You probably need to trim your dog’s nails every four to six weeks. Using a nail grinder—if your pet will tolerate the sound and feel—is a method that makes it all but impossible to accidentally cut your dog. The Dremel PawControl 7760-PGK is our hands down favorite tool for the job because it is safe, cordless, and quiet, and it offers four speeds to accommodate multiple dogs’ nails, from the tiniest Chihuahua nails to the thickest of Rottweiler talons.
Although a dog nail grinder is a slower but safer tool than nail clippers for filing your dog’s nails, many dogs don’t like the sound or sensation, or the amount of time it takes. The Dremel PawControl 7760-PGK, however, is easy to maneuver around a grumpy or skittish pooch (or owner) because it is cordless and quiet, and it has a rubber surface that’s easy to grip. It also offers four grinding speeds, ranging from a gentle but effective touch for the tiniest of dog nails to enough oomph to grind down the toughest of talons.
The Oster Gentle Paws Nail Grinder goes toe-to-toe with the Dremel PawControl in most respects, but it’s just a bit louder on high than the Dremel, and unlike the rechargeable Dremel it requires four AA batteries (which aren’t included). The trade-off is a savings of around $30. The Oster also includes a removable plastic sheath that fits around the grinding bit and catches the dust as you file your pup’s nails. In our tests we preferred to remove the sheath for maximum maneuverability, but if your dog is willing to sit still, the tidiness resulting from the sheath is a solid bonus.
Ghg Dog Nail Grinder Upgraded
As Wirecutter’s staff writer for pets coverage, Kaitlyn Wells has covered hundreds of dog-care products over the years. She is also a lifelong pet owner and an animal shelter volunteer who has groomed a fair number of pups. For this update, Kaitlyn researched why keeping your pet’s nails trimmed is important, as well as the best way to complete the task. She also asked a couple of groomers to evaluate our contenders while trimming the nails of several dogs in their care.
This guide also builds on reporting by Susan Arendt, a former professional dog walker and a journalist with more than a decade of experience writing and editing product reviews.
Generally speaking, you need to trim your dog’s nails every four to six weeks. Letting them grow too long can lead to health problems like splayfoot and injure your dog’s tendons. If you can hear your dog’s nails tip-tapping on your floor, it’s time for a trim. If you’re lucky, your dog will patiently wait while you tend to its toes, but it probably wants the experience over with as quickly as possible. Clippers are the fastest way to get your dog’s nails to a safe length, but wielding them requires a strong, steady hand, and that isn’t always easy when your dog is jerking its foot away. A wrong move can also nip your pup’s quick (the blood vessels beneath the nail), which is upsetting for both of you.
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Nail grinders shorten the nail bit by bit, as opposed to cutting them off in chunks. This process is slower but safer, and it doesn’t require as much hand strength. Grinders don’t create splits or splinters like clippers can; instead they leave a smooth nail that’s unlikely to catch on anything or accidentally scratch. Grinders are also good for dogs with dark nails, where the quick is difficult to see. But not all dogs are comfortable around the noise and vibration of a grinder—and the friction can cause both the nail and the bit to heat up, so you need to take frequent breaks.
We spoke with five pet groomers and vets about how best to tend to your dog’s nails, and although their opinions were consistent when it came to clippers, they were mixed on the subject of grinders. Some pet professionals thought grinders’ safety factor made them the ideal choice, while others pointed to their noisiness as a reason to pass on them. But every pet is different, and if yours doesn’t mind the noise, a grinder is a good choice. Melissa Andrews of Creature Comforts in Durham, North Carolina, prefers grinders but cautions that you need to be sure to use a bit that’s coarse enough to work efficiently but not so rough that it pulls on the nail while grinding. The bits that come with our picks all meet that criterion.
For the most recent update of this guide, we used a pig ear treat to simulate a dog’s toenail and tested all available speeds of each grinder on it. Then we used the least terrifying models with a 9-pound Chihuahua mix. We noted how maneuverable each nail grinder was, how easily we could get from opening the box to actually using the grinder, how loud it was, and how well it sanded. We also factored in any extras, such as included batteries or a light.
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Lastly, we asked Brianna Barksdale, a groomer at The Bark Shoppe in New York City’s Harlem, to try out the contenders with several dogs in her care and to record her findings.
The Dremel PawControl 7760-PGK is the best dog nail grinder because it’s fast enough to go through nails quickly but still easy to control. We also like that it is rechargeable and quiet, and that it has swappable grinding tips.
The PawControl features a variable-speed slide switch with four settings. In testing, we found that the first two speeds, at 8, 000 rpm and 14, 000 rpm, respectively, offered enough power to grind most dogs’ nails. Brianna Barksdale of The Bark Shoppe in Harlem agreed: “It definitely gets the job done, ” she said, adding she wouldn’t go past the number 2 setting unless the dog was large or had really thick nails, like a German shepherd. (Note that Dremel’s user manual recommends the PawControl’s lowest setting as the maximum pet-grooming speed to prevent heat buildup.) The slide switch is also secure and doesn’t switch without your applying a fair amount of pressure; this design prevents you from accidentally changing speeds and frightening your dog with a sudden burst of speed.
Grinders Vs. Clippers: What's Best For Your Dog's Nails?
Even on low, the Dremel PawControl provides enough power to file down nails more efficiently than our previous pick, the Dremel 7300-PT, which offers 6, 500 rpm on its lowest setting. Additionally, the highest setting on other models we tested, such as the Casfuy Dog Nail Grinder and the Wahl Professional Animal Premium Nail Filer, can’t come close to the filing power of the Dremel PawControl.
This rechargeable Dremel grinder comes with a USB cable and power adapter that can recharge the tool in about three hours. We prefer a rechargeable dog nail grinder over models that use AA batteries, which you can never find in your junk drawer when you need them. The rechargeable battery makes the PawControl heavier than our also-great pick, the Oster Gentle Paws Nail Grinder, and significantly heavier than any of the other models we tested. But the additional weight is well worth the convenience of rechargeability. The design also makes the Dremel grinder well balanced for maneuverability compared with most of the other grinders we tested, including the Oster, which is weighed down in the base due to its AA batteries. And unlike grinders with sleek exteriors or tapered shapes, the PawControl has a rubberized and plastic shell that’s easy to grip and less likely to slip out of your hand while you’re using it.
Despite having oomph under the hood, the Dremel PawControl is surprisingly quiet for such a sturdy grinder, especially next to competitors like the Furminator. Its motor doesn’t create an unpleasant high-pitched whine on its recommended setting, and it’s quieter than the Casfuy Dog Nail Grinder, too. It comes with six bits: four sanding disks for novice groomers and two sanding bands for experienced groomers, both of which have grinding and polishing grades. The grinding bits worked perfectly in our tests, and the polishing bits will eventually make your dog’s nails shiny if you care to put in the time and effort.
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Out of the box, the Dremel PawControl 7760-PGK is slightly less user-friendly than other grinders. The collet on ours arrived locked shut with a sanding disk in place and a plastic clasp and paw guide over it, which prevented the insertion of a sanding band and bit. Without diving into the manual, it’s not clear how to open the tool or get going. (Even our professional groomer couldn’t figure out how to remove the plastic paw cap and clasp, which has interlocking nubs that you need to twist and turn in a mazelike manner to unlock.) Reading the instructions easily remedies the problem, but the PawControl is not as intuitive a machine as the Oster Gentle Paws, which you can use straight out of the box.
The PawControl is also a bit more powerful than the AA-powered grinders we tested, which makes for quicker work but also causes nails to heat up more quickly.
Lastly, we asked Brianna Barksdale, a groomer at The Bark Shoppe in New York City’s Harlem, to try out the contenders with several dogs in her care and to record her findings.
The Dremel PawControl 7760-PGK is the best dog nail grinder because it’s fast enough to go through nails quickly but still easy to control. We also like that it is rechargeable and quiet, and that it has swappable grinding tips.
The PawControl features a variable-speed slide switch with four settings. In testing, we found that the first two speeds, at 8, 000 rpm and 14, 000 rpm, respectively, offered enough power to grind most dogs’ nails. Brianna Barksdale of The Bark Shoppe in Harlem agreed: “It definitely gets the job done, ” she said, adding she wouldn’t go past the number 2 setting unless the dog was large or had really thick nails, like a German shepherd. (Note that Dremel’s user manual recommends the PawControl’s lowest setting as the maximum pet-grooming speed to prevent heat buildup.) The slide switch is also secure and doesn’t switch without your applying a fair amount of pressure; this design prevents you from accidentally changing speeds and frightening your dog with a sudden burst of speed.
Grinders Vs. Clippers: What's Best For Your Dog's Nails?
Even on low, the Dremel PawControl provides enough power to file down nails more efficiently than our previous pick, the Dremel 7300-PT, which offers 6, 500 rpm on its lowest setting. Additionally, the highest setting on other models we tested, such as the Casfuy Dog Nail Grinder and the Wahl Professional Animal Premium Nail Filer, can’t come close to the filing power of the Dremel PawControl.
This rechargeable Dremel grinder comes with a USB cable and power adapter that can recharge the tool in about three hours. We prefer a rechargeable dog nail grinder over models that use AA batteries, which you can never find in your junk drawer when you need them. The rechargeable battery makes the PawControl heavier than our also-great pick, the Oster Gentle Paws Nail Grinder, and significantly heavier than any of the other models we tested. But the additional weight is well worth the convenience of rechargeability. The design also makes the Dremel grinder well balanced for maneuverability compared with most of the other grinders we tested, including the Oster, which is weighed down in the base due to its AA batteries. And unlike grinders with sleek exteriors or tapered shapes, the PawControl has a rubberized and plastic shell that’s easy to grip and less likely to slip out of your hand while you’re using it.
Despite having oomph under the hood, the Dremel PawControl is surprisingly quiet for such a sturdy grinder, especially next to competitors like the Furminator. Its motor doesn’t create an unpleasant high-pitched whine on its recommended setting, and it’s quieter than the Casfuy Dog Nail Grinder, too. It comes with six bits: four sanding disks for novice groomers and two sanding bands for experienced groomers, both of which have grinding and polishing grades. The grinding bits worked perfectly in our tests, and the polishing bits will eventually make your dog’s nails shiny if you care to put in the time and effort.
Amazon.com: Battery Powered Safe Automatic Electric Pet Nail Clippers Trimmer Dog Cat Gentle Claw Paw Care Grinder Grooming Drill File Kit Nail Gentle Filing Wheel Shedding Manicure Pedicure Tool Set
Out of the box, the Dremel PawControl 7760-PGK is slightly less user-friendly than other grinders. The collet on ours arrived locked shut with a sanding disk in place and a plastic clasp and paw guide over it, which prevented the insertion of a sanding band and bit. Without diving into the manual, it’s not clear how to open the tool or get going. (Even our professional groomer couldn’t figure out how to remove the plastic paw cap and clasp, which has interlocking nubs that you need to twist and turn in a mazelike manner to unlock.) Reading the instructions easily remedies the problem, but the PawControl is not as intuitive a machine as the Oster Gentle Paws, which you can use straight out of the box.
The PawControl is also a bit more powerful than the AA-powered grinders we tested, which makes for quicker work but also causes nails to heat up more quickly.
