Wooly Paws | PETS Magazine: Ask the Experts, by Desmond Chan
PETS Magazine: Ask the Experts, by Desmond Chan
Q: My Samoyed has joint problems and my groomer said that the fur under her paws worsens the situation because there’s no traction when she’s sitting or walking on our slippery tiled floor. Her paw fur grows like weeds, so I’m looking to get a set of professional grooming shears to trim her paw fur at home. What sort of shears do you recommend for trimming paw fur and what’s the best technique to use?
Q: My Samoyed has joint problems and my groomer said that the fur under her paws worsens the situation because there’s no traction when she’s sitting or walking on our slippery tiled floor. Her paw fur grows like weeds, so I’m looking to get a set of professional grooming shears to trim her paw fur at home. What sort of shears do you recommend for trimming paw fur and what’s the best technique to use?
A: Our dogs rely on their paw pads for traction when they walk. When the fur between the paw pads grow excessively covering the pads, it makes it slippery for them to walk and put unnecessary pressure on their joints.
With the clipper setting at 1.0mm, hold the clipper like how you'd hold a pen. At an angle of about 30 degrees to the paw pads, run the clipper slowly and gently across the paws in the opposite direction of the hair growth.
Be sure to constantly check the temperature of the blade as it might get too hot especially when it's switched on for awhile. Similarly, a good length is when the pads are not obstructed by fur.