the lower speed to file the nails of small dogs or the nails of dogs who cannot tolerate high speed.
Current Pet Nail Trimmers
The current pet nail trimmers for dogs are also being manufactured using the same rotary tool design which comes with a sander or an emery filing wheel. Actually, these trimmers operate at a lower speed than the professional trimmers and are accepted by many pet owners.
You can now get a basic pet nail trimmer or a powerful pet nail trimmer that can be used to cut thick nails.
Advantages of a Nail Grinder
You have many advantages when you use a professional nail grinder, a pet nail trimmer or a Dremel rotary tool with sanding drums to cut the nails on your dog. Your dog does not feel any pain when you are filing down his nails and these trimmers file them down without touching the quick. They allow you to take off as much of the nail as you wish.
Some pet nail grinders come with a guard that prevents you from filing off too much of the nail and avoiding any damage to the nail that may cause it to bleed.
Furthermore, pet nail grinders are fairly quiet so that many dogs can tolerate them. They are so quiet that a nervous dog will not be frightened when you are cutting his nails. Pet nail grinders are a good choice to use on dogs that have had bad experiences while having their nails cut.
When you are ready to trim your dog’s nails, hold one paw in one hand and the nail grinder in the other hand. Touch each nail firmly with the nail grinder and let it file down the nail. Using the same process, do each nail on each of the other paws until you have completed the job.
You can purchase pet nail grinders from your local drug stores and directly from the manufacturers. You can also order them online. Professional nail grinders can be purchased at dog supply stores or from vendors at dog shows. The Dremel rotary tools come in different styles and these can be purchased at your local hardware store.
So to answer the question at the very beginning, yes, the nail grinder is a tool that you can use to trim the nails of your dog.
Choose a nail grinder that you believe will be easy to use and comfortable for your dog.
Dog Grooming Advice is an in depth series of articles about proper dog grooming.