Grooming - Hair Clipping

Clipping a dog is not an easy procedure, especially if you are new at it or if you are not sure on the most suitable cut for your dog. If you are planning on showing your dog it is very important to read and understand the breed standards as many breeds can only be shown using specific styles or methods of clipping. Some breeds can be fully clipped, such as the Poodle, whereas others may only be trimmed like the Bichon Frise, and some can neither be clipped or trimmed, but can be stripped such as a Bouvier de Flanders or most of the wire haired terriers. Some breeds allow for showing both in the clipped fashion as well as natural, without any clipping.

Generally most owners, unless they are showing their dogs, tend to stick to cuts and clips that make grooming less arduous for both owner and dog. Many breeds of small to large dogs with long coats enjoy a short summer clip or cut to help with keeping cool and clean during the busy summer months. Clipping, like brushing, is best done with the right equipment and a good understanding of the various cuts. Most people prefer a short cut over the body with longer hair on the tail, head and ears. This is, of course, largely dependent on the breed and size of dog, as well as the gender. There are more masculine cuts for males as well as some more feminine cuts for females, or just general sporty cuts for either males or females.

To clip your dog you will need some basic tools and supplies no matter which cut you are planning to try. Generally a good pair of electric or battery-operated clippers will be required unless you are just trimming a few long hairs. There are many different models of clippers on the market, but generally a good quality clipper will be relatively quiet which will make it easier for the dog to become used to. The blades should always be sharp to prevent pulling or tugging on the hair and to give a nice, crisp cut rather than a jagged looking cut. There are several different sizes of dog clippers so be sure to get the size that is most appropriate for your dog. In addition to just the size of the handle there are also many different attachments sold with most of the dog clippers. A good variety of attachments will help with various haircuts and styles and may help to get to hard to clip areas of the dog. In addition to just the clippers and the blade attachments lubricant and coolant will also be required. Lubricant will keep the blades moving smoothly in the clipper head and the coolant will keep the blades from heating up and possibly burning the dog's skin as you clip.

A pair of sharp scissors with rounded ends is essential for trimming long hairs safely. Never use pointed scissors as the possibility of nicking the dog's skin is just too great unless you are very experienced and the dog is used to being clipped and handled. Some people prefer the curved scissors while others favour the straight blade; either will work very effectively for almost all trimming required.

If you have a dog with a double coat or a very thick or long single coat you may also want a pair of thinning shears. Thinning shears look like scissors except for one of the blades has teeth like a comb instead of being flat like the other blade. When hair is cut with thinning sheers only about half of the hairs are actually cut. This is often done on the dog's body or across the back or saddle area of the dog. Thinning shears can also be used to give more body to the hair on the ruff or mane area.

A long set of tweezers can also be a great tool to have to remove long hairs from the ears and around the head area. Tweezers should never be inserted into the ears but can be used to grasp hairs that protrude beyond the ears. Rubberised finger covers can also be used to grasp the hairs inside the ears and remove them. Ear powder can also be helpful in grasping the hairs and keeping them from slipping through your fingers as you pull.

In addition you will need to have a pin brush, a rake or detangling comb, as well as a slicker brush in your clipping supplies.

Most groomers agree the best cut is completed when the dog is clean, dry and the hair is completely free from tangles. To start the process use the detangling rake or comb to remove all large tangles, mats or pieces of matter from the dog's coat. If you have a short haired dog this step can be skipped, and you will start in at this point. Brush completely with the pin brush, bristle brush or slicker brush, depending on the dog's coat. Long haired dogs or double coated dogs will usually require the pin brush, but shorter haired dogs may be able to be completely brushed using the slicker brush. The various types of brushes and grooming equipment are covered in the section on "Brushing".

Once the hair is completely mat and tangle free the next step is to bath the dog. Complete instructions are given in the next section on "Bathing" but the key is to use only dog hair products and to completely rinse all shampoo and conditioners out of the hair to prevent irritations and skin problems. Once the dog is completely washed and rinsed, dry the dog. Use a towel to blot up the excess moisture and then either brush dry or dry with a pet hairdryer. Human hair dryers that have a cold setting may also be appropriate, but the hot setting on a regular hair dryer is too hot for a dog and will result in dry skin and possibly even painful burns to the dog's skin.

After the dog is completely dry, brush again to remove any possible tangles or knots that may have developed through the drying process. Give the dog a bit of a break and even take them for a walk, as they may have been standing or sitting for a long while. A dog that has been exercised and is calm is far easier to clip than one that is full of energy.

Many double coat breeds benefit from a total body clip. Some saloons or groomers call this a teddy bear cut as it leaves a fuzzy, soft appearance to the coat all over the body. A teddy bear cut can be longer or shorter, and can also have longer hair left on the ears or have the ears and top of the head. A sport cut, popular on Spaniels and other gundogs keeps the hair on the legs longer but keeps the body short and easy to maintain. The longer hair on the ears is usually left natural.

A puppy cut is often used with Maltese or other small dog. The puppy cut is similar to the teddy bear cut and can also be called a poodle clip or a cocker cut. To complete this cut start with the freshly bathed and dried dog. Set the clippers at the desired length and starting from the backbone clip down the dog in straight swaths along the body. For the neck start at the base of the skull and move the clippers in the direction of hair growth down the neck and shoulders. Always clip initially in the direction of the hair growth, just like you would if you were simply brushing. The stomach should be clipped from the front to the back of the dog after the downward clip has been completed. Be sure to keep coolant on the blades or stop clipping until the blades cool off. Most groomers recommend using a #4 or #5 blade on a double coated dog. Leave the legs, tail and head as these will be clipped next.

To clip the head use a finer blade such as a #10. Clip from the muzzle back to the ears in a slightly downward curving arch or straight across. Do not use the clippers near the eye area. The area of the sides of the head under the ears short and clip them as the rest of the head. The hair around the muzzle and the eyes should be trimmed to a length of one to two inches; depending on how pronounced you want the face. The result should be a slight beaded and capped appearance to the face, with the hair falling naturally. Some breeders like to leave the topknot area long if they are planning on putting the hair up in bows or elastics. Generally this is only done on the toy breeds.

Leg feathers and furnishings are clipped so that they blend in with the clip on the body, or they can be clipped very short to the legs, depending on personal preference. The hair on the tail should be trimmed with the scissors to give a balanced appearance.

A larger breed like a Newfoundland or a St. Bernard can be trimmed in exactly the same manner. For the large breeds the hair on the chest, neck and the lower ribcage may be left a bit longer to give balance to the dog.

Some dogs such as a Schnauzer have a particular cut that includes leaving a long and pronounced type of beard. Other breeds have particular cuts as well including Kerry Blue Terriers, Irish Water Spaniels and the amazing Lowchen breed which is shown in with a cut that enhances its name of "little lion".

Wire haired dogs are often of the Terrier breed, as discussed in the article on "Coat Types". These breeds can be either clipped or hand stripped, depending on the owners preference and if they are to be shown or not. Clipping a wire haired breed will generally result in a softer overall coat with a lightening of the overall coat colour, since it is the wiry outer coat that has the deeper, darker colours. When these dogs are clipped uniformly the darker outer hair is clipped, leaving more of the lighter, inner hair exposed. In some breeds this can mean a very dramatic difference in the colour of the dog.

Hand stripping is a lot of work, but it really does preserve the coat of a wire coat breed. Stripping involves pulling out the long, dead hairs from the coat to allow new, shiny hair to grow in. Generally this process is done starting at the bottom of the dog and moving up. All of the long, unhealthy looking or dry, brittle hairs are grasped firmly with the fingers and pulled out, only in the direction of hair growth. Pulling the hair in the direction of hair growth is not as painful as it may seem, but pulling against the growth of hair can be very painful.

Many professional groomers and even home groomers use a stripping knife to pull the older, longer dead hairs out of the coat. The knife is not used to cut; rather the hairs are trapped against the flat part of the blade by the thumb, and then with a swift motion are pulled out. Dogs quickly become accepting of the stripping process and will stand patiently while the process is completed. The entire dog can be stripped, and those dogs that have very damaged coats may need to have intense stripping over several months to completely remove all of the damaged hair. An excellent way to make hand stripping easier is to sprinkle a thin coat of ear powder on the hair. The resin in the powder will help provide a grip on the hair and stop it from slipping or pulling through your fingers as you are plucking.

Short haired dogs are usually not clipped but are trimmed to tidy their appearance and accentuate their bodies and musculature. Many short haired dogs are trimmed to enhance their muscled and athletic body shapes, rather than for any specific care issues.

Short haired dogs often have the hair on their ears, tail and legs trimmed to blend with the rest of the body and to prevent the hair from detracting from the overall appearance of the breed. If the dog has short hair that is naturally very curly it is usually important to avoid clipping or trimming too short to remove the natural curl.

Some dogs, such as the Portuguese water dog are rather short coated dogs that are usually trimmed when shown to accentuate their body shape. The two acceptable clips are the lion clip, which keeps the hair on the middle section of the body and the hind quarters short, while leaving the neck and the end of the tail long.

The Labrador cut simply trims the hair all along the dog very close to the body to show the full outline. The tail is also left long in this cut. Labradors also have this cut, as do many of the gundogs. The hair is left long on the ears and tail but the body itself is trimmed at various lengths, but usually short enough to present a clean profile. A clean profile is also important for a Pomeranian so the longer, ragged hairs are trimmed to give a tidy and neat appearance.

Some dogs, such as Poodles, can be shown in various clips based on their age. Puppies can be shown in the puppy cut as long as they are under one year of age. Adult Poodles are strongly recommended to be shown using the traditional poodle cut known as the lion cut.

Most breeds can be shown with their feet trimmed, and keeping the hair between the pads of the feet carefully trimmed can prevent lameness and foot problems with most of the longer haired breeds.

Trimming the hair between the pads on a dog's feet is not as difficult as it may seem. The most important item is a good, sharp pair of small round-ended scissors. Only use rounded ended scissors to prevent any possible accidents. Start with the dog standing on his feet and with the hair fully brushed down the leg. Using the scissors trim the hair around the pads to a level at least ¼ inch above the floors surface. If your dog is outside a lot or in wet or mucky climates or seasons you may want to clip the hair a bit shorter.

Often longer haired breeds will develop mats and knots between the pads of the feet. This can cause limping and excessive licking or biting at the feet. To check for tangles pick each foot up and gently spread the pads, carefully feeling the hair with your finger for tangles. With a blunt ended pair of scissors cut a minimal amount of hair, ensuring that the ends of the scissors are clearly visible on the top of the foot. By angling the scissors from the underside for the pad to the top you can avoid possibly cutting the delicate skin between the pads. Some breeds also have webbing between their pads, especially retrievers and other water dogs, so be very careful and feel with your fingers as well as clearly be able to see all the skin before you start the cut.

Many people choose to use special attachments for electric clippers that can easily cut the hair between pads with no danger to the dog's skin or sensitive feet. There is also a special "doggy personal trimmer" that looks similar to an ear or nose trimmer for a human. This very small battery operated clipper can easily slide between the pads and remove even heavy mats.

Finally look at the underside of the paw. This is usually easiest to do if the dog is on his or her side. Trim the hair on the bottom of the pad until it is flush with the pads. Again, be careful to cut flat across the bottom of the pad, not up and towards the pads.

Some breeds, such as Sheepdogs, Newfoundlands, Pomeranians and other thick double coated breeds often have very heavy and long hair around the anus that may trap or hold faecal material. This can be embarrassing and messy, and a simple trimming of the hair around the anus can prevent much of this problem. Usually this clipping is best completed if someone holds the dog from the front and allows you to have the ability to work the clippers or the scissors. Start with the long hairs closest to the anus. Depending on the size of the dog, clip a half circle strip about ¼ to ½ of an inch in length around the opening, extending this slightly if the dog is very large. If the dog holds its tail down normally you can also make the strip larger, but if the dog holds its tail up or curled, keep the very short strip relatively small. Gradually increase the length of hair to blend the hairs with the longer hair on the back of the legs. There is no need to trim the hair above the anus, unless there are problems with this hair being soiled. It is better to start with just a bit of a trim, gradually increasing the amount that is cut from the opening as needed. Cutting too wide of a shorn area around the anus will make the area more noticeable and pronounced.

If you are making your first attempt at clipping your dog it is a good idea to only clip a bit at a time, shortening the length as you feel more confident. In addition you may want to take your dog to a groomer the first time and watch how they clip the dog, most groomers will allow you to stay in the room and will help with tips and ideas for grooming the dog on your own.