I have a very low maintenance dog (short hair) and bathe and brush her myself.  She has and will have regular vet visits and gets her teeth cleaned along with brushing at home.  My only problem is her nails, we've only had her for 3 months now and her nails are getting to the point they need care.  I don't want (nor can I afford) to be shelling out for her to get regular professional grooming, especially since all she needs are the nails.  I don't, personally, trust myself with the 'clipper' style nail tools, are there other options out there besides the "Petticure" that I keep seeing on TV commercials?  I want to manage her nails before she makes a habit of chewing on them (which she recently started to do with her dew claws).  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you,

-Amber

Take her for long walks and give plenty of exercise, and her nails will wear down naturally. Or, take her to the groomer just for a pedicure--many groomers offer this service free of charge, whether you purchase any other services or not.--mine does.

Best.

If you are conveniently located to your vets office, question them about trimming the nails of your baby.  My vets office is very conveniently located to me so being as the nails need to be trimmed far more than they need to see the vet, i just swing by and they trim for free being as my 3 babies are patients.

I'm not really a fan of clippers either, but I still use them. Just as a heads up, the easiest time to clip a dog's nails is right after they get done with a bath or swimming.. Nails are softer then.

The standard guillotine and scissors-style clippers can hurt a dog, even if you don't nick the quick. The scissor type are considerably more comfortable than the other though. Another bad thing is that, when they get dull you have to toss them and buy new ones.. Waste of money and harmful to the environment unless you have found eco-friendly clippers(if you do, let me know where). The only good things about canine nail clippers is that they are available almost everywhere, even your local dollar store, and they get the job done(though not as good as some of your other options.)

If you like the "feel" of clippers, but want more of a safe guard, you can buy battery operated ones that will alert you when you are too close to the quick. They cost around $30. Again, you will have to toss them when they are dull, and spend even more money replacing them, along with buying batteries whenever they are needed(I hate batteries.. I always run out haha). http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/2/Miracle-Coat-QuickFinder-Safety-Pet-Nail-Clipper/

You could also buy something that is remotely similar to the "Pedicure", but alot more manual. Yea, you guessed it, a standard nail file. Tons cheaper. Another thing that you constantly have to replace, but if you buy them at the right store they only cost $0.50 and I am assuming the cardboard kind are pretty easy on the landfills. You could also splurge on a $3-$5 metal nail file made specifically for pets.

And last but definately my favorite, electric pet nail files. If you look in the right places they only cost $30-$40, and never need to be replaced(unless they break). You can buy battery powered ones or plug-in ones. The only thing that needs to be replaced is the file bands, which are very cheap, and batteries if you buy a battery-operated one. These are also the most natural and IMO safest and easiest way to get a dog's nail length down. They can be small, medium or large. The pedicure is basically the same thing, except you pay a bit more and wait for shipping(which I've heard that the Peticure company takes forever on) just to get a plastic guard so you don't file your pet's nails down too much. You could also pay only $20(+ shipping and handling) for the generic brand of peticure - Pedi Paws.

http://www.pedipaws.com/?directLoad&uid=2F5AC666D36DF7C14376A4585CCAE40C 

http://peticure.com/ 

http://www.jbpet.com/Oster-Nail-Grinder,6704.html