Dark nails

i saw this fancy nail cutter online once. it had some function (was it black light?) so you could see the quick in dogs with black nails.... now if only i can remember what it was called...

I look at the nail sideways, and just trim off the hook. I have my dogs lay in their back on my lap and have a bright light focussed on them. I don't have any "bleeders" as I call it, when a nail is cut too short and starts to bleed.

Good luck!

Disarray29

Dark nails aren't that bad.  If you look at the tip of the nail after you cut there will be a dark center(the quick) and it gets darker as you get closer to it.  You can also try dremmeling, I find that it is easier to dremmel dark nails. 

I'm new to a big dog, I have a maltese, I can use regular nail clippers and her nails are white, so I can see how far to cut, but I've noticed lots of people referring to the dremmel.  Is this the same kind of dremmel tool, I have in my garage, or is there a specific dremmel you all use for your dogs?  Thanks!

It is the same but they have smaller models for dogs. My husband has one in the garage but it uses and air compressor which the dogs do not like so I bought a smaller version to use on their nails.

Hektor has white nails that are easy to clip

Gunnar has dark ones and I prefer to dremmel them.

dgriego

Hektor has white nails that are easy to clip

When I saw his feet, that's the first thing I noticed... You lucky dog! I said! Clear nails!! I've got 71 black nails!!! LOL (Cara is missing a back nail)

Anyway, I use the guillotine clippers and just do it often and just take off a little bit. The trick is to keep up with it and not let them get long. To catch up, clip every 3 days (just a tiny bit) and the quick will suck back from the edge.

Janet808

Is this the same kind of dremmel tool, I have in my garage, or is there a specific dremmel you all use for your dogs?

I bought mine at Walmart, it is easy to hold with a rechargable battery.  I think I paid about $30 for it.  It came with the attachments I needed, which is the head that you slip the replaceable brown sandpaper rolls onto, and the actual sandpaper rolls. They look almost like tiny empty toilet paper rolls.  LOL

Dawn

When I dremel Odie's black nails, I look at the underside of the nail.  There is a lighter colored line a little way from the tip of his nail.  I dremel down to this line.  Sometimes, I might have to hit the underside of the nail with the dremel a bit to make the line stand out a little better.

Zoe has white and black nails, and one nail is half black half white, lengthwise.  I have noticed that her black nails do not grow as fast as her white nails.  If I am not using my dremmel, and just using my clippers if I take off the same amount off of her black nails as I do her white I will occasionally get her quick.

Anyone else notice this?

Where are the black toes? On some dogs, rear toenails are shorter. On most dogs, inside toenails are shorter than outside toenails. My mom's dog has some black and some white, and I haven't noticed a difference, on his. My dogs have uniformly black nails.

I haven't noticed, much, on clients' dogs' nails, either. I'm evil. I don't even look at toenails. I watch the dog's face, and trim nails by feel. 

she has black on both back and front.  I didn't realize that inside toenails where shorter, but on Zoe it doesn't seem to matter where[inside or out]  I can't take as much off on the blacks without quicking her.

 That's interesting. I'll have to look at some toenails this week and see what happens. Mine have all black nails, and they grow FAST. I try to do them twice a week.

 What happens if you hit the quick with a dremmel,does it still bleed and as painful for the dog as it is if done with clippers?

Not sure if this will help;

This "detects" when you can clip by three lights that it has on it.

http://www.quickfinderclipper.com/