Quick Dog Nail Grinder Safety Tips

          I personally like using a grinder to file down my dogs' nails. My dogs also prefer it to a nail clipper which creates lots of pressure on the nail and has a higher rate of clipping the quick. Whether you use a grinder specifically made for dog nails or something like a Dremel rotary tool there are some safety tips to keep in mind.

1. Tap - The action of the grinder on a dog's nail creates friction which in turns creates heat. To keep from burning your dog always use a taping motion to file the nail instead of constant contact. Remember you want to make nail trimming a positive experience not a painful one.

2. Hey, watch the fur! - Before using a nail grinder you'll want trim up any long foot fur. Not only does it make it easier to see the nails but it will help reduce or eliminate the possibility of the hair entangling in the grinder. Also keep the grinder away from the rest of your dog's coat because that grinder will snag onto the fur very fast. If your dog has long fur make sure that when you use the grinder that you have your finger next to or on the off switch just in-case. I had a situation where one of my dogs kicked the grinder in my hand which knocked it close enough to grab a chunk of her hair, luckily my finger was next to the off switch. Even though I turned it off in seconds the tool still managed to tangle in her coat, thankfully she didn't get hurt. Nail grinding is safe as long as you stay alert and vigilant.

3. Eye Protection - Your face is right in the "line of  fire" for the flakes of nail to shoot out and get you in the eyes. Please protect your sight by either wearing your corrective eye glasses or eye wear designed specifically for eye protection. A scratched cornea is no fun nor is having grit in your eye.

4. Protect Your Lungs - We all have seen what our dogs step in when they are outside. When you grind your dog's nails all the nail debris, dirt, and other nasties become airborne. Unless you plan on holding your breath the whole time you are going to end up breathing all that stuff in. In my grooming room I keep a box of ear-loop surgical face masks that I put on every time I do my dogs' nails. The face masks are easy to find and can be bought at most drug stores like this one at Walgreens.

5. Let There Be Light - It is always the best idea whether you use a grinder or nail clipper to have good lighting. Even with a grinder you can still hit the quick, so being able to see what you are doing is a must. I also recommend having your dog on a grooming table, it just makes everything easier for you to see and to do grooming.

6. Don't Get a Speeding Ticket - Grinders have a speed dial you can adjust. I recommend not to have it on the fastest setting, I usually have it set on medium to medium-high. Going at to high a speed you run into taking off to much nail in a blink of an eye. Set it to a low speed first to try it out on your dog's nail, then adjust the speed to where you feel comfortable and where the tool easily grinds off the nail.

7. The Ol' Stand By - If you use the nail grinder according to the instructions and follow safety procedures you are unlikely to nick your dog's quick.  Even so, I still recommended having some sort of styptic to stop bleeding on hand just in-case. Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.


          Do you have any safety tips regarding the nail grinder, leave your comment below I would love to hear them.

Very Important Notice About My Current Crate Tag Production

Please see update below in comment section.

         Who knew that this was going to be so hard to find!? Here let me explain what as been going on. For years I have been getting the clasps I use in my crate tags from a company on eBay. A few years back another company bought them out but thankfully they continued to sell the same clasps I need. Good thing to because I couldn't at the time find anything close to being comparable to it. Now flash forward to this June when my clasp supplies started running low. I got on to eBay looked up my supplier only to find that they didn't have anything in their eBay shop, not to worry I can email them which I did. Almost a week later still no reply, now to being worrying.

          I begin to Google their store name as I remember I had done that before and found their website from which I can email them. Easy-peasy I find the website and fill out the contact form, but once again almost a week goes by with no reply. Now I know there is something wrong, I had a bad feeling they may have went out of business. Now for the mad dash to find a suitable replacement.

          Years ago when I first searched for this type of clasp because of its size it was next to impossible to find unless I could afford to spend over $500. Today however when I did a search more options are now available. It is one thing to be able to judge the quality of an item you can hold in your hand then it is in an online shop. Some of the listings it was easy to tell that the quality wasn't there thanks to the photo, you could see pitting in the metal or problems with the consistency in the plating. After much sifting through Google I found a shop that had a similar clasp and their photo didn't show any obvious defects. Holding my breath I placed the order.

          My order arrived and with fingers crossed I opened the box. Heart sank and worry set in, these clasps weren't even passable with the exception of less then a fourth them them. I can see now that I am going to lose a lot of money buying clasps to see if they would be any good. The next company I ordered from their photo looked even better then the other shop I bought from so I felt these might have a better chance of being good. When the package finally arrived I opened it up and after examining them found that half the order the plating on the clasps were bubbled. I contacted the company and unlike the first one they are will to either send me a replacement for the defective ones or refund part of my money. We are still communicating so I'll have to see what the end result will be.

          By chance I happened upon a phone number for my supplier, so hoping against hope I called them yesterday. It did turn out that they are going out of business and are right in the middle of liquidating all their stock through their brick and mortar shop. They didn't think they had any more of that clasp, so I asked if they could be so kind as to tell me where they bought them from. The lady didn't have that information so suggested I call the following day and her son who would know would be in.

          As I had been typing this I called and found out what the son had to say. When they bought out the previous company they got all their stock which the clasps where part of, so they never had to order any. He went on to say that it doesn't look like the ones I need are in-stock only smaller sizes and the gold colored ones. They did give me a suggestion as to a company to contact for the clasps. I'm so crushed I thought for sure that I was finally going to hear who I can get the clasps from. Well I will have to follow up on that lead and on my own I did find another place to check out.

          In the meantime I do have a very limited supply of clasps to use for my crate tags. However, if I don't find a reliable supplier soon I may have to temporally stop production until I do. Thankfully this will not impact my breed ornaments, jewelry, or other items. Only my dog breed crate tag line will be affected.