A ton of dogs find nail trims scary and stressful. If your dog wiggles, pulls their paws away, or becomes overly stressed when you trim their nails, there are other options than just using nail clippers or a dremel. Namely, the best dog scratch pads will allow force-free, cooperative care nail trims that your dog can opt into.
What are Dog Scratch Pads?
A dog scratch board or scratch pad is usually a wooden or plastic board with an abrasive material like sandpaper adhered to one side. Some scratch pads have additional features like treat compartments to make training easier, while others are puzzle toys with an abrasive surface built in for use while playing.
Dog scratch boards are used to train dogs to file down their own nails, without the anxiety that may come from using a nail clipper or dremel. Scratch boards are great cooperative care options for dogs who don’t like having their feet touched.
Traits We Want in a Dog Scratch Pad
A product that’s designed to be pawed and scratched at should be durable enough to grind down thick dog nails, and easy to train your dog to use. Here are three things to look for when buying a dog scratch pad:
- A durable, abrasive surface: A scratch pad needs to be strong enough to grind down even large dogs’ nails, so a strong surface is a must. We tested each scratch board on this list, and recommended the options with the most resilient material. If you need to constantly change out the sandpaper or other abrasive material, you might be less inclined to use the board often.
- Training resources: If you’ve never taught your dog how to paw at something, training resources for a scratch pad are extremely helpful to get you started. We preferred the scratch pads that came with written and video resources, and one that we tested even comes with lifetime access to a dog trainer to answer any questions or troubleshoot the training process.
- Extra features: Though not necessary, we did notice that extra features sometimes made training easier, depending on the dog. If you know your dog likes to dig, a built-in treat compartment can help them understand the scratch pad better. If your dog already knows how to target objects with their front paws however, extra features will likely be unnecessary.
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Read on for the best dog scratch pads tested for Whole Dog Journal:
| WDJ Rating | Product Name/Maker | Price | Sizes/Colors | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OriginalScratchPad for Dogs | $42 | Medium, coarse, or combo abrasion level Single or double sided design Option for refill package | A straightforward design, extremely durable sandpaper, free shipping, free trainer support, and a reasonable price make the Original ScratchPad the best dog scratch pad we tested. |
 | DiggerDog nail file | $79, or $66 for models with slight cosmetic imperfections +$41 for shipping to the U.S. from Diggerdognailfie.com $149, or $119 for models with slight cosmetic imperfections with free shipping from Amazon. | Only one size/color option | The center treat compartment of this scratch board made it the easiest to train dogs to use. However, it’s more than times the price of our top pick stainless steel plate doesn’t need to be replaced. |
| De'Vora Scratch Square | $35 - $55 based on size | Small, medium, large sizes | The medium size was too small for our tester dogs, and though this is supposed to be a 3-in-1 enrichment toy, tug toy, and nail file, none of the functions worked quite as well as they were supposed to. |
| Zenly Paws Dog Nail File Toy | $35 | Only one size/color option | A complicated two-step puzzle toy that may be too difficult for some dogs. Our tester dogs had issues scratching, pushing the button to release treats, and then figuring out how to get the treats. |
Whole Dog Journal’s Pick for the Best Dog Scratch Pad: Original ScratchPad for Dogs
Of the four models we tested, the Original ScratchPad for Dogs is the best dog scratch pad. It has a large abrasive area appropriate for all sized dogs (even large breeds), and the professional-grade sandpaper filed down our tester dogs’ nails the quickest. ScratchPad also offers a quality guarantee on the sandpaper insert on the board, and will offer a replacement pack for free if it wears out before six months.
The biggest downside of the Original ScratchPad is that it may take longer to train your dog to use it than our runner up option, the DiggerDog Nail File. We tested both options on six different dogs, and all six of our tester dogs learned how to use the DiggerDog the quickest. Some dogs that we tested the ScratchPad with didn’t quite understand targeting a flat board with their paws, but five out of the six dogs at least partially figured it out within one 30-minute session. If your dog already knows how to target objects with their front paws, it’ll likely be easy to teach them to scratch the ScratchPad.
Though it was one of the scratch boards that took longer to teach some dogs during testing, don’t let this deter you from trying. The brand has online training resources to get you and your pup started on cooperative nail care, and also offers free, unlimited lifetime training support from a professional trainer to troubleshoot any training problems that may pop up while using the product.
Runners Up for the Best Dog Scratch Pad
The DiggerDog nail file is a great option for most dogs, especially dogs who don’t have any paw targeting training. The DiggerDog features a sliding compartment in the center for treats, which can be opened by the handler once a dog paws at the board. All six of our tester dogs (one of them being a nearly 11-year-old collie) easily figured out that digging at the center compartment would release the treats. Turns out that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
The DiggerDog is by far the quickest and easiest scratch pad to train your dog to use of the options we tested. In comparison to the ScratchPad however, the DiggerDog’s surface filed down dogs’ nails slightly less during testing.
The main downside of the DiggerDog is the price. Handmade in Australia, the units run $79 on the brand’s direct site and $66 for units with minor cosmetic imperfections, with shipping to the U.S. costing around $41 to most areas of the country. On Amazon, the scratch boards have free shipping, but cost $149 for brand-new models, or $119 for units with minor cosmetic imperfections. The DiggerDog prices are more than double every other option we tested, but if you have the cash and want a scratch pad your dog will learn to use almost immediately, we recommend it.
The De’Vora Scratch Square didn’t quite live up to our expectations. Though the Scratch Square is supposed to do triple duty as a nail file, a chew/tug toy and a fillable enrichment toy, we had qualms with all of the features. The actual nail file section seemed too small in the recommended medium size for our 40–45-pound tester dogs. There isn’t enough area for dogs to efficiently grind down their own nails. In comparison to the DiggerDog and the ScratchPad, the Scratch Square material was less abrasive and less effective at grinding down nails.
Dogs can potentially use the Scratch Square as a tug and chew toy, but this doesn’t seem necessary. Some user reviews remarked that their dogs ended up chewing the abrasive section of the toy instead of just the handles. The fillable enrichment section also doesn’t quite work as advertised. The idea behind this feature is to fill the middle of the Scratch Square with treats, then have your dog scratch and paw at the toy to get the treats. However, the treat compartment in this toy isn’t directly correlated to the act of scratching or digging — all of our tester dogs simply went for the middle treat compartment, bypassing the scratching/pawing altogether.
Similar to the Scratch Square, the Zenly Paws Dog Nail File Toy has too many features that didn’t quite work as expected. Built like a fillable enrichment puzzle toy, the Zenly Paws scratch pad has a central compartment that you fill with food, which acts as a big button when a dog presses it. The top of the button is covered with a sandpaper-like material. When a dog presses this button, food is released into smaller compartments that are covered with plastic doors that the dog then needs to open with its nose or paw.
The main issue with the Zenly Paws toy is that dogs who learn to scratch the sandpaper on the top may not actually put enough pressure on the button to legitimately press it and release the food. Vice versa, dogs may learn to simply press down on the button without using their nails to scratch at the sandpaper. Some of our tester dogs also had trouble with the two-step puzzle of this toy, since they needed to press the button, then lift the plastic doors to get the food. This is not a beginner level puzzle toy, and dogs who haven’t worked on two-step puzzles before will likely get frustrated or become disinterested in it.
According to Nancy Bureau, DVM, CVA, FFCP of fear-free certified Left Hand Animal Hospital in Niwot, CO, “Cooperative care is partnering with the animal and allowing them to be part of the decision to proceed or not with the care you are offering.” Bureau says that to train a dog to opt into cooperative care, you can reward them with treats, toys, or praise.
The most popular method of cooperative care for dog nail trims is to use a dog scratch pad to teach your dog to grind down their own nails. Using a marker system and rewards, you can train a dog to use their front paws to dig or scratch on the abrasive surface of the scratch board. This method allows dogs to have agency in their care and can make nail trims feel more like a fun game that they’re rewarded for instead of a scary thing they’re forced to do.
Are there instructions for how to teach rear paws?
Hi! Our original ScratchPad for Dogs includes a training guide for hind feet as well as front feet. We also have training videos and resources on our website in addition to lifetime free training help! 🙂
I was also wondering about the rear paws?
Hi! I founded ScratchPad for Dogs – we include a training guide for front and back feet as well as training resources on our website and free lifetime training assistance! 🙂
Rear paws are much more important for my girl, who doesn’t love having any paws bothered, but has come to tolerate front paw handling pretty well. Hates having rear claws trimmed even very gently with battery powered dremel to the point of vocal grumbling and refusing even highest value treats.
Hi Emerson! You can use a ScratchPad for Dogs scratch board for hind feet! It can take a little more time to train than front feet, but it absolutely can be done – just an option for you!
I am in the process of preparing a scratch tube (PVC pipe cut in half lengthwise) by using double-sided carpet tape to fasten sand paper to the inside of the tube. This has been suggested as a way to get more abrasion on the side nails, since scratching on a flat board often takes significantly more off the center nails. I don’t recall where I heard about this. I have used a home made board by fastening sandpaper to an old cutting board and did find that it worked much better for the center nails.