Mary Allen
When it comes to shearing, trimming, or cutting dog fur, there are always supporters and opponents on the part of dog owners and veterinarians. Dog fur serves to regulate body temperature in both cold and heat. However, there are some dog breeds that have too long or too thick fur and suffer from it, especially in the hot summer months. For this reason, it is advisable for some breeds to trim the coat at regular intervals. Again, other dog owners insist on a beautiful hairstyle, but this is always met with a lack of understanding among experts. In both cases, the question now arises as to whether you should go to a specialized dog hairdresser or lend a hand yourself. This article is about cutting, trimming, and clipping the dog’s coat when you do it yourself.
Advantages:
- Your dog no longer “sweats” as much in summer;
- the dog fur looks healthier;
- prevents skin irritation and eczema;
- loose hair is removed;
- Dogs are more comfortable.
Trimming dog fur
Trimming involves plucking out dead and loose hairs as well as certain healthy hairs from the coat. This is done either with your fingers or with a special device, the trimmer, which of course requires some practice, but you can gradually and quickly do it yourself.
There are some dog breeds that should always be trimmed. These include breeds with a wire-haired coat, such as many terriers or schnauzers and the wire-haired dachshund. When breeding these dog breeds, more and more attention was paid to the fur, so that it protects the dogs, particularly well against moisture and cold, so that the normal and typical change of coat as we know it no longer takes place.
This was to ensure that these animals could work as hunting dogs all year round. Nevertheless, it is very important that the dead top hair is removed, otherwise, skin irritation or even eczema can occur. Regular trimming also stimulates fur growth.
The dead hair of the undercoat can simply be brushed out, for which a normal dog fur brush is usually sufficient. You should trim every 3-4 weeks in the future, whereby the protective function of the hair coat is of course not impaired.
If you want to trim your dog’s coat yourself, it’s a good idea to have a groomer show you how to do it so you can be sure you’re doing all the steps correctly. After trimming the dog’s fur, you should give your darling a thorough grooming and brushing again.
Shear your own dog fur
Shearing dog fur isn’t as easy as regular trimming, so we’re happy to give you a step-by-step guide.
The first step is to give your dog a thorough brushing, paying close attention to any knots or tangles. It is important to loosen these before shearing, which can easily be done with scissors. However, for tangles, such as behind the ear, you should be careful not to injure your dog. The heavy soiling in the fur should also be removed. The smoother and softer the fur, the easier it is to work with the dog clipper.
Now the right length for the dog fur must be selected. The clipper provides different attachments for this, with the information usually being given in millimeters. This tells you how long your dog’s fur will be after shearing. Experts recommend a length of nine millimeters for most dog breeds. If you are not sure, especially the first time, choose a slightly longer length first, because you can always shorten it afterward.
Before you start clipping, you should make sure that your dog is fine, comfortable, and not afraid, but nice and relaxed. You shouldn’t be nervous either, because your animal will notice that quickly, so your dog would think that something is wrong.
It is easiest when the dog stands by the clipper. Then it starts. You should always start at the dog’s neck and continue in a straight line down the back. You have to make sure that the shaving head of the device is always on your back and not held vertically, because this is the only way you can achieve a clean and uniform cutting length. When clipping, start and stop as little as possible and be careful not to apply too much pressure. When clipping, the clipping machine must always be guided from the front to the back, i.e. always in the direction of fur growth and never against the grain.
When you’re done with the back and core, you should move on to the chest. Again, you start at the neck, after which you can shear between the legs over the stomach without having to sit down once again. In the case of the legs and groin area, however, you should pay attention to the many skin scraps so that you do not injure your dog. These must be smoothed before shearing.
Some parts of the dog’s body require you to be extra careful, so put the clippers aside and grab a pair of scissors if necessary. This applies, for example, to the entire head area of your dog. This is mainly due to the fact that there are also many whiskers in this area, which must not be removed. You should also trim the fur on the paws, tail, and the area around the animal’s genitals with scissors if necessary, or at least proceed very carefully.
After you have finished clipping, it is important that you carefully brush your dog again so that all the hair that has been cut off can be thoroughly removed and you can also check whether the cut is even and no areas have been forgotten. If your dog has a thick undercoat, you should also use a special undercoat brush to ensure that dead hair is removed. With some dogs, it is even advisable to bathe them extensively after clipping, of course only if your dog finds the bathing pleasant. The skin is soothed and the deep-seated remains of hair are removed again.
Cutting dog fur
The dog’s fur can also be cut with hair scissors, although this is of course very tedious. For this reason, it is recommended that you only cut the very sensitive areas with the scissors, including the head area, such as the fur around the eyes. But the paws or the hair on the genitals of the animals should also be carefully cut off with scissors.
Conclusion
If you decide to clip, trim or cut your pet’s dog fur yourself, it is important to always proceed very carefully and cautiously so that your dog quickly realizes that it is nothing bad, but something completely normal. Consult your veterinarian or a specialist groomer to determine if your dog is one of the breeds that should have its coat trimmed or trimmed, or if it is not necessary.