Scissor Trimming An Old English Sheepdog Legs

Home Grooming The Companion Old English Sheepdog

Another Way To Scissor Trim
An Old English Sheepdog's Legs


		Below is just one way an Old English Sheepdog owner tends to a dog's leg hair. Dogs often need to be slowly desensitized to any new process. You need to proceed slowly, respect the dog's limits, praise and reward lavishly so the dog will learn to tolerate it. Only you know your dog and how he or she may respond. Seek assistance from a professional if there is any chance your dog could be harmed by it's exuberance or fear or if the dog could display an aggressive behavior. Follow all product safety instructions provided by individual manufacturers. Try to make grooming a special one-on-one time that both you and your dog will look forward to. These instructions are offered as-is and without guarantee or warranty.

Tools- A slicker brush, a pin brush, a plastic hair pick and scissors.

This photo demo shows the way I used to trim my Old English Sheepdog's legs. This OES is lying down... it's a good method to use with older dogs if health problems prevent them from standing for longer periods of time. The approach is simple... my index and middle fingers work as a gauge. I take a length of hair between my fingers and trim the hair that's beyond them. The length of the hair matches the width of my fingers. I trim the entire leg this way. Below you'll see that as I get closer to the toes, I begin to round it up.

I do a quick combing out of the legs and fluff the hair so it stands up.	I take the hair between my fingers...	and trim it level.
Using a comb, I fluff the hair again.	When everything's been trimmed, I comb one more time and even it up with just the scissors.	I gently lift the hair between the toes...
and trim the hair above my fingers.	Note the slight curve as I get near the toes.	I work my way around the foot...
trimming in the same manner.	You can see the uneven hair at the bottom, behind the foot.	I continue to trim...
	and even up the back.	Be sure to fluff the foot again and touch up.
NOTE: There is a groove on the outside of each front leg. It starts just above the back toe pad. Hair can get matted there.	I pick the mat apart with my fingers.	I then comb it out...
and use a pick to lift the hair.		I take the hair between my fingers...
and trim it level.	When trimming the front legs, I'm careful to avoid the toe pad on the back of the leg.	Once I've trimmed the leg all the way around, I comb it out one more time to look for stray hairs that I've missed.

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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