How to cut a dog's hair correctly

Tools needed: dog grooming scissors and others

First of all, in order to give your pet a quality haircut, you need to purchase the necessary tools and care products:

Scissors made of high quality steel with good sharpening. It needs to be adjusted periodically. It is better to also have thinning ones with rounded ends.
Bristle brushes, combs, slicker brushes, metal combs with frequent and rare teeth. The choice of comb depends on the breed of the dog and the quality of its coat.
Furminator or special trimming knife.
A mat cutting machine, most often made in the form of a nilotine.
An electric dog hair clipper or trimmer with a set of different attachments. It is advisable to purchase a high-quality and not the cheapest model of the device, then the tool will serve for a long time. Under no circumstances should you use the one intended for humans, because the structure of the coat is completely different for humans and dogs.
Special table for haircuts. It is necessary especially if the procedure has to be carried out frequently, sometimes once every 2-4 weeks.
Shampoos, conditioners, lotions. They are sold in pet salons and are selected depending on the breed of the dog.

Types of haircuts

All haircuts for dogs can be divided into 3 types: hygienic, model, exhibition. Each of them has its own characteristics and purpose.

Hygienic

A simple haircut can be done independently by every pet owner of any breed. The direct purpose of this type of grooming is to ensure comfort, cleanliness, a neat appearance of the dog, and maximum simplification of daily care. What does it include:

shortening the hair on the muzzle around the eyes, trimming the mustache, eyebrows and beard, edging the ears;
shortening the hair around the dog’s tail, anus and genitals;
trimming the fur that protrudes between the pads on the paws.

It is carried out once every 2-4 weeks as the fur grows back. No special techniques or skills are required to carry out the procedure, but it is necessary to exercise caution, especially in delicate, easily injured areas.

This also includes a clipper haircut. The whole procedure is carried out using a machine, with a nozzle of the same size from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm. Sometimes this is necessary when the fur of a four-legged animal is in a neglected state, it cannot be properly combed or cut in any other way. More often, owners resort to this option in order to make caring for their pet easier during the warm and hot seasons. Short hair allows you to detect danger in the form of ticks and other parasites in time, eliminating the need for constant brushing. How to choose a dog grooming machine at home can be read in this article.

Model or creative

These types of dog haircuts are more difficult than regular hygienic ones. Not every fan can create an interesting, bright, creative image for his four-legged friend. In this case, it is better to contact a professional groomer who, following your idea, will perform a haircut of any complexity.

A model's hairstyle does not force one to comply with any rules or standards; it is done solely at the request of the owner. The flight of imagination of the owner, the master, or both at once is not limited by anything. It can be made on any length of wool, with or without curly, colored elements.

Exhibition

This type is the most difficult. It can be performed by a professional breeder with extensive experience who knows all the intricacies of the process. It is important to constantly monitor the requirements for standards and take them into account when preparing for the exhibition. If you are not such an owner, the only right decision would be to trust a professional hairdresser.

The groomer must have a license. It is advisable to study reviews of his work and look at photos. He must know the standards of a particular breed, the anatomical features of their representatives, and find an approach to the animal during grooming. At serious exhibition and competition events, the appearance of the dog and the quality of the haircut are very strictly assessed. Therefore, there is simply no room for error in choosing a groomer and haircut.

Preparing for a haircut

Both the owner and the pet need to prepare for the grooming procedure.

The dog must be able to stand calmly, not be nervous, and obey. It is necessary to accustom an animal to combs and scrapers from puppyhood. You should run them over your pet’s fur several times, for example, before going for a walk or feeding, so that procedures with the fur will subsequently evoke an analogy with pleasant impressions.

Hand movements should be smooth and calm, the owner’s voice should be gentle. If your baby calmly allows himself to be combed and tangles removed, then you should introduce him to scissors. You can click them in the air several times a day in a playful way.

The puppy is also gradually accustomed to the noise of the trimmer and hair dryer. The main thing is to consolidate positive emotions, then the haircut procedure will always be easy.

It is important to choose the right place for cutting; if there is no special place, an ordinary high table or bench located under a source of good lighting will do. Both parties to the process should be comfortable throughout the entire procedure. The surface must be covered with cloth to prevent the dog's paws from slipping.

The animal's fur must be clean and prepared before shearing. Before starting the procedure, regardless of whether the owner cuts the hair himself or takes the pet to a groomer, it is necessary:

comb out the entire coat thoroughly and remove tangles;
bathe the dog using special shampoos and conditioners;
dry the coat (with a hairdryer or air) and comb it.

It should be remembered that if the hair is not completely dry, you cannot cut the dog. In this case, both the quality of the haircut and the tool suffer, in addition, the risk of injuring the pet increases.

Basic haircut rules

The procedure for grooming dogs has changed a lot from its inception to the present day, being influenced by new techniques. It now consists of the following steps:

Removing dirt, dead hair and skin from the dog's body.
Directly cutting, which can be done using scissors or a trimmer, or manual hair removal (trimming) using a special knife. Sometimes a combined method of cutting wool is used.

The basic rules for cutting are as follows:

The pet must stand calmly on the surface chosen for the procedure. It should not be twisted and turned - this is the master or owner, the person who carries out the haircut must move around the animal.
An exception is cutting the hair on the belly - in this case, it is better to put the dog on its hind legs and, carefully holding it by the front legs, shorten the hair in this area.
The hair of all breeds is cut in the direction of growth.
An exception to the above rule are poodles and miniature schnauzers. Their fur in the lower part of the paws must be lifted with a comb and cut against the hair growth.
The instruments for the procedure (scissors or trimmer) move parallel to the dog’s body and can be at an angle. During the procedure, all anatomical curves of the body are repeated. The folds in the skin are stretched to prevent injury to the animal.
Hair that is too long can never be cut in one pass. This should be done in stages, over several steps, so as not to accidentally injure your pet.

METTIZOS (haircut)

Haircut, combing of Metis (mongrel dog). Price: 1,500 - 4,000 rub. -complex (haircut, combing, washing, ears, claws, paraanal glands);

Metis (French métis, from Late Lat. misticius - mixed, from Lat. misceo - I mix). A mongrel dog (mongrel, mongrel) is a dog that does not belong to a specific breed of dog. It is believed that purebred dogs have better health than purebred dogs. This quality is caused by a high degree of heterozygosity, as well as due to significantly more stringent screening in street populations, while purebred dogs are the product of inbreeding, which negatively affects their genetic and physiological health. Like purebred dogs, mongrel dogs can carry various genetic diseases from which they can suffer and even die, as well as mental and other abnormalities. A mongrel dog is a dog born several generations from other dogs that do not have a specific breed, and is therefore a mestizo.

Now let's try to figure it out and how we can cut our Metis . Having more than 10 years of experience working with dogs, I believe that you have every right to cut your Metis with absolutely any options. Dear Metis owners, a dog is an addition, a piece of you and your style and taste. The mestizo also needs regular combing and haircuts; it is simply necessary to cut the mestizo's hair. Her coat needs proper care, only under this condition will it look irresistible.

Metis torso haircut:

“Grooming according to breed”, when everything is cut in accordance with breed standards, as for a show.
“Cut with a Skirt”, when the neck and back are cut short (sometimes the tail), leaving hair on the paws and sides of the dog. The length of the fur left is veiled depending on the wishes of the owner and the exterior of the Metis.
“Cut with panties”, when the hair on the neck, back, sides and tummy is cut off (sometimes on the tail). Remains only on the paws. The length of the fur left is veiled depending on the wishes of the owner and the exterior of the Metis.
“Puppy haircut”, when everything (body, muzzle, paws, tail) is cut to 3-5 cm. The length of the remaining fur is veiled depending on the wishes of the owner and the exterior of the Metis.

Metis muzzle haircut:

“Puppy cut”, all the long hair on the face is cut to 1-2 cm (like a puppy).
“Spaniel haircut”, the entire face and ears are cut to 1-2 cm.

Metis tail cut:

The tail is cut at the base by 1-5 cm. The length of the hair left on the tail is veiled depending on the wishes of the owner and the Metis's exterior.
Or the tail is cut off entirely (you can make an artistic pattern on the tail in the form of a braid or ear).

Metis paw trim:

On the paw, only the paw pads and the fur on them are cut to “0”. The length of the fur on the paws is most often veiled depending on the wishes of the owner and the exterior of the Metis.
“poodle paw cut”, when the entire lower part of the paw up to the 5th toe is cut to “0”.

Dear owners of Metis, let’s move away from the stereotypes imposed on us, that Metis are cut like this, but not cut like that…. You and only you choose to be an “exclusive individual” or a “gray mass” like everyone else for you and your Metis! You just need to decide which master’s work you liked. We will do the rest. You don't even need to call yourself.

You simply sign up on the website to see the master, and send the application to us.
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Well, when could we even dream that caring for our beloved DOGS and further maintaining all this DOG beauty would be so simple. We decided to move away from the stereotypes of the past imposed on us. Now you don’t need to sign up for a beauty salon and go to a specialist whose work you sometimes don’t know and aren’t sure whether you’ll like the result. And then you will have to pay quite a small amount for the procedures at the cash register at the administrator. The result in most cases is the same:

Either you liked the master and you would like to continue to be serviced by him, but we all know that the prices are high in a good salon, where there are good, professional and experienced masters.
Either you didn’t like the master and you have to look for a new one...

We offer you, without leaving your home:

Choose a suitable master for yourself by looking at his work.
Agree on the place and time of the procedure (at your home or in the specialist’s office).
And get an excellent price, from what they can give you in any beauty salon, for high-quality, professional procedures.

We do not skimp on the quality of services ; we have been able to seriously reduce prices for procedures and services due to the fact that we do not rent expensive premises; all our specialists receive clients in their equipped offices. Or they come to your home. Pet salon in Zhulebino in Moscow Salon-Zoo.Ru offers the following services: haircut for a mixed breed, exhibition and home haircut for a mixed breed, including haircut for a mixed breed in Zhulebino, washing a mixed breed, cleaning ears for a mixed breed, cutting and trimming nails for a mixed breed, brushing teeth for a mixed breed , cleaning the glands of a mestizo. An inexpensive haircut for a mixed breed in Moscow at home or in a salon is a vital necessity for animal owners; it allows you to keep the dog’s coat clean, especially if it participates in exhibitions and needs a model haircut. Our best professional groomers do their work inexpensively (reasonable price) and with high quality. We work in Reutov, Novokosino, Kosino, Nekrasovka, Saltykovka, Balashikha, Novogireevo, Zhulebino, Lyubertsy, Shchelkovo, Kotelniki, Lytkarino, Perovo, Vykhino, Zheleznodorozhny, Ivanovskoye, Golyanovo, Izmailovo, Tekstilshchiki, Kuzminki, Maryino, Brateevo, Kapotnya.

We really value each of our clients!

Step-by-step instructions for grooming a dog

Before you start cutting hair, you need to clearly set the task - why the procedure is needed and what results need to be achieved: hygienic hair cutting or aesthetic haircut. Essentially, there must be a plan for the process, the required length of hair in each section must be selected.

There are many types of aesthetic haircuts, let’s look at the usual hygiene procedure as an example and describe all its stages:

Removing excess hair under the paws (armpits).
Treatment of the genitals and glands of the anus, removal of overgrown hair; The size of the nozzle for the machine is 4-5 mm. If scissors are used, the blades should point downward and the cuts should be vertical and parallel.
Trimming hairs inside the ear, if necessary, and around the eye sockets.
Some breeds, for example, poodle, Chinese Crested, require fur on their face. It is better to do this in one smooth movement, moving the scissors along one line at an angle. Then the fur must be combed and any stray hairs removed.
Treatment of the abdominal area with careful trimming of the hair around the nipples; It is better to use a special machine; in extreme cases, carefully remove hairs with scissors.
Removing hairs from the paw pads along a circular surface and carefully cutting them between the toes. The fur there should not be cut down to the skin.
Processing panties on the hind legs using movements from top to bottom. The cuts must be vertical or at an angle with the required shape.
It is better to remove the fur on the body with a machine (nozzle 3-5 mm), moving from head to tail. The side surfaces of the body are processed from top to bottom. It is advisable to leave the hair length about 2 cm.
If you do not have experience working with a trimmer, then the fur on your pet’s chest should be trimmed using scissors.

What precautions should you take?

When grooming a dog, especially without sufficient experience, you should be extremely careful not to injure your pet. To do this, remember that:

You can't cut the wool completely, to zero. If there is an urgent need for this, it is better to turn to a professional.
Particular attention is paid to pets who are not accustomed to haircuts, who are undergoing this procedure for the first time or very rarely.
Carefully groom extremely active dogs that are unable to sit still for a minute.
In case of injury, do not let go of the pet, confidently and calmly hold it in place, quickly treat the wound with hydrogen peroxide, Chlorhexidine or Miramistin.
If the eyes or mucous surfaces are damaged, immediately take the animal to the nearest veterinary clinic.

Which dogs are prone to aggression and what is the reason?

Oddly enough, small decorative dogs are more likely to be aggressive during grooming. Sometimes it is the grooming of a Yorkshire Terrier, a Spitz, or a Miniature Poodle that becomes a real nightmare for the groomer. But what is the reason for dog aggression?

You are unlikely to like the answer to this question, dear owners, but, most often, the reason is in you.

What causes a dog to become aggressive during grooming?