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Home Grooming The Companion Old English Sheepdog

Scissor Trimming An Old
English Sheepdog's Feet

Below is just one way an Old English Sheepdog owner tends to a dog's foot 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 Used In This Photo Demo:  Chris Christensen Gold Pin Brush- 27mm, Untangler® 7" Comb with stainless steel rotating teeth and 7.5" scissors Classic Canine- Heritage®.

I always make the first scissor cut across the hair at the front of the foot, just in front of the toe nail tips. I then go around the foot making an arc.  I've started on the sides before but didn't end up with a rounded front so I now start with the cut straight across the front.

Trimming An Old English Sheepdog's Feet

This boy just had his foot hair trimmed.  Before trimming feet, I make sure toe nails have been trimmed to the proper length.  Kobuck's nails had recently been trimmed with a nail grinder.  Trimming the nails before trimming the feet allows me to trim his foot hair as short as possible.  You may  want to leave the hair in the front a little longer so the toe nails stay hidden when you fluff the hair.

I also take my scissors and lie them almost flat on the table so I can very carefully trim the bottom edge around the foot.  I'm careful to avoid cutting the pads or nails. This boy has sweaty feet so I try to keep the hair as short as possible but still keep him in a little  longer coat.  I also keep the hair between the pads short.

He has freshly washed and mostly dried feet.
I comb out the hair all the away around the foot.
I make the first cut straight across the front of
the foot.  I try to leave the hair just slightly in
front of the toe nails so they stay hidden.

It takes a few clips.
I then begin trimming around
just the inside front of the foot.

I apply gentle pressure to the hair as
I trim so I can make fewer cuts.  I'm
rounding up the outside of the foot.
 

I continue to trim toward the back of the foot.
I comb out the foot and
trim any longer missed hairs.

I move to the inside of the foot...
and continue to trim
around the base of the foot.

I again apply gentle pressure
to compress the hair as I trim.
I comb out the hair again.

I trim any hair that I've missed
I move to the back of the foot and
comb the hair out.  Lifting the foot
allows me to comb the hair straight down.

I trim up the back of the foot.  I like to trim this
area a little shorter so the dog has better
traction.  Especially if a dog has hip problems.
I trim the side to meet with the
curve at the back of the foot.

I carefully trim around the base of
the foot by lying the scissors almost flat.
The finished foot.

Comparing the finished foot with the
one that hasn't yet been trimmed.
It looks a little neater.  I trim the
other back foot in the same manner.

Moving on to the front feet.

His feet are still damp so
I finish blow drying them.
 
I comb out the foot hair all
the way around the foot.

The first cut is again straight across the front of
the foot, slightly before the tip of the toe nails.
It takes a few cuts to get all
the hair to the same length.

Starting on the outside, I trim the
hair so it rounds toward the front.

I begin rounding up more of the outside of the foot.
My scissors are almost level with the table as I
 carefully trim away hair at the base of the foot.

I begin trimming from the front
to the inside area of the foot.

I again gently press the hair down in
order to trim hair that's been missed.

Again removing hair from
the bottom edge of the foot.
Combing the foot out again.
You can see the hair that was missed and the
importance of combing out the hair periodically.

So I trim away the longer hair to even things up.
Touching up the base of the foot again.
Trimming toward the back of the foot.

A quick comparison of one foot before being
trimmed and the other close to being finished.
Moving to the back of the foot,
I comb the hair straight down.

You can also pick up the paw and
trim stray hairs from the bottom.
I trim the hair on the back of the foot...
and will continue cutting around from the back
of the foot toward the outside of the foot.

I then trim the other front foot the same way.

The finished feet... the hair toward
the bottom is still combed down.
I blow any hair off with the dog
drier and make sure he's thoroughly
dry before letting him off the table.
Lots of treats during the washing, drying
and trimming but the final payoff for
being such a good boy was to go outside.

Copyright 2011- 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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