Last week when it was time to clip claws, I decided it was time to introduce the electric nail grinder.  I have been slowly introducing it to the girls in the den in the evenings by just turning it on and rewarding them with tasty treats if they would either touch it or let me touch a claw WITH it while "on".  Button immensely liked the game, but Zipper was totally disinterested in the grinder. 

So last week we took the girls out on the patio with the clippers and grinder.  The bag of chicken treats was in their view, as always when we clip claws.  As always, Lance held them while I clipped.  When finished clipping each girl, they actually let me file off the rough edges with the grinder.  I expected a fuss and resistance, but THEY LET ME USE IT !!!!!!    The prior acclimation to the noise really helped.  They only flinched slightly on the very first nail, (because of the vibration and change of tone), but then let me rotate it from nail to nail quickly (insures no  painful overheating) until all toenails were filed smooth.    Both girls were little troupers!  They didn't tense up and muscles were totally relaxed, Lance said.  I'm so pleased!!  Next time I may actually use the grinder exclusively.  I'm hhoping to do this weekly so there is very little claw to file off in future.  Button's quicks are still long so getting them to recede will take a few grindings, but Zipper's quicks are still short, so I was able to get her claws quite short overall. 

I'm not using an actual Dremel tool designed for pet nail trimming.  I used to have artificial nails and invested in a commercial grade nail grinder.  It's probably not as powerful as the Dremel and other brands, but I already have it, so I thought it would be good to start with for filing, at least.  I think it will be powerful enough to do the whole job, but I'll have to wait until next clipping session to determine that.  It did fine for the minor filing.  The cordless tools are nice, but the cord on this one didn't get in my way one bit.