First, I chose to work with a dremel because Max has at this point established an extremely bad history with all things nail clipper. We had a dremel once before, which was ok, so I decided to replace it. This was made necessary because his nails were very long, and something had to be done.  

Part 1- Before the Dremel arrived

tools required- clicker

This can be done before you even get your dremel, which is what I did, so that I would be able to get to work right away when the dremel arrived because I ordered mine online.

I began with basic foot handling, since in the process of ruining nail clippers for Max, I also ruined foot handling. Actually, to clarify, he would give his paws, but I could not actually hold on to them or wrap my hand around them. The paw touching was pretty much controlled by him. He would give them, but he took them back just as fast if he thought I was up to no good.

Max was pretty suspicious right from the get go, so I started with just tapping his paw with one finger. That was it tap+click --> treat, repeat for many cycles. Ok, maybe 10.  If your dog is even worse, start with just approaching the paw, but not touching it, getting closer and closer until he lets you touch it.  Next step, touch paw with 1 finger for a few seconds. 3 is plenty, because that is how long you will be able to go with the dremel. You can go 2 seconds, then to 3 seconds, if need be. Lather, rinse, repeat.

My next step was to go back to a quick touch, but now whole hand. Just as above, touch+click, give the treat, repeat about 10 times. Then go to 2 seconds, and 3 seconds.

Again, Max was very untrustworthy about my handling his paws, so I went pretty slow here. The next step was being able to hold his entire paw in my hand. I began first by just partially wrapping my hand around his paw. I did not go right to fully and tightly grasping his paw, as I would have been bitten. Go about 10 times loosely wrapping your hand around the paw with lots of space between your hand and the paw. Then wrap it, still loosely, but without space for 10 reps.  At each step you are working from doing it just long enough so that you can get a click in, and working up to 3 seconds. Next step, hold the paw tightly enough that you could actually lift it, but don't lift it yet, that's following step. After you are able to hold the paw, the work begins in manipulating individual toes.

I prefer working all the nails, rotating between them, rather than going through all the steps on one then moving to the next, but you could choose to do it differently. If the dog has a dew claw, I prefer to do that one last. Not meaning, work through everything on all other nails, then do that one, but just last in the rotation.

Touch each toe with one finger just long enough to allow yourself time to click. Then touch each toe for 2 seconds, then three. Repeat until the dog is relaxed at each stage. Then, begin using two fingers to grasp each toe. If the dog is nervous, do not actually hold the toe at first, just begin closing your fingers in on it as far as he will allow. Again, just long enough to allow yourself time to click at first, and work towards 3 seconds.

Finally, while holding the paw, grasp each toe with the same hand. You know the deal, start with just long enough to click, and work to 3 seconds. If the dog gets scared here, start with holding the paw and beginning to grasp the toe, but not actually closing your fingers on it. Close the fingers on it more and more each time until you can grasp and manipulate each toe for 3 seconds.

Once you can handle each toe separately for three seconds, you're ready to move on to using a  neutral object to touch the dog's toes. The neutral object (s) may not be necessary for those dogs who have not developed an issue with actual nail grooming devices, but probably shouldn't be skipped for those who have.

*Throughout the process, it is always important to remember that if at any point you are unsuccessful, the dog looks nervous, makes a face like he is going to bite, you should return to the previous step for at least the next three clicks. If the dog shows signs that he is going to bite multiple times, find a point at which he is not nervous, do it, and end the session there. Always, always, always try to end on a good note. Also, pay very close attention to your dog's body language so that you are aware of when he is displaying signs of an impending bite. If you aren't watching this, you will not see when you need to take a step back, and you will only find out when it is too late. If you get to this point, you should then go all the way back to the beginning, and you may even have to go back further.