Dogs of many breeds have long hair that needs special care. In addition to combing and washing, the hair must be trimmed regularly - not only to give the dog an aesthetic appearance, but also to simplify its maintenance and hygiene, because the long hair is more tangled and collects more dirt when walking. Yes, and the dog may not be comfortable in an excessively long coat. Many owners of such dogs resort to the help of specialists, but often a model show haircut is not particularly needed - only the correct and accurate one, suitable for a dog of a particular breed, is needed. This article focuses on how to cut a dog at home.
Which dogs can and should be sheared?
Let's start with the question that not all dogs can be cut, but only those whose type of coat this implies. Only such breeds as a poodle, Kerry Blue Terrier, York Terrier, Black Terrier, etc. are regularly cut.
The fact is that dog hair is divided into several types, and three main ones can be distinguished: molting (short-haired and long-haired), wire-haired and soft-haired.
Shedding dogs
The coat of the first is regularly renewed (dogs molt) naturally, and to speed up the molting process, as well as to keep the hair falling as little as possible during this period, comb the dog well enough with comb punchers. Shedding species include such breeds as Labrador, Spitz, Alabai, Caucasian Shepherd, Collie and Sheltie, long-haired dachshund. Such dogs are rarely sheared, as the hair can naturally be disturbed due to cutting. There are no obligatory haircuts for dogs of such breeds, as according to the standard their hair should be of natural length. If there is a need for a periodic haircut, the owner himself decides how to cut the dog, the scheme can be any (for example, you can remove the coat throughout the body or only on the paws - it all depends on the purpose of the haircut and the aesthetic ideas of the owners).
Wire-haired dogs
The hair of wire-haired dogs is also regularly updated, but will not fall out on its own, but needs to be trimmed (plucked). It is strongly discouraged to replace trimming with a haircut, since the quality of the hair of short-haired sheared dogs deteriorates quite quickly. This is due to the structural features of the hair. It has a triangular shape (the shape of a carrot) - at the very beginning of young hair is very wide and hard, it grows thinner as it grows, so any hair, if plucked and examined, is heterogeneous in length: at the base it is thin, slightly colored and not brilliant, and on top it is hard, bright, juicy color. If this hair is removed, then a new hair of a similar structure will grow in its place. If the hair is cut, then it will continue to grow, not being replaced by a new one.
Perhaps if you cut it very close to the skin, at first it will also be slightly tougher, but this period of growth will be extremely short-lived, and in quality of hair will be significantly inferior to the new one. As a result of repeated haircuts, the structure of the dog’s coat and its appearance will change very much: the coat will be slightly colored, wet, shapeless (they say “cotton” about it).
In other words, the core (main) hair will become almost indistinguishable from the undercoat. Returning the original structure will be quite difficult, since pinching a dog that has been trimmed repeatedly will be problematic (the coat will not pull out, the dog will be very painful). If you are thinking about how to cut a dog of the Airedale Terrier, Fox Terrier, Wire-haired Dachshund, Schnauzer, you should think about it.
Due to the difficulties of caring for such a coat, many owners compromise: for example, pluck the coat on the body and cut it on the neck, hips and head.
Soft-haired dogs
The hair of soft-haired dogs is generally uniform in composition (they have no undercoat), does not fall out, looks like human hair that has been growing all its life. It is the dogs of these breeds that can and should be sheared - this will not only not worsen the coat, but also significantly improve its quality.
Haircuts
As already mentioned, in order to prepare for the exhibition, it is better to resort to the services of professional groomers, since an incorrect haircut can affect the dog’s rating and place in the ring. However, for everyday life, you can understand the logic of the haircut scheme yourself. The following are haircuts for common dog breeds such as the Kerry Blue Terrier, Poodle and Cocker Spaniel. Before you trim the dog - even for purely hygienic purposes - you should familiarize yourself with them.
When mastering the scheme, the main thing is to understand in which places the dog's coat should remain long and luxuriant. The Kerry Blue Terrier has a beard, mustache, eyebrows, forepaws, metatarsals, the front of the thighs and chest. In these places, the wool should only be trimmed carefully with scissors to give shape. For a poodle it’s ears, for a spaniel it’s ears, paws and tow on the chest.
Secondly, you need to figure out where the wool should be cut as short as possible. The Kerry Blue Terrier, for example, has ears, a throat and a back of hips.
Finally, thirdly, it is important to understand that all the haircut of the remaining places must be subordinated, firstly, to create smooth transitions between long and short hair, and secondly, to emphasize the exterior merits of the dog and hide the imperfections (say, by cutting it is possible to create a perfectly straight back line ) and, finally, take into account traditions. For example, traditionally the shape of a mustache, beard and eyebrow in the Kerry Blue Terrier is different from the “coatings” on the face of such breeds as the Airedale and Fox Terriers.
Haircutting tools
You will need: hairdressing scissors, a comb with rare and frequent teeth, and preferably thinning scissors (to create natural smooth transitions and thinning wool). A dog clipper option is also possible, but before you cut the dog with a clipper, you should make sure that your pet is ready for this procedure (not afraid of noise), and also that you know how to use this item and do not injure yourself, don't scare the animal.
It is necessary to prepare the bag in order to remove the cut hair, as well as the apron or special clothes (the cut hair, in contrast to loose or trimmed, has a sharp end, so it can “stick” into clothes and furniture).
Site preparation
Before you trim the dog, it is worth considering where exactly you will do it. First, the dog should be located where it will be convenient for you to work with it. Secondly, the space for the movement of the dog should be limited, otherwise the grooming procedure may turn into running around for the pet in all rooms. Thirdly, the place should be well lit. Finally, you need to think about what sheared wool can get on furniture and carpet, where it will be difficult to extract.
The ideal place is a table on the street or in a room without carpets and upholstered furniture.
Wool preparation
It is important to thoroughly rinse and comb the hair before cutting the dog. According to the technique, it is supposed to cut the slightly moistened wool, but it should not be wet, otherwise you will not understand what shape you have achieved.
Dog training
If preparing the hair for the haircut is quite easy, and this can be done the day before the haircut or on the same day, then with the preparation of the dog everything is much more complicated. Animals that, without preparation, stood in the same position and allowed themselves to be cut, are extremely rare. If your pet is not accustomed to grooming, most likely his reaction will be unambiguous: in a few minutes he will either try to run away or start spinning and playing. To prevent this from happening, before you trim the dog at home, you need to regularly take care of the coat, put the dog on the table and try to make it enjoyable.
Haircut stages
Most groomers adhere to the following sequence of actions. First, comb the dog and add volume to the hair (lift it all over the body). Then you need to cut the hair of the dog in those places where it is removed almost naked. Next, you need to trim it in the longest places, and then proceed to create smooth transitions.
Do not forget to take breaks in grooming, to praise the dog and give her a treat, then the grooming will gradually turn into a pleasure for her and will not be a difficult event, since dogs by nature are very fond of when they are engaged and devote a lot of time.