Refusal to have claws clipped

Question
I have a 3 year old chocolate lab who is very good natured but very independent and headstrong.  He responds to most of the usual commands, even though I often feel he is responding because he felt like doing that particular thing anyway, not because I told him to!  The one thing we have never been able to master is claw clipping.  I've tried gradually getting him used to having his paws held, touching his paws with the clippers, giving praise and treats etc but he still goes into a huge Tasmanian devil-style frenzy whenever the clippers come out. I feel that taking him to the vet would not resolve the problem as his behaviour would be even worse there.  Do you have any hints or tips?

Answer
Breaking an established pattern of behavior is tough by that age.  Maybe you should try a Dremel tool and grind them down.  If they are too long, you may need to work them down allowing the quick a week or 2 to retreat.  I forget, do chocolate Labs have toenails you can see the pink quick?  Yellows do making it much easier to cut more off without coming near the quick.  Otherwise, it means cutting less off, more often.

One other technique is lots of exercise on a paved surface.  I once asked a technician at a dog guide school for advice on cutting toenails.  She said they never cut dogs' toenails.  They just turn a bunch of them out on a concrete surfaced run, and let them grind the toenails down themselves.  I have seen a number of dogs freshly returned from their kennel, and it works.