The Home Groomed OES- A Summer Hair Cut

Home Grooming The Companion Old English Sheepdog

Giving My Old English Sheepdog
A Short Summertime Haircut-
Shaving & Scissoring


		Below is just one way an Old English Sheepdog owner gives her dogs a haircut. The vibration of electric clippers can startle or tickle so dogs need to be slowly desensitized to the process. Because some dogs are more sensitive to being handled, grooming can be more challenging for some owners. 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.

A Short Summertime Haircut For Emma
Click Here For Some Shaving Basics.

Clipper Used For This Demonstration: Oster Powermax 2-Speed Clipper and a #7 clipper blade. I usually have my
dogs lie down when I shave them (some of them fall asleep) but for this photo demonstration, Emma was standing.

Before

Finished Cut

Emmie is too warm so she's going to get her summer
haircut. She had recently been thoroughly brushed out.
A #7 clipper blade used in this demonstration.

I sometimes want to transition the hair from the head
to the neck more gradually. If so, I use the bottom
line. I used the top line for Emma's summer haircut.

I keep the ears out of the way
when clipping around or under them.

After trimming the neck area, I begin trimming
down the back and side closest to me.

There is a thin flap of skin in the dog's armpit.
I do not allow the clipper to trim the hair in that area
at a 90 degree angle to the edge of this skin.

Another flap of skin that I need to be careful with is in
the flank area. The white arrows show the direction to clip.

Males: Shave carefully around the scrotum.

I watch the two neck folds under the chin. I gently pull
or push the loose skin flat before clipping over it. I
can clip between the folds but eventually need to
flatten the skin as shown in the picture BELOW.

I'm pulling the skin taut and smooth with my
left hand and running the clipper over the
area where the skin had been loose.

I brush the leg hair so it stands straight out all around
the leg. I'll need to re-brush the hair as I scissor
in order to remove longer sprigs of hair that were
missed. I will need to do this several times.

The hair on the chest can grow in different
directions. You'll notice the pink area on Emma's
chest where the hair was clipped shorter. To
avoid this, I could have use a #3 blade or a comb
attachment that leaves the hair a little longer.

When trimming the back of the FRONT legs, I
make sure I avoid the toe pads. You can
just make out the dark toe pad on the back of the
right leg in the picture above. I only cut hair!

Looking at the leg on the left, their is too big a difference
between the length of the body hair at chest level and the
leg hair. Using scissors and/or thinning scissors, I
transition or blend the hair so looks softer and not so blunt.

I fluff the hair again.

Trim and repeat until I've
achieved the desired look.

Now for the back leg.

I fluff the hair using a brush or pick...

and begin trimming the back leg. This picture
shows the back of the leg has just been trimmed.

I then brush everything down
on the foot and round up the feet.

I transition the hair using scissors and thinning scissors
so the transition looks softer and not so blunt.

Repeat on other side...

"Please bring Emma a dish of water, Jim."
Snort... men! Water in a pot!
But, hey... Emma doesn't care one bit!

I shave the chest and belly. Use care in the armpits of the
front legs and the flap of skin at the flank of the back legs.
I also use care when shaving by the nipples. Some dogs
have flat nipples, others have large, raised nipples.

How I flatten the skin before
shaving this belly area under my fingers.

I use caution when clipping around the private areas.
I push the girl parts away from the side I'm shaving.
I try to save the genital area for last so I'm not
spreading bacteria over the rest of the dog.

Note that blade is flat on the skin, it's not going
directly over the narrow area on the back of the leg.

I trim the hair over the butt so it layers. I use
care when trimming this area, keeping the
scissor tips pointed away from anus. If the OES
has a longer tail, I shave around it instead.

Almost done.... I'll trim the area
over the butt a little shorter.

This dog's finished fanny.

Note that not all OES tail areas are all the same. Some may have an 1" or longer tail... or the dock may not be smooth having left excess skin. I adapt my trimming to the dog.

Trim the remaining two legs and go over
the OES to touch up any missed areas.
Do some finish blending.

Time for more water!

I haven't yet done her head...

but her body is finished.

I comb the hair straight up on top of the head and choose
the desired length. Note that this dog does not wear a
topknot. Here hair is trimmed around her eyes so she can see.

I then cut the hair to length. If I'm going to want a topknot,
I make certain I leave the hair long enough to tie it up!!

I trim the top of the head from over the eyes to the
back between the ears. I don't go too close to the
ears because I'll later take thinning scissors to blend ears
and head hair for a smoother transition between the two.

After this cut, I'll blend the area with the short hair
on the back of the head using thinning scissors.

I've touchup the back of the head,
blending the lengths for a softer finish.

I then move on to the ears. I first comb the ears out, then decide on the shape and length I want. Since this is a summer cut, I'll trim the ear hair pretty short and with a rounded bottom.

I seldom shave the ear flaps with a clipper. If I ever
do, I shave only in the directions shown. I never shave
in the opposite direction or I risk catching the edge
of the ear flap in the clipper teeth. THAT would likely
cause a loss of trust not to mention blood.

So I usually scissor cut the hair on the
ears. It's just personal preference.

IMPORTANT: When scissoring the ears, you must
be certain you are cutting hair only and NOT SKIN
so you must locate the edges of the ear flap. I
leave the hair length at least 1/2" past the edge.

I first trim to the desired length so I locate the bottom of the ear
flap. I'm using a comb to show how I used to make certain the
ear flap was ABOVE the comb. All the comb's teeth pushed
through all the thickness of the hair so I'm past the edge of the
ear flap. If I trim below the comb, I don't cut skin.

The first cut I make is straight across the very bottom.
Later, I'll focus on rounding up the sides ALWAYS
checking first to be certain I won't be cutting skin.

Going back to using my fingers as a guide. I will sometimes
part the hair to locate the bottom of the ear flap before making
a cut. I comb out the hair to prepare for the next cut.

I start trimming the hair...

and finish.

The left side of the ear is done.

I move to the front area of the ear and round the
bottom a bit. I sometimes leave the side closer to
the face a little longer to blend into the beard hair.

I comb out the hair again, place my fingers past
the ear flap skin to prepare for the next cut...

and trim.

I flip the ear flap up and comb out
the hair on the inside of the flap.

I place my fingers past the ear flap skin...

and trim the hair. I'll then round the area on the left
side so it blends with the previous cut line. Shortening
this hair also allows for better air flow in the ear canal.

I go back over the ear and trim any stray or not-yet-even
hairs. Blend the hair at the top of the ear flap and the top
of the head for a smoother transition. Repeat on the
other ear matching the length of the completed one.

Trimming the beard
will be added...

I take thinning scissors and
soften the bluntness of the beard.

Finished Cut

Another example: Kaytee was shaved with a #5 blade on her body.
I scissored her legs, head and beard. Rounding up the ears.

Copyright 2010- 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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