如何修剪狗的脚板毛 | How To Trim Or Shave Your Dog’s Paw Hair Safely

How to tell if my dog’s paw hair needs trimming?

If your dog’s paw hair length is longer than the paw pads, then it’s time for a trim. Normally this needs to be done every 2 to 3 weeks.

Why do I need to get my dog’s paw hair trimmed?

When your dog’s paw hair gets too long, it gets slippery to walk, especially when it’s walking around indoors. This results in a higher risk of spraining or straining their ankles and joints. This is especially dangerous for dog breeds with a smaller bone structure such as Toy Poodles. Besides that, doggies that are overweight and senior in age are at a higher risk.

When your dog is walking around outdoors with long paw hair, dirt and bacteria from the garden or public areas will get stuck easily between the hair strands too.

Dogs also sweat through their tongue and paws. With more hair between the paws, sweat won’t be able to evaporate as quickly and these sweaty paws will cause obvious odour issues.

How should my dog’s paw hair be trimmed?

As a general rule of thumb, dog breeds with short muzzle hair tend to have shorter and less paw hair. Huskies, Pomeranians, Chow Chows, Beagles, and Jack Russells are good examples. For these breeds, a surface-shaving at the paw pads would be enough. Their paw hair tends to be rougher in texture so shaving the inner part of their paws will be irritating, especially when their hair starts to grow after being shaved.

Dog breeds with long muzzle hair tend to grow longer paw hair, but their hair texture tends to be softer. Examples would include Schnauzers, Shih tzus, and Poodles. For these breeds, it would be better to shave to the inner part of their pads and in between the paw pads.

You can use a clipper for paw hair trimming.

Why does my dog chew or lick their paw after shaving?

Some doggies will lick their paws after shaving because of the irritating feeling. This may be due to sensitive skin, or itchiness when fine hairs grow back after shaving. Sometimes if your dog’s paw hair hasn’t been trimmed or shaved for a long time, they could be extra sensitive about it too. Unfortunately, excessive licking can cause bacterial infections.

If you notice your dog behaving strangely about their paws after trimming, you can use wet tissues or a wet grooming towel to wipe the paws gently, blow them dry with a hair dryer, then apply some grooming powder to sooth the irritation. If it’s very bad, you can also put a cone on your dog to prevent any licking and bacterial infections via the saliva for the first 1 – 3 days.

Can my dog’s paw hair be trimmed if it has sensitive skin?

If your dog has sensitive skin, it’s advised to tell the groomer in advance. We will then only shave the surface of the paws and avoid shaving the inner pads which might trigger irritation.

Hope these little tips help, especially for new pawparents!

Stay cheerful, stay beautiful, stay grooming with us!