[NAGDU] advice on nail grinding

Thu Mar 2 21:26:49 UTC 2023

Well, this is yet another job I didn't know blind people could d, or do 
very well, so cool!

Does anybody here think a regular nail file would work?  I'd obviously 
need to be careful about the point of the file, but that's what I use on 
my own nails.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Al

On 3/2/23 15:28, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU wrote:
> I trim the nails so that the tips are slightly upturned, and the nail is
> about the same length as the fur around it.  The first few times it might be
> a little longer; I forget.  My goal is to keep them short so my dog can be
> as safe as I can make him when we need to use an escalator.
> My understanding is that, if you keep the nails consistently the same
> length, the quick also stays short.  The quick grows longer as the nails do,
> which is why I do them weekly.  The quick has the blood supply, and I know
> from personal experience that cutting or breaking a nail into the quick
> hurts like crazy.  But, as the dog's nail quick is staying short, and I'm
> always trimming about the same amount, I think it's no more bother than
> trimming my own nails is to me.  They're not super-keen on the vibration,
> but they can deal with it.
> Tracy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Janell via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 2:57 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: nellie at culodge.com
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] advice on nail grinding
>
> Tracey,
>
> I love your technique with the nail trimming.  I am patiently awaiting for
> my 3rd guide dog, and I will keep this in mind!  Thanks for the suggestions,
> Janell The one question I have is: how do you know when the nail is short
> enough, and I don't want to get them too short?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 1:39 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: carcione at access.net
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] advice on nail grinding
>
> I have been grinding my dogs' nails for around 25 years now, and never hurt
> a dog in the least.  I have to be careful not to catch the paw pad, but
> that's easy to avoid.  I do nails every Sunday, so they never get very long,
> and each paw goes pretty quickly.  I bought a plug-in nail grinder from
> Amazon, because I got tired of the battery not being charged when I was
> ready to use it. It also has a variable speed knob, so I can set it to the
> speed I want and change it if it doesn't seem right.
>
> I started doing it for Igloo about a year ago, and this is what I did, as
> best I recall. Most of it is what I still do.
> I put a handful of kibble in my treat bag and hooked it on my waistband.
> Then I command Igloo to lie down where I want him to be.  When he's down, I
> hold a kibble a little back and to the side, so he turns a bit onto his side
> to get it.  Then I tell him to rest.  I start the grinder and do the 2 back
> paws, which are sticking out nicely to the side.  I give him a kibble when
> we finish each paw, and I don't stop the grinder until the paw is done.
> Then I do the front paws, which are a little harder because he won't lie
> totally on his side.  When I'm doing the paw nearest me, I put my foot
> behind his elbow so he can't move it.  When we're all done, he gets the
> jackpot--a nice handful of all the kibble that's left.
> I think, when we started out, I might have only done one paw the first time.
> If he started jumping, wiggling or complaining, I scolded him gently and
> reminded him to rest.  I want him to know that doing nails is something I
> want him to do, and I'm not taking any silliness.  Within a couple weeks, I
> was able to do all his paws, and now, when I get out the treatbag and the
> grinder and call him, he comes running and flops down in the spot ready to
> go.
> It probably helped that my old dog Krokus lives with us, and I did Krokus
> first the first few times, so Igloo could see what was happening and how his
> packmate was handling it.
> Igloo is a lab.  Some of my friends with shepherds have to work harder.
> Some shepherds are such babies! :.)
> Tracy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Marj Schneider via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 9:21 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Marj Schneider <marjschneider at bellsouth.net>
> Subject: [NAGDU] advice on nail grinding
>
> Hello All,
>
>
> Can those of you who use nail grinders to keep your dog's claws short give
> me suggestions on how you accustomed your dog to the experience?
>
>
> I bought a grinder from Amazon, based on the recommendation of a fellow
> Seeing Eye grad who uses one with more than one dog. I've been back from
> Seeing Eye for about two weeks with my new dog and have tried turning the
> grinder on to its low speed and putting it next to his paws. He pulls back
> the moment I try putting a claw on the grinding surface. He otherwise hasn't
> minded his feet being handled, though I haven't tried a more typical claw
> trimming approach yet, something I need help to accomplish. I'd rather be
> able to do the task independently if I can just get my dog comfortable with
> the experience.
>
>
> I'd appreciate any tips on this.
>
>
> Marj
>
>
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