Many dog owners would like to give their dog a haircut themselves if possible.
Your dog loves being petted and having its sensitive areas touched by its owner. However, many dogs dislike having their sensitive areas touched or their hair cut.
There are three important things to keep in mind to ensure a smooth grooming experience for your dog.
- Are you forcing your dog to do too much while grooming?
- Does your dog feel comfortable while being groomed?
- Does the owner enjoy grooming?
Dogs, like us humans, are highly sensitive animals. They are keenly aware of how their owners feel and what they are doing. Therefore, they find grooming enjoyable rather than unpleasant.
Whether your dog enjoys grooming depends on your attitude and effort.
In this article, we'll introduce grooming methods that put your dog's feelings first. This time, we'll focus on haircuts and introduce how to give your dog a do-it-yourself haircut.
Benefits of Cutting Your Dog's Hair at Home
There are four benefits to cutting your dog's hair at home.
- It's inexpensive because you do it yourself.
- You build a trusting relationship with your dog.
- Your skill improves with repeated trimming.
- You don't have to worry about asking someone else to do it.
Many people probably want to cut their dog's hair themselves.
The biggest benefit is, without a doubt, the cost.
You can also build a trusting relationship with your dog, and many people find cutting their own hair to be stress-free and enjoyable.
It's not impossible to give your dog a haircut yourself, so if you've read this article to the end and feel like you can do it, it might be worth giving it a try.
Disadvantages of Cutting Your Dog's Hair at Home
Cutting your dog's hair at home has the following disadvantages:
- Since you're not a professional, the cut may not be exactly what you want.
- It requires advanced technique.
- If you push yourself too hard, it could damage your relationship with your dog.
- You could accidentally injure your dog.
- It takes time and effort.
- The equipment isn't up to scratch, so cleaning up messes is a pain.
There are undeniable disadvantages to trimming your own hair.
For example, what to do if your dog gets injured? If it takes a long time, you'll need to think about countermeasures in advance, such as spreading the treatment over several days.
To avoid overdoing it and damaging your relationship with your dog, understand your dog and do what you can.
It's a good idea to find a trustworthy grooming salon or veterinary clinic where you can easily consult about grooming and your dog.
How to Give Your Dog a Haircut at Home
Before giving your dog a haircut, it's important to groom him.
As we've covered in other articles, let's briefly review the grooming steps.
- Ear cleaning
- Nail clipping
- Trimming around the anus and the bottom of the feet
- Brushing
- Shampooing and anal gland expression
- Drying with a hair dryer
- Brushing
After this, we move on to the haircutting procedure.
To avoid straining your dog, if the procedure takes a long time, it is important to spread it out over several days.
Points to Remember When Cutting
When using scissors, be sure to use them horizontally, not vertically, in relation to your dog's body.
In particular, never point the scissors at your dog's eyes.
Also, if you press the scissors hard against the fur, you will create a dent in that area, so practice moving the scissors horizontally on a regular basis.
When using a comb to cut, hold the comb at an angle to the skin, creating a V-shape.
This will help the fur stand at a right angle, making cutting easier.
The more frequently you comb, the more even the ends will be.
Other Notes
- Do not hold scissors and a comb at the same time.
- Make sure the area you want to cut is directly in front of you.
- Place your hand under the dog's rear end and hold it still while you cut.
- Avoid touching the area you've already cut by placing your hand under the face or rear end.
- After cutting, immediately remove the hair from the dog's body. Use a comb at this time.
- For breeds with thin coats, such as Yorkshire Terriers and Maltese, use thinning shears.
- Be careful not to cut the base of the ears.
- Keep the blades moving in small increments.
- Be careful of the eyes, ears, mouth, and tongue.
- Watch the cut from a distance. Avoid getting too close to the eyes.
Tips for Using Clippers
You can also use clippers instead of scissors to shorten the hair.
It's important to alert your dog to the sound and vibrations. Cordless clippers are recommended.
There are various lengths available, so it's important to choose the length that best suits your dog's desired hair length.
In that case, move the clippers in the direction of the hair's natural flow.
Cutting Procedure
Now, let's take a closer look at the cutting procedure.
This time, we'll introduce cutting using scissors and thinning shears.
Cutting Order by Part
- Abdomen
- Rump
- Back
- Right Hind Leg
- Right Front Leg
- Chest
- Left Side
- Head
Detailed Cutting Procedure
- Comb the belly hair inward and trim any excess hair. Be careful not to cut the skin.
- Trim any excess back hair around the tail.
- Raise the rump hair and trim from the tail toward the back.
- Cut in a continuous line from the rump to the back.
- Make a circular cut starting from the right hind leg, aiming toward the anus.At this time, point the scissors upward at the top and downward at the bottom.
- Lift the leg and trim the hair on the inside. Do not lift it too much, and do not raise it above the dog's waist. Try to look down.
- Cut the right side. Cut the top to match the length of the back, and the bottom so that it tucks into the belly. Be careful not to cut any protruding parts when doing this.
- Cut so that it connects to the front legs. For the outside of the front legs, hold the scissors upright and cut horizontally to the dog's body.
- Lift the leg and cut the hair on the inside of the front leg. For the inside of the front leg, lift the leg and cut in a rounded shape. Be careful not to cut too much. The skin under the armpits stretches, so be careful not to cut too much.
- Lift the ears and cut the sides of the neck. Cut so that it connects the chest and legs.
- Cut the chest to create a nice shape, paying attention to the balance between the left and right sides.
- Cut the left side in the same way. Start cutting from the front legs on the left side.
- Cut the face. Use thinning scissors to remove any hair that gets in your eyes. Be careful as there are some areas that you do not cut. Cutting too much can cause baldness.
- Cut the hair on the head. Comb the hair forward. Comb about 2-3 cm in front of the eyes. Cut the hair that will be in contact with the eyes by holding the scissors sideways. It is safer to cut by holding the scissors toward you.
- Hold the scissors at an angle to cut the hair that will be in contact with the eyes on either side, reaching the outer corner of the eye.
- Cut the hair on the head in a circular radiating pattern from the center. Be careful not to open the scissors too wide when doing this. For dogs with thin hair, use thinning scissors to cut.
- After cutting the head, cut the neck, connecting the head to the back.
- Cut the hair on the chin. Cut both sides evenly in a circular pattern.
- If the hair on the ears has grown long, trim the tips of the ears straight down. Make sure you don't cut the edge of the ear when doing this.
Summary
What did you think?
If you're trimming at home, it's a good idea to have a professional groomer trim your dog's coat once and practice using the same style.
Cutting methods vary depending on the breed, so it's important to choose a style that's right for your dog.
At first, cut your dog's hair as long as you can without forcing it.
If you find it difficult to cut your dog's hair at home, we recommend going to a grooming salon and leaving it to a professional groomer.
After going to the grooming salon a few times, you'll get the hang of how to cut your dog's hair.
You can also watch the groomer cut your dog's hair and try to imitate them.
Once you become a regular at the grooming salon, you can ask the groomer how to do it, and then once you feel confident you can do it yourself, you can start trimming your dog's hair yourself.
First, do the grooming yourself, such as shampooing, and leave the cutting to the groomer. Be flexible and adaptable.
Grooming is an essential and important part of having a happy life with your dog, so make sure to always trim it.
