Translucent claws are always easier than opaque, but the translucent (if he has any) will show you the lengths the quick has grown out into the claw. And if you managed to clip all of them last time, the quicks should be that same length this time. Pro tip, if you stay on top of clipping often (and it sounds like you do), the quicks won't grow as far out.
My guys are all outside / farm dogs. They wear theirs down just living daily life on this homestead, so I rarely even have to bother anymore, except for the dewclaws as Deagle noted. And my big alpha pyr / St Bernard mix is, well, pyrenees, so I've got the joy of rear dewclaws to deal with too. As to the mess, why not just clip outside, same as brushing? Leashed around a tree or fence post to keep your hands free. No indoors, no mess, no problem. And play "steal the feet" game more often. Gets 'em accustomed to having their feet handled.
But back before land ownership, when I dwelled in humble apartments and worked jobs in vet clinics, shelters, boarding kennels etc., I used to do bathing & grooming for some of those. We had dremels too, think we used 120 grit conical sander bits, but it was always hit or miss whether a dog would tolerate the sensation of all that vibration going up the legs. Honestly I relied more on my skill with the clippers daily in the trenches. Seldom broke out the dremel unless an owner requested it. Had a good pair of the style shown by Max13. Never did bother with the guide, swiveled that out of the way and clipped in increments, taking tiny chunks off to show them its no big deal. After a few harmless clips and no pain, they're more inclined to stop fussing when they see this isn't so bad. Kinda developed a side-cut technique too, where I'd cut the sides at a taper, going 45 instead of a straight 90 down thru it. This would help creep closer to the quick without as much risk, as well as blunting the finished result so they weren't so sharp 'n freshly shorn in the days ahead. Also, that same pain reaction can be tested gently as an important indicator, too -- when in doubt, ie. you're finishing up and think you're getting near the quick on an opaque claw, you can test for a pain reaction without any real harm. Start to squeeze your clippers experimentally, but control your applied pressure carefully in featherlight increments -- don't cut all the way thru(!). If the dog was calm for the smaller bits but tries to suddenly jerk his leg away from your grip as you squeeze tighter, you know you're about to slice into quick. Stop there and go to the next. That claw's done!
In a professional setting, yes we did have muzzles, and these were used if we had a known biter or just at our discretion. Hard to explain, just a feeling you'd get. Call it a sixth sense having done it long enough. Most times I worked the weekend shifts myself so no helper to hold the dog. I would muzzle up some dogs if I felt I needed to, but others I didn't. One way or another, the job got done. If all else fails, styptic power to the rescue.
Hope that helps somebody out there.
Happy clippings! ...
... make for happier mountings
