How to Groom a Schnauzer's Mustache

Schnauzers are available in three sizes: miniature, standard and giant, and are either pure black, or pepper and salt. In the past, schnauzers were used as working dogs, but today, they are mostly family dogs. All sizes of schnauzers require hand-stripping, which means that the hair is plucked out from the body, and grooming of the face for a dog show. The hair surrounding the muzzle and the eyebrows remains longer than on the rest of the body. Schnauzers should have a rectangle-shaped face, so bear this in mind when you groom your pet's mustache and beard. Perform the mustache and beard grooming at the same you groom the eyebrows.

Things You'll Need

  • Conditioner
  • Metal comb
  • De-tangling solution
  • Pin brush
  • Clippers
  • Blunt-nosed scissors
  • Thinning shears
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Instructions

    • 1

      Wet the dog's head or use some conditioner mixed with water to make the hair on the head easy to brush.

    • 2

      Comb the hair on the head with the grain of the hair to remove dirt and tangles. Don't cut stubborn tangles in the dog's beard or mustache, but instead, apply some de-tangling solution and use your fingers to gently separate the tangled hairs.

    • 3

      Brush the hair with a pin brush following the grain of the hair.

    • 4

      Groom above the eyebrows and carefully trim the eyebrows.

    • 5

      Hold the dog's beard in your hand and use the clippers to remove the hair on the dog's cheeks, starting from the beard and to the base of the neck and under the ear.

    • 6

      Raise the pet's head and hold the muzzle and the beard to clip the hair from the dog's throat. Avoid clipping the beard.

    • 7

      Comb the hair on the muzzle or the mustache and adjust the length, so that the hair is equally long on all sides. Use a blunt-nosed scissors. Typically, the mustache is not shaved, but some groomers clip a narrow strip of hair on the top of the muzzle, in the middle, from the nose to the base of the eyes.

    • 8

      Trim the beard with thinning shears. This step is only necessary if the beard is thick. Cut off odd hairs with a pair of scissors.

    • 9

      Check if the schnauzer's head is rectangle-shaped and make small adjustments with the scissors, if necessary.