Using Dog Nail Grinder

Made time to record a video showing our progress from a garage-sale dog nail grinder to the really nice Lucky Tail Dog Nail Grinder we use now (~$40). The video (at the bottom of the page) also shows different strategies for using dog nail grinders on dogs with different needs and personalities. No exaggeration, switching from dog nail clippers to a dog nail grinder was a game-changer for us. No more drama!

I try to grind my 3 dogs' nails once a week. I'm kind of a stickler about keeping their nails shorter. It slays me to see other dogs in photos or limping around with too-long nails. That's one of many reasons I trim our foster puppies' nails too. It's typically faster and easier to do them with traditional nail clippers because puppy nails are so tiny. Plus, they are easier to fool, especially early on, so most times I don't use a dog nail grinder on them. BUT, I do expose them to the noise of the grinder (turn it on while they eat their meals), and let them see me using dog nail grinder on my own dogs. 

You can read our original dog product review of the Lucky Tail Dog Nail Grinder.

Real-Life Examples

I thought though that it might help you to see me using dog nail grinder on our current generation of dogs -- Clover, Tori, and Mr. Stix. He's the one who also survived a dog attack in late 2021. We're so grateful, but also still paying the price physically, emotionally, and financially. Our canine court is unanimous on the decision that entire situation was and still is total BS!

Using Dog Nail Grinder - 3 Different Dogs

The demo video shows how each of my dogs likes to sit or lie down when I use a dog nail grinder on their nails.

Mr. Stix prefers to lie down, which is great. His nails, however, are HUGE and HARD and can take a while to grind down. 

Clover chooses to sit with her back to me when I'm using dog nail grinder on her rear nails, then she switches to lying down with her back to me when I do her front toe nails. Grinding her nails takes the least amount of time because they don't grow much and aren't particularly hard. 

Tori is the challenge, as you'll see. It's a whole production of hugging and cajoling and changing positions. She puts up with it, but you can tell by her movements and her looking away with a tight face, that if she wasn't such a good good, she'd probably try to kick my @$$ for grinding her nails. But, we get it done, and she's always glad when it's over. Like Clover, Tori's nails aren't particularly hard, but they do grow quite a bit each week, so it takes a while to do them. 

All 3 on 1 Charge

Most of the time I can use the Lucky Tail Dog Nail Grinder on all 3 dogs on a single charge. That has NOT been true for other grinders we've used over the years. The Lucky Tail Dog Nail Grinder charges quickly via USB. 

Tips for Using Dog Nail Grinder

1. Use the top of the grinder that's more open and easier to access with the guide protection in place for bigger dogs with thicker nails.
2. Start  with your dog's rear toe nails. Those are typically easier to do.
3. Trade high-value food for using dog nail grinder on your dog's nails. (I don't in the video, but I did when I first taught them to let me do their nails.)

Lucky Tail Dog Nail Grinder Demo Video