DOG TRIMMING

The fur of your four-legged friend not only gives it its typical appearance, it also fulfils important protective functions: it protects the skin from dirt and weather influences, balances the temperature in heat and keeps the dangerous UV sun exposure. Nevertheless, some dog breeds need to be shaved or trimmed regularly. Here, you can read how to treat, shear, brush or trim the fur of your four-legged friend properly.

When do you shear a dog?

  • Dog breeds with a single-layer fur structure, i.e. with only cover hairs such as Maltese, Yorkshire Terrier or poodle, can basically be shaved.
  • In poodles, groomers (specially trained dog hairdressers) recommend a careful shearing, because the skin of the poodle is very sensitive and its light summer fur protects it from high temperatures and UV sunlight.
  • Basically, a complete shearing should only be carried out if the fur is totally matted and nothing helps anymore. As a rule, first the comb, the brush and a scissors are used for the legs. The coat is shortened only gently.

The popular “summer haircut”

For dogs with undercoat, the popular “summer shearing” may only be carried out after extensive consultation with experts. Because one possible consequence of unprofessional shearing is the so-called Clipper alopecia. In the hair dress of your four-legged friend, many hairless, “naked” or insufficiently interspersed areas are created. Breeds with very slow regrowing cover hair are also affected by this. In water dogs such as Portuguese water dog, golden or Labrador retriever, the undercoat is even vital, as it protects the skin from drying out and hypothermia in the water and also provides the necessary buoyancy when swimming.

Long-haired dogs shear

There are different aspects to consider with each breed of dog, which is why there is no general rule for the perfect shearer. The dog fur should be cut in such a way that it can continue to fulfil its important protective functions.

Good equipment is essential for a smooth, stress-free shear. The shearing machine should be powerful and have a high cutting force, so that the procedure does not be painful for your dog. In addition, you need different attachments, a pair of fur scissors (with rounded ends), different brushes and fur combs.

Trim yourself or to the dog hairdresser?

There are two methods for trimming: hand trimming and removing hair with the trim knife. You can ‘check this for help’ about best reviews of products, surveys, website and login guides and tech tutorials.

Both types of fur care require a lot of experience and practice. Because recognizing the dog hair suitable for plucking correctly is difficult for beginners.

A good groomer usually trims the dog hair by plucking out the longest trimmable hair with thumb and index finger. After successful trimming, the colors of the dog fur appear strong and the fur retains its important qualities without being incorrectly thinned out. When care for fur with a trim knife, make sure that the jagged blade is as blunt as possible. If it is too sharp, an unwanted haircut quickly happens. Never pull out too many tufts of hair at once, because the procedure causes pain even with already dead hair.

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