How to Shave a Dog's Hair

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How to Shave a Dog's Hair

Medium

15 - 30 Minutes

12 Months

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Introduction

Shaving your dog's hair, while challenging, is not as hard as you might think. In fact, it is much easier than trying to cut your pup's coat into one of those fancy styles. Before you make the decision to shave Fluffy's hair down to the skin though, you may want to talk to your vet to make sure it won't harm your pup. When you remove Fluffy's coat, you are removing her skin's protective layer. The coat keeps water, sunlight, dirt, and many other things away from her skin. Without it, she will be more susceptible to sunburn, flea infestations, and serious injury from bugs, branches, and many other dangers.

Dog's Perspective

Your dog needs her protective layer, it helps keep her warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Chances are good that she is not going to be happy about losing this protective layer. Once you have shaved her, be sure to use sun block whenever you take her outside.

The Determine the Direction Method

Effective

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Clipper

Step

Which way to cut

If you want the shaving process to go smoothly, you need to determine which direction Fluffy's hair is growing. You can use your hand or a credit card to do this. If you run your hand or card along the hair and its standing up you are going the wrong way, if it lies flat this is the right way. Keep in mind, her hair grows in different directions on different parts of her body.

Step

Special spots first

Since Fluffy may not be able to stand still for long, be sure you clip her head, under her tail, her bottom, her underbelly, and underarms first.

Step

The face

Using clippers to shave her face can be very challenging. If she will sit still, you can shave her face, just stay one inch away from her eyes to help you avoid injuring her eyes.

Step

If she won't stay still

If Fluffy refuses to stand still, leave her face for now and plan to do it another time.

Step

Finish what you started

Start at the back of Fluffy's head, shave her neck, chest, her back, and the outside of her legs. When you think you are done, give Fluffy a once over and shave any areas you may have missed.

The Warm Bath Method

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Shampoo

Clipper

Towel

Step

A bath

Start by giving your dog a nice warm bath to remove dirt, dust, debris, and oils, all of which can make it hard to work the clippers through Fluffy's hair. If you run across any mats, use baby oil or something similar to it to loosen them enough to get the clippers under the mat and remove them.

Step

At the face

Since your pooch is likely to be the most nervous when you shave their face, do this area first. Be sure to avoid getting too close to the eyes.

Step

Do the paws and legs

Start by shaving the paws and then going against the direction in which his hair is growing, clip the hair on her legs.

Step

Shaving the tail end

Shave your pup's backside, around the base of her tail, and then all the way out to the tip.

Step

Complete the job

Finish up by shaving the rest of Fluffy's body starting at the back of her head and working your way back to her tail. Be sure to stick with the flow of her hair and check your work. Touch up any missed areas and apply a coat of sun block before heading outside.

Caution & Considerations

Try pulling her skin tight for a smoother, cleaner shave. This also helps reduce the risk of nicks and cuts.
While some restraint is good, going overboard can make your dog feel anxious. If your helper has to struggle to hang on, you may want to use a grooming table with restraints or a leash.
Use baby oil to loosen up any mats. This will let you lift them up off your pup's skin, allowing you to remove them with the clippers.
Do not dry your pooch's coat with a hair dryer, the air is hot enough to burn their skin.
Keep the clippers one inch away from your dog's eyes to prevent injury.
Keep the clipper blade sharp; a dull blade can snag your dog's hair, ripping it out instead of cutting it off.

Conclusion

Talk to your vet regarding shaving your dog and if it is a good idea. While some breeds do okay with being shaved, for others it can make their life miserable. Be sure that you take time during the session and give your pup plenty of time to get used to being shaved. This will help him to remain calm during the process.

How to Shave a Dog's Hair

Introduction

Dog's Perspective

The Determine the Direction Method

The Warm Bath Method

Caution & Considerations

Conclusion

Success Stories and Grooming Questions

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