If you're worried about trimming your dog's nails, you're not alone. Many pet owners are intimidated by the thought of clipping their dog's nails. They worry that they will accidentally clip the quick, causing their dog a lot of pain. Using a tool like the Andis Cordless Nail Grinder is a more appealing option for many owners and professional groomers.
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There are pros and cons to using nail grinders, but overall they are very safe and effective. I have lots of experience with cutting dog nails, and I personally prefer to use clippers for just one reason – they are much faster than using a grinder.
Grinders file down the nail slowly, but for most pet owners, tools like this Andis Cordless Grinder feel much safer to use. While there is still a chance that you could file the nail too short and expose it quickly, it's much less likely when using this type of grooming tool. However, it also takes a lot longer to grind the tip of the nail down than it does to simply clip it off.
Grinders also make noise and cause a small amount of vibration on the paw. This will upset some dogs, but with time and gradual training, they will probably get used to it. Still, nail grinders won't be a suitable grooming tool to use with all dogs.
Andis Cordless Dog Nail Grinder Review
How to use a dog nail grinder
Nail grinders are similar to a nail file for humans, except that they are powered by a battery and you don’t have to move them back and forth. The file on the head of the grinder rotates rapidly to file down the nail much faster than you could with a manual file.
Grinders are very easy to use. As long as the battery is charged, you just turn the grinder on and you're ready to trim Fido's nails. For safety reasons, you cannot press into the nail too firmly. This will cause the file head to stop spinning and could cause pain to your pet as well.
Hold the grinder against the nail with light pressure, and file until the pointed tip is gone. These products take a lot of the guess work out of trimming your pup's nails.
The Andis Cordless Nail Grinder
As you can see in my video guide above, this nail grinder was designed to operate very quietly. Andis is a well-known company in the grooming industry, and they understand that the buzzing noise of most nail grinders will frighten some dogs.
I also demonstrate the two speeds – normal and turbo. Turbo spins faster to file the nail quicker. It can also be beneficial if you're using this tool on a large breed dog with especially thick nails.
The Andis Cordless Nail Grinder only weighs about 1/2 pound, so you can use it for a very long time without suffering hand fatigue.
As the name would suggest, this trimmer is cordless. That is a HUGE benefit over other products. When you're shopping for a nail grinder, a cordless option should definitely on your list.
You'll be moving the grinder from paw to paw and maneuvering it at different angles. If you have to worry about a cord getting in the way, it will get quite frustrating. Plus, having a cord hanging over them may scare a timid dog.
The Andis Cordless Nail Grinder has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a run time of about 3 hours when it's fully charged. It only takes about 1 hour to completely charge the battery if it dies. Plus, you can still use the grinder if it's plugged in, which is nice if you run out of power in the middle of trimming your dog's nails.
You can purchase this nail grinder on Amazon for $26.87. That's comparative to other small nail grinders, so I would certainly recommend this as a good option for any pet owner looking for a nail grinder for their pup. This tool could also be used on cats or other small animals that require nail trimming.
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