Clipping Toenails

Question
Ms. Cronk,

Recently, my husband and I adopted a rat terrier from our local animal shelter.  She has taken right up with our family and is a wonderful dog.  The only problem we have with her is clipping her toe nails!  She becomes very agitated and yelps like it hurts her when we try to clip her nails.  I try to cut away very little at a time since her toenails are dark in color.  Do you have any tips that could make this process easier?

Thanks for the help!

Answer
Hi Jessica,
First thing I want you to ask yourself - does she really need to have this done? Some dogs naturally wear down their nails enough that you might just let them be. They are short enough so clipping them is actually hurting her. Or the pressure of the clipper can be painful on it's own.
Do you know what a Dremal is? We often use that to file nails that are overly sensitive to pressure. It may take a few sessions of getting her used to it but it certainly is worth a try. They sell alot of gimmicky things but a Dremal with a  paper wheel is the best piece of equipment out there. Home Depot and other chains sell them.
Some times it's just not worth doing it yourself if it really upsets her so let the vet do it if you really think she needs them done.
The way you can judge that is if when she is standing on all four paws and the nail is actually hitting the floor it's a safe bet she could use a trim.
hope this was helpful
good luck!