How to Trim Around a Dog's Eyes

Trimming the fur around your dog's eyes can be a bit tricky if you or your dog are feeling nervous or anxious. This is not a difficult task if you can get your dog to sit still long enough and keep a steady hand yourself. Trimming around your dog's eyes helps to keep your dog's eyes safe and healthy. Preparation for this task is key. You will want to try to get as much fur away from your dog's eyes as possible before you get started.

Your dog may be a little nervous about having scissors really close to his eyes. If you are confident and have a steady hand, your dog will sense your confidence and have confidence in you. If you are a little bit nervous, your dog will feel that too, so be sure to go into trimming the fur around your dog's eyes with a positive attitude so your dog can feed off of your energy.

• Never point scissors directly at your dog's eyes.
• Always hold straight edge scissors parallel to your dog's face. In the event you slip or your dog moves, the point of the scissors isn't near your dog's eye.
• With a small comb, pull the hair up and away from your dog's eyes.
• Pay close attention to any fur that may be twisted and turned and heading inward toward your dog's eye.
• While you are trimming the fur around your dog's eyes you can also do a quick eyelash check to make sure your dog does not have any eyelashes growing inward.
• Take this one slow the first few times so you both feel confident it will be done without injury.
• Give yourself a couple of tries before expecting your dog's eyes to look exactly the way you want.
• Ask your veterinarian for ideas of quick things to look for while you are trimming your dog's eyes such as discharge or swollen eyelids.