How to Cut Wet Dog Hair

If you have a dog that has a little scruff or perhaps looks disheveled, cutting its hair at home can be a quick and cheap way to clean up its look. Cutting wet dog hair can be a bit challenging if you are new at it, but having hair wet can also make it easier to handle. Learn how to cut your dog's hair after a nice bath in order to give it a trim and clean look.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog brush
  • Straight blade hair cutting scissors
  • Dog shampoo
  • Towel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Brush your dog's hair thoroughly to remove shedding hair and untangle knots. If you have severe knots or matting in the hair, you may need to clip these areas out. Give your dog a bath and towel dry so fur isn't dripping with water.

    • 2

      Run the brush through your dog's hair a few more times to smooth out knots that may have formed during the bath. This will also help relax your pooch for cutting, as you should never try to cut the hair of a dog that is anxious or jumpy.

    • 3

      Run your dog's ear through your index and middle finger until hair that extends beyond the ear is between your fingers, and trim off the excess pieces of hair to the desired length. Be careful not to cut too close to the ear. Trim excess hair around the ears.

    • 4

      Examine the fur around your dog's eyes. If your dog has fur that hangs over its eyes, grab a piece of it between your fingers with your palm facing inward toward your dog's face, and clip hair that extends out the other side of your hand to the desired length.

    • 5

      Clip any tufts of hair or long hairs on your dog's chin and muzzle to the desired length. Keep hair at least an inch long to prevent cutting too close to your dog's flesh. As before, grasp hair between your two fingers with your palm facing your dog, run hair through until you've reach the desired length and cut off hair that extends out from your fingers.

    • 6

      Examine your dog's paws for any tufts of hair that extend beyond its paws and nails. Holding its paw in one hand, clip off any little pieces of hair that extend outward. Avoid clipping between nails and close to paw pads.

    • 7

      Starting from the top of its back and going down, run your dog's hair between your fingers clipping off ends as you did before to the desired length. This process is a little more tedious, and you may need to spray fur with a water bottle to keep it moist.

    • 8

      Roll your dog over and clip any hairs on its chest as you did with its back. Do not clip hairs on its stomach if stomach hair is thin and short already.

    • 9

      Hold your dog's tail and grasp any hairs that extend beyond the bone between your fingers and cut it off. If your dog has a short-haired tail, skip this step, as you don't want to risk cutting its tail bone.

    • 10

      Allow your dog's hair to dry completely, and then examine it for any uneven areas of fur, and clip these areas accordingly. Brush your dog one more time to remove loose pieces of hair.