Tips For Shearing The Dog

Your dog may need a good clipping  at any time of the year, but especially in the summer. If you want to save money, instead of taking it to a grooming center, you can invest your money in a good clipper machine, especially for dogs, along with a good pair of scissors and try your hand at a hairdresser for dogs.

Tips for shearing your dog

In order to work well, you will need to choose a place where your dog feels comfortable and can relax. You can put him on a table and tie him with a leash to keep him from moving too much. In this way you will avoid that he can get hurt while you are using the clipper machine or the scissors. You can also ask a family member to help you, to keep your four-legged friend still while you cut his hair.

Before starting, however, make sure, by means of a thorough check, that your dog has no injuries or ticks, which could cause harassment during the shearing. And if your pet is a puppy, remember that you can only cut his fur from the age of four months, when his immune system has fully developed. And now, let’s go!

• First, make sure you have everything you need on hand.
• First of all, comb and brush your dog to untangle his coat well. In this way you will remove the dead hair and eliminate any knots.
• The ideal is to start cutting with scissors, in the areas where the hair is thickest.
• Before starting to use the clipper machine, do a test by passing it, on the contrary, on your dog’s skin, to make it get used to and become familiar with this tool. You will also need to take into account the possibility that you may not be able to use the clipper at all, in the event that your dog gets too nervous in this situation. In this case you will have to make do with scissors and comb.

• Turn off the clipper from time to time to prevent it from heating up and causing burns to your dog. You can also take advantage of it to remove the cut hair that gradually accumulates.
• Be careful to always use the clipper in the right direction, i.e. in the direction of hair growth, and in the areas where the hair is more extended: for the smallest and most delicate areas it will be better to use scissors.
• The most sensitive points of your furry friend are the muzzle, belly and front legs : don’t forget this and proceed with caution when passing through these areas.
• Another fundamental fact that you will have to keep in mind is that the clipper machine cuts all the hair at the same time: the fluff, the dead layer and also the new one. For this reason, in the long run, using the clipper too much could weaken your dog’s fur. The ideal is that the use of this machine is limited and that scissors are preferred: it may also be that, by learning how to use them, they will be even more comfortable than the electrical appliance, which you can use only in strictly necessary cases.

• Always handle the scissors carefully : we recommend a pair with rounded tips, especially for the most delicate areas.

A few notes about shearing

• Don’t forget that the purpose of clipping is for your dog to feel more comfortable after shearing his coat.
• It is not the case that you dress as a coiffeur or a hairdresser to cut his hair.
• Also remember that with rain and humidity, the fur of your four-legged friend can give off bad smells. For this reason it is best to keep it short during certain times of the year, in addition to the fact that, in this way, you will prevent your house from becoming full of dead hair.

It is important that you are aware of the function of your dog’s coat: its coat not only protects it from the cold, but also protects it from the sun. If your furry friend has pale pink skin and his coat is not particularly thick, perhaps shaving it to zero is not a good idea, as this could cause a rash or promote sunburn.

By taking care of the shearing of your dog yourself, you will avoid the stress that always involves visiting a grooming center: although the people who wash and shear dogs are professionals, they are always and remain strangers to your pet. and not known people, like you, with whom the dog is very familiar.

Once you have finished shearing, do not forget to tell him how good he was and to reward him with some delicacy or some toy that amuses him in a particular way, but above all, give him lots of pampering, caressing him. You can also complete the moment of grooming with a nice bath : in this way you will permanently eliminate the remains of fur and the final appearance of your dog will be gorgeous.