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Home Grooming The Companion Old
English Sheepdog
Trimming
Around An Old
English Sheepdog's Foot Pads
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What you're trying to accomplish...
Trimming hair between the
Old English Sheepdog's pads improves traction, prevents
painful matting and also allows for better air flow.
Less fur to carry in sand/dirt from the backyard too.
Dogs sweat through their foot pads so removing this hair
helps their feet dry faster too. Hairy feet can hold
dirt, moisture, bacteria, yeast,
etc.
Tools I Use To Trim
A
Dog's Pad/Foot Hair
You don't need fancy or
expensive tools for this job. I use a small battery operated palm clipper by Conairpet™
to shave the hair from between my Old English Sheepdog's pads.
Cost was around $17 at Meijer. It's
small so it's easy to get between the pads. I found that rechargeable batteries provide more power
for a longer duration. I like the shorter version of The Untangler® for
the feet but you can use any good comb. Cost was around $5 and
I've had this comb for 5 1/2 years now. I also use small
scissors with stainless steel blades also found at Meijer. Cost was
around $2.50. |
Tips-
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Glide the clipper blade over
the skin, don't apply much pressure or you could cause razor
burn.
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Keep the blade level with the
skin as you shave so you don't cut skin. Use extra care
when there are narrow or raised areas of skin like the top of the
webbing.
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The little battery operated
palm clipper I used in this demo doesn't heat up like a standard
size clipper. If using a larger clipper and say a #15 blade,
frequently touch the blade with YOUR fingers to be certain the
blade isn't heating up... hot clipper blades will cause your dog
pain and possibly a burn. I no longer use a spray blade
coolant... it seemed to clog up and bog down my blades. I
remove a blade that's gotten too warm, place in on a cool
surface and replace it with another blade. I've also used
a cold pack, the kind you keep in the freezer for a sprain, and
will place a too warm blade between it for faster cooling.
You need to be careful of condensation though... keep the blade
dry and oil it after use.
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Before trimming an OES's feet for the first time,
get to know how
the dog's feet were created. Each foot has a large pad in the back and 4
smaller toe pads to the front. Front legs also have a pad
on the back of the leg where it bends at the "wrist".
OESs that have not had dewclaws removed in the first few days
after birth will also a small toe with a pad, webbing and toenail on
the inside of the front legs... you may occasionally find
back dewclaws also.
Webbing between the toes. |
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The following
technique is based on a dog that is already used
to both
having their feet handled and the vibration of electric
clippers...
When using electric clippers or
scissors to trim our dog's feet, I'm very care that I don't accidently
nick or cut the dog. Especially important in the foot area is the webbing between each
toe... this webbing is a ridge of skin that separates the area between the toes
from the area around the larger pad. I like to clip the hair short but I don't
apply much pressure doing so... I don't want to cause razor burn. Some
dogs may be more sensitive to shaving... if this is the case, you may wish to
use a clipper blade that will leave the hair a little longer. My 5 OESs and Border Collie-mix
all have their feet tended to in this manner.
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Copyright 2010- J.
Dunne. All rights reserved. The photographs and
instructions on this page are the property of the author. Do not
reproduce or copy without written permission from the author.
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