I thought about using one of the grinding tools instead of clipper. It seemed like it would be easier to take it slow. But, then someone told me they heard the grinders weren't good for a pets nails. I would feel a lot more confident about it if his nails were all white. But, he has a mix of white and black. He does have more white nails than black ones though so maybe if I got used to doing the white ones, then do the black ones last after I get a feel for it. How often do you usually clip your dogs nails? We have only done it twice in the 6 months we've had him. But, I was taking him on daily walks during that time which helped grind them down some. We're supposed to get a blizzard here tomorrow, so I doubt we'll be out walking for awhile.