I trim the hair on my dog’s paws myself as part of home grooming. My dogs are used to me doing this from a young age, along with cutting their claws and cleaning their ears.
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If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself at home then leave it to the professionals and book your dog to visit a recommend local groomer who will happily bath, cut, trim and groom your dog for you.
Equipment Required
- Sharp Scissors
- Clippers
How to Trim your Dogs Paws
- You want your dog to be relaxed and calm during any grooming and I find it easier to trim my dogs paw hair when they are lying down on the floor. I sit on the floor and enjoy a cuddle first then spend some time looking at each paw to build up my dog’s confidence in me touching their paws and pads. Although if you have a grooming table or groom your dog on a standard table, this is also a good position as you can lift each paw whilst keeping your dog in a still position.
- Lift your dogs paw and hold it firmly in a position which allows you to see the paw clearly and in a position which is comfortable for your dog too.
- Check between each paw for debris and dirt as things can get stuck between the pads.
- You can use a clipper blade when trimming the paw hair and you will need to trim the hair flat across the pad, but you can trim the bottom and sides of the paw using a pair of scissors too. If you like your dog’s paws to look quite full and fluffy just trim a small amount of hair around the sides.
- You can also get your dog to stand and trim the hair on the top and sides of the paw, as being in this position you can get the look you desire.
- When trimming between the pads use your thumb to separate the pads. You can use a clipper to trim the hair between the pads, but personally I prefer to use a sharp pair of scissors as my dog’s paws are not huge and I feel I have more control, plus I like to trim a small amount of hair with each snip.
- Your dog has webbing between the pads and you do not want to cut this so hold a finger or thumb between your dogs pads. It is more difficult to see the webbing on dark coat coloured dogs, so just take your time.
- You may like do one paw each session or if your dog seems relaxed with this type of grooming you can do all four paws. You want your dog to find this an enjoyable part of grooming, so keeping it relaxed is good for you and your pet.