How to Cut a Dog's Leg Hair
Easy
10 - 20 Minutes
4 Weeks
Need regular grooming services?
Introduction
Your dog's leg hair will probably need to be cut each time you groom the rest of him. Every dog is different. Some have short hair on their legs and some have long hair. Some dogs even have longer feathered fur on the back of their legs. You can scissor cut or even trim leg hair with clippers. Dogs with longer hair may need to be cut in a cone shape so their hair is shorter on the top and feathering out towards their paw. Dogs with shorter hair on their legs still need to be groomed for a neat and tidy look.Â
Dog's Perspective
Your dog may or may not be excited about grooming his legs. Some dogs don't mind if you are touching their front paws because they can see what you're doing, but when it comes to their rear legs or the backs of their front legs, they may be a little nervous if they can't see the tools you're using and exactly what you're doing. Take your time to get your dog comfortable with both the grooming process and the tools you'll be using.
The Scissor Cut Method
Effective
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Slicker Brush
Scissors
Comb
Step
1
Brush
Use a brush appropriate for your dog's coat to brush from the top of the leg all the way down to his paws on all four legs.
Step
2
Box cut
Once the fur is brushed out, start with the front legs by holding one of your dog's front paws in your hand. Shake the leg gently so that the fur on that leg falls to the sides. If you want a box cut look for your dog's leg use straight lines, cutting the fur on the outside and the sides with your scissors. A box cut will be an even length down the entire leg.
Step
3
Cone cut
If you’d like a cone cut, simply hold the scissors parallel with your dog’s legs pointing down and trim shorter near the top, keeping the length of the leg fur longer as you reach your pup’s feet.
Step
4
From elbow
Stand your dog up on all four paws and trim with the scissors from the elbow down towards his paws. Depending on the cut you're looking for, whether box or cone, you will either create one straight line so the fur is all one length, or you will angle longer feathered legs so the fur is longer at the paw and shorter at the elbow.
Step
5
Comb
Use a fine tooth comb and comb through the hair from the top of the leg all the way down through the elbow onto the paw. Work out any tangles if there and ensure you have a nice clean cut.
Step
6
Thinning
If you need to thin any of your dog's fur on his legs, take your comb and brush the fur up from the base of the foot upward. Use thinning shears to just thin out small areas.
Step
7
Plus
When you get to your pup's paw, cut carefully with your scissors along the shape of his foot. Once this is done with your comb, lift up the fur on the top of his paw and use thinning shears to clean up any rough edges. His paws should look nice, neat and tidy.
Step
8
Bottoms of feet
Any time you groom your dog's legs, you should pick up his feet, and with clippers or scissors, trim the area between his paw pads and toes and any excess fur growing longer than his paw pads.
The Clippers Method
Effective
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Slicker Brush
Comb
Clipper
Step
1
Comb
Use a fine-tooth comb and comb your dog's fur from the top of his leg all the way down towards his feet. Repeat this for every leg and then get ready to clip.
Step
2
Clipper blade
Decide how you want your dog's legs to look when you are done clipping. Some dogs will have longer fur and some dogs you will want to have nice and short with a neat tidy appearance. Use a blade for the approximate length you would like to keep your dog's leg hair.
Step
3
Front legs
Starting with the front legs will give your dog something to look at while you are clipping his fur. When he sees what you are doing, he will more likely trust that you are doing the same thing when you go to work with his back legs.
Step
4
Clip
Use your clippers and start at the thigh, clipping in a straight line all the way down to the elbow. When you get to the elbow, pause and make your next line all the way down to the foot. Be careful with clippers. Do not to get too close to your dog's skin so as not to nick him. Repeat this for the front and the back of your dog's legs.
Step
5
Rear legs
Repeat this for your dog's rear legs, only have him stand straight and stand on the side of him or behind him to reach around his rear legs. Start at the thigh and clip all the way down towards his foot.
Step
6
Varying lengths
If you would like your dog's leg hair to be longer or to be in a funnel shape, vary the length you trim it from the thigh down to the foot. Dogs who have funnel-shaped hair on their legs have shorter hair at the top and longer hair from the elbow coning out down towards the foot.
Step
7
Comb
Once you are done clipping all the fur on all four of your dog's legs, use a fine-tooth comb to comb through the fur, moving in the direction it grows to make it look nice and tidy as well as remove any tangles.
Step
8
Tidy up
Using your clippers or a pair of thinning shears, tidy up in the areas that are not straight, do not have a clean line, or need to be trimmed a bit more.
Step
9
End with paws
End your leg trimming session with your dog's paws.Take the shape of his paws and clip around them so you have a nice smooth edge. Then lift up each paw and trim any excess fur hanging over your dog's paw pads. If you need to trim the hair in between his paw pads or toes, you can do so with scissors or clippers.
Step
10
Treats
Be sure to give your little guy a nice tasty treat at the end of any grooming session to reward him for good behavior.
Caution & Considerations
- If you are grooming a puppy, consider he may be nervous when it comes to scissors or even clippers. Let him sniff your grooming tools before you use them on him so he's comfortable with what you are doing.
- If your dog is anxious or wiggly, you can recruit a friend to help you or groom each leg with your dog lying comfortably in a bed.
- Harnessing your dog and attaching his leash to a sturdy surface can help to keep him still while you are working on each of his legs.
- If you're grooming from home and you're not sure what your dog's breed should look like, do some research first to see what a typical look is for your dog's legs. Some dogs have feathers on the back of their legs. Some dogs are clean and tidy from the top all the way to the bottom. And other dogs cone out or box out in shape to appear as if they are wearing a skirt.
- If this is your first time trimming your dog's legs, be patient as you learn how you would like your dog to look and how to get that look.
- Remember safety first. Always point scissors down and do not hold clippers too close to the skin.
- If your dog is distracted or anxious during leg trimming, feel free to give him lots of treats throughout the process. This will keep him motivated to stay still and keep his attention focused on you.
Conclusion
Your dog's legs can look beautiful if they are fluffy or short haired. Give your pup a longer leg look or expand the appearance of strength with lots of flowing long hair draping down the legs. However you'd like your pup to look, have confidence you can get him there with a bit of practice cutting his leg hair.
