How To Cut Your Dog’s Nails With The Dremel PawControl Nail Grinder

Dremel Pet Nail Grinding Kit

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Our testing team rated the Dremel PawControl highly for dog owners who trim their pups' nails at least once a month. With several sanding discs, multiple bands, and almost three hours of battery life, it is especially useful for multi-dog homes. 

The PawControl comes with a transparent nail guard that surrounds the rotor, helping you make sure you grind the nails at a 45-degree angle without sanding away too much, preventing you from accidentally injuring the sensitive "quick" inside your dog's nail.

The main downsides? It's pricey and it doesn't come with a storage case, which would be nice to hold all the implements and power cord. 

Grinding Your Dog’s Nails With The Dremel PawControl 

Preparing Your Dog:

This is more than simply charging your Dremel up and grabbing your dog. Sure, you'll need to make sure you have the right attachments and the correct speed level, but you'll also need to spend time preparing your dog's behavior. A crucial step you can take before trimming your dog's nails is acclimating them to having their paws handled. When sharing treats or just relaxing, massage your dog's paws and get them used to you holding individual pads, similarly to how you'd hold their nail for trimming.

With your Dremel turned off, let your dog inspect it and sniff at it. Once they're comfortable with the tool, turn it on so they can hear what it sounds like and get used to that, too. You can even hold their paw and let their nail touch the rotating implement for less than one second, Dremel recommends. Throughout that process, make sure you reward your dog with treats and love as they familiarize themselves. 

Charging the PawControl:

The Dremel PawControl does not come fully charged. To charge before your first use, first plug the included USB cord into both the plug power adapter and the Micro USB port on the PawControl (it's beneath a rubber cover on the bottom of the grinder).

On the front face of the grinder, near the bottom, you should see a green light activate while the PawControl is charging. This indicator light will shut off when charging is complete—a full charge takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Adding Attachments:

Whenever assembling or adding an attachment to the Dremel PawControl, first ensure that the grinder is off by checking the switch on the front face of the device.

You'll begin attaching tools by first unscrewing the nose cap. This exposes the collet nut, which allows you to tighten the collet around the shaft of a mandrel—the spinning rod where you'll attach either the included sanding band or sanding discs. But first—before loosening the collet nut to fit in the mandrel—press and engage the shaft lock button, which can be found right above the speed dial.

Now it's time to loosen the collet nut. While the collet nut is grippy enough to loosen and tighten by hand, Dremel also includes a wrench that can help you loosen or tighten it. Once you've inserted the mandrel, push it far into the collet that it presses against the blue spacer. Now you can tighten the collet nut again.

With the mandrel in place, you can press the sanding band down over the head of the mandrel, or attach a sanding disc using the spring-loaded EZ Lock. Start by pulling down the spring-loaded portion of the mandrel, then align the sanding disc's center hole with the bowtie shape on top of the mandrel. Once pressed down on top of the bowtie, rotate the sanding disc 90 degrees, then release the EZ Lock. The spring's tension will push it back up against the bowtie-shaped bracket.

For more detailed instructions, you can consult the full user manual, which is available online and contains helpful diagrams.   

Grinding Your Dog's Nails:

The biggest risk to your dog during this process is that you cut the quick of their nail. The quick is the nerve endings and veins at the center of the nail, and should be visible s a pink core through the semi-transparent nail. Always grind your dog's nails with the grinding surface at a 45 degree angle from the flat bottom of their paw—aiming the grinding surface most directly at the nail's tip.

With your dominant hand, hold your Dremel the way you would a golf club or tennis racquet. Hold your dog's paw in your other hand, then press gently on the pad of your dog's paw to press the nail out for easier access. You're ready to turn on the grinder.

Begin by applying the band or disc to your dog's nail for no more than three seconds. Do not press—the grinder doesn't need additional pressure. Because the rotary tool can heat up your dog's nails, it's better to move from nail to nail: applying the grinder for three seconds and moving on to allow time for each nail to cool down. If a nail still needs further trimming, return to it in a second or third pass.

The ideal length are nails that nearly touch the ground when your dog is walking. That way they're not clacking painfully against your floors, without cutting them too short.

Using the Nail Guard Attachment:

The included nail guard helps you grind your dog's nails at the proper angle, and prevents you from grinding them too far and risking injury. The guard itself is installed after you've attached a sanding disc to the PawControl's mandrel. After removing the nail guard's cap, you should be able to open the guard along its hinge. Clasp it closed around the head of the Dremel tool, aligning the base of the nail guard attachment with the threads on top of the PawControl. Close the guard attachment, then screw it fully into place. Finally, reattach the cap, which includes the angled ramp.

Using your other hand, place your dog's toe pad on the guard's ramp so the nail nearly touches the sanding disc at the desired 45-degree angle. You'll be able to see the nail through the transparent guard. Then all you have to do is apply the rotating disc to your dog's nail—the guard does all the work of angling the pad properly toward the grinding surface.

Using the Speed Dial:

For most nail trimming applications, the Dremel PawControl should always stay set to the lowest power setting on the speed dial: 1 (8,000 RPM). Dremel doesn't recommend going above 10,000 RPM on pet nails—heat builds up and it can injure your dog—and the next highest setting is 14,000 RPM. The four speed settings go up to 25,000 RPM, but you should only go higher if you repurpose your Dremel as a polisher, drill, or brush for non-pet uses.   

Cleaning:

Grinding your dog's nails creates nail dust, which a damp paper towel can deal with easily. If you'd like to more thoroughly wash the metal attachments on your PawControl, first detach them from the device. They can be washed under warm water, but be sure to dry them thoroughly before reattaching to your Dremel grinder.

Our Favorite Grinder Alternative

Clippers aren't for everyone, but the same is true for nail grinders like the Dremel. If you prefer clippers, the Millers Forge Nail Clipper is a low-cost, effective option.

Millers Forge Nail Clipper

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The stainless-steel blades make sharp cuts and the clippers are easy to hold onto, though you do have to apply a bit more force to make the cut. They're basic, but they work—and they cost less than one-third of the Dremel.