grooming legs

[c_c]

Hi guys, wondering if anyone could help me, how do you groom your dogs legs because the hair on Harvey's legs is quite long and feathery and i cant seem to get a good grip to strip them i wondered if there were any other options or just to leave them long?

[jimnconnie]

Are you using latex gloves, or the rubber finger tips (available at Office Max etc.) ? The hair on the legs is a lot finer, and I find those items help me to get a better grip. At the very bottom of the leg I use scissors to trim aroung the paw. Those things also work well on the fine hairs on the face. Good Luck.

[Cairnmania]

I don't bother stripping the legs from the "knee" down. It's a real pain and both my dogs hate it. I just use thinning sheers. I keep combing the hair out around the leg and cut so that it's pretty much an even length all around.

[c_c]

Thanks for the ideas i'll see what i can do need to buy some latex gloves lol, by the way what thinning shears is it that you use?

[Cairnmania]

The thinning shears I use are for dogs, I have a couple bought at dog shows. However, you should be able to buy them at Petco or from most online dog catalogs. Cherrybrook will have them for sure. They look like the pinking (I think that's the term) scissors for fabric, the kind that cut out little triangles instead of a straight line.

[kjwarnold]

I have thinning shears that I use on Packy and got them from the Col. Potter site.

http://mall.cairnrescue.com/mdse/show_item.php?itemno=G02

[c_c]

thanks. See these thinning sheers where on the body do you use them and do the work well, also they dont leave scissors marks becase i once attacked Harvey with a pair of ordinary scissors and you could see the cut scissors marks.

[kjwarnold]

I use the thinning shears on Packy's legs, under his chin and anywhere else where I want to shorten the length but don't want a straight across cut. Thinning shears only cut part of the hair, so it leaves a more natural looking line (well, that's the point -- there's no line). Now, if I really want to shorten a section, I have to cut several times with the thinning shears to get it all short -- because they only cut part of the hair. Someone else might be able to explain it better, but they work well for me. Sometimes, I'll cut with regular scissors to get it the right length, then cut a little with the thinning shears so it won't look like I whacked it straight across.