dog nail clippers for curled nails
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This article was medically reviewed by Karie Johnson, DVM, a veterinarian in the south suburbs of Chicago whose focus is on nutrition, osteoarthritis, behavior, and end-of-life care. She is published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association.
Dremel Or Clipper? Best Tools For Large Dogs [black Nails]
Our stories are reviewed by medical professionals to ensure you get the most accurate and useful information about your health and wellness. For more information, visit our medical review board.
Keeping your dog's nails trimmed is more important than you might think. Although some dogs wear their nails down naturally if they are very active outdoors, most dogs need regular trims. Too-long nails can curl back and grow into the paw pad — a painful and dangerous condition that requires swift treatment from a veterinarian. Not to mention, long nails can damage wood floors and scratch your arms and legs when your dog jumps up on you.
Nail clippers for dogs come in several different styles. Plier-style nail clippers work for most dogs. Guillotine clippers are generally best for small- and medium-size dogs. Nail grinders are great for gently filing down the nail rather than cutting through it.
The Importance Of Cutting Your Dog's Nails
To find the best dog nail clippers, I tested 15 different pairs of trimmers and 4 grinding tools, using them on three dogs with different-size nails. You can read more about our testing methodology and the features that make up a good pair of clippers at the end of this guide.
I consider myself a bit of a nail-trimming expert — check out my guide on how to safely trim a dog's nails. During my eight-year stretch working as a veterinary assistant, I trimmed the nails of thousands of pets. I've also regularly trimmed the nails of my own dogs and cats over the last few decades. For additional expertise on nail trimmers, I consulted both a veterinarian and a pet groomer. Learn more about how Reviews tests and researches pet products.
JW Pet Grip Soft Deluxe Pet Nail Clipper's small handle and cutting blades are perfect for toy breeds and dogs with small or thin nails.
Getting The Spa Treatment At Home
With sharp stainless-steel blades and a smooth comfort grip, the Bissell Dog and Cat Nail Clippers easily cut through big, thick nails and are also very quiet.
With a nail safety guard, paw guide, and wide variety of grinding attachments, the Dremel 7760 PawControl Cordless Pet Nail Grinding Kitis easy to use and works well for professionals and novices alike.
Cons: Small blade opening is not ideal for very large dogs or very thick nails, rubber grips sometimes slip down the handle
Nail Cutting 101
If you're just starting out trimming your dog's nails, a basic, inexpensive nail clipper is a good option. The Millers Forge Pet Nail Clipper stands out for its simplicity, effectiveness, quality, and affordable price. These were the quietest of all the plier-style clippers I tested, something anyone with a skittish dog will appreciate. The blades are sharp and cut smoothly and easily. The metal handle has slip-on rubber grips — not a lot of frills here, but I found them comfortable to hold, although in my experience the grips sometimes slipped down on the metal handles.
I've used these clippers a lot over the years, especially back when I worked in the veterinary hospital. Even with lots of use, the stainless-steel blades always held up great, maintaining their sharpness for many years. Compared to the similarly priced Furminator Nail Clipper, the Millers Forge Pet Nail Clipper is more comfortable to hold, quieter to use, and easier to maneuver around each nail thanks to the size and thinness of the blades. These nail clippers also have a quick-guard safety feature and safety lock for safe storage.
These clippers are small with a narrow blade opening, so they aren't the best choice for very large dogs or dogs with very thick nails, but they worked great when I tested them on a miniature poodle with medium-size nails and a 10-pound mixed-breed dog with small nails.
How To Trim Dog Nails That Are Overgrown (try These Tips)
The JW Pet Grip Soft Deluxe Pet Nail Clipper in size medium is a great option for little dogs with small or thin nails. I used these clippers on a miniature poodle with medium-sized nails and a 10-pound mixed-breed dog with small nails. JW Pet's gel-like nonslip handle is exceptionally comfortable. The stainless-steel blades are sharp and cut the nail easily and smoothly, and the clippers are fairly quiet. The clippers have a quick guard and lock for safe storage. I always lock my nail clippers after using them to protect the blade.
Cassie Edmond, an animal care specialist at the San Diego Humane Society, likes using small nail clippers for puppies or dogs whose nails have grown too long and are curling back toward the paw pad because the smaller cutting blades are easier to maneuver around curled nails.
The JW Pet Grip Soft Deluxe Pet Nail Clipper is also helpful if you have small hands. On the flip side, if you have large hands you might find the handles difficult to hold. I have medium-size hands and had no problem operating them.
Best Nail Grinders For Dogs
Pros: Sharp stainless-steel blades cut smoothly, ergonomic handle with smooth rubber grips for comfort and control, adjustable quick-stop guard for safety, lightweight, easy to hold, locking mechanism for safe storage, one-year limited warranty
Big dogs often have thick, large nails, and even some medium-size dogs have thick nails. The well-constructed Bissell Dog and Cat Nail Clippers easily cut through large nails and are extremely comfortable to hold and cut quietly. They also come with a one-year limited warranty.
I used these clippers on a Labrador retriever. The sharp blade cut her thick nails easily and smoothly, with no shredding or splintering of the nail. The smooth nonslip grip felt good in my hand and the handles were easy to squeeze closed. These clippers also worked well on a miniature poodle with medium-size nails, so they are versatile.
What Happens If I Do Not Cut My Dog's Nails?
Some nail trimmers make a loud snapping sound, which can startle a nervous dog, but the Bissell clippers are extremely quiet. The safety guard prevents overcutting and hitting the quick, and the clippers can be locked in the closed position for storage. There's also a small nail file that slips inside the clipper handle. Though in theory this is a nice feature, in practice the tiny file didn't work very well.
These clippers narrowly beat out the Andis Pet Nail Clipper and Safari Professional Nail Trimmers. They beat out the Andis nail clippers for having a more comfortable grip handle and better price point and won out over the Safari trimmers because of the superior grip handle and the fact that Bissell offers a one-year limited warranty and Safari does not.
Pros:High-quality American steel, sharp blade for a smooth cut, easy to hold and squeeze closed, blade can be replaced with purchase of kit, made in the United States, limited lifetime warranty
How To Avoid Failures While Cutting Your Dog's Nails
Resco is the inventor of the guillotine-style nail trimmer, which debuted in 1937. I used these clippers on a miniature poodle with medium-size nails and a 10-pound mixed-breed dog with small nails. TheResco Original Deluxe Dog Nail Clippers in size small/medium outperformed the other guillotine-style clipper we tested (the Millers Forge Guillotine Style Pet Nail Trimmer). The Resco blade was very sharp and cut the nail smoothly. In comparison, the blade of the Millers Forge trimmer didn't seem as sharp and didn't cut as smoothly.
Even though the Resco clippers have no rubber grip on the handles, I found them comfortable to hold and easy to squeeze closed. In comparison, the Millers Forge handles felt a little sticky each time I closed them, which I found distracting.
Designed to last, Resco's chrome-plated American steel nail clipper is manufactured in the United States. When the cutting blade becomes dull, you can purchase a kit that allows you to replace the blade instead of buying a new set of clippers.
How To Properly Cut Your Dog's Nails
Guillotine clippers cut with less force than is needed with plier-style clippers, but they aren't as strong so don't choose these for dogs with very large nails or very thick nails. They work best on dogs with small or medium-size nails (they are also great for cats). The clippers are very quiet, so dogs that get upset by the loud snapping sound of some plier-style clippers might appreciate these.
Guillotine clippers don't have a quick-guard safety feature, so don't make big cuts; slowly snip off small amounts of nail to avoid cutting the quick. Exercise caution because a dog's nail can get caught in this style of clippers, and if they pull away, they can damage or tear out their nail.
Some nail
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