How to Trim Australian Shepherds

In one of those strange linguistic twists of irony, Australian Shepherds are not from Australia. They are, in fact, from the Western United States. "Aussies" are considered a medium sized dog and are very versatile and known for their energy and spirit. They are used for herding and make excellent pets for people with children. They can be trained easily and require love, feeding and a lot of exercise. Their hair is long but rarely needs to be trimmed. This is something you can learn to do at home so you will save yourself the cost of a dog groomer.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog treats
  • Dog brush and rake
  • Pin brush
  • Straight shears
  • Dog trimming shears
  • Dog shampoo and conditioner
  • Dog soap
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill your pockets with treats and try to do the grooming outdoors in moderate or warm weather.

    • 2

      Begin by giving your dog a thorough brushing. If you do this on a weekly basis it will be less arduous when it comes time to actually trimming and bathing the dog because tangled hair is very hard to cut.

    • 3

      Remember to the front and backs of the legs, next to the ears and where the legs join the torso, using a pin brush. This is a special brush made for grooming dogs.

    • 4

      Start trimming the feet first. Trim the nails carefully with specially made dog nail trimmers. Hold the foot in your hand and start trimming using thinning shears. Just remove the top layer of hair. Go around each foot and cut the hair to the shape of the foot.

    • 5

      Work your way up each leg just removing the top layer of hair with straight shears.

    • 6

      Begin grooming the body, making sure you use shears that do not allow less than one inch to remain on the dog. If you groom your dog weekly it might not even be necessary to trim the hair at all. If you must, leave a minimum of one inch using specially designed shears for long-haired dogs.

    • 7

      Move the shears in the direction of the hair growth and not away from it. It will hurt the dog and look patchy when you finish.

    • 8

      Bathe the dog as soon as you finish to remove loose and cut hairs. Institute a weekly ritual of brushing your dog immediately to avoid having to do this again.