How to shave your dog’s bum
If your dog has a fluffy coat, it’s important to shave their bum or the area around their anal region for hygiene purposes and to prevent their fur from matting. As a dog groomer, I would say 98% of dogs I groom have dried poo stuck on the fur around their bum. Just think, every time one of these dog sits anywhere in the house, poo particles are getting spread all over the furniture - and just imagine if the poo is runny, eww!
Matting is also a problem. Once I groomed a dog that had bad matting of the fur around their anus, which actually prevented their poo from coming all the way out - the poo was stuck half way out which is obviously very uncomfortable and dangerous for your dog.
It’s really easy to shave your dog’s bum, follow my DIY tutorial below and you’ll be an expert in no time.
What you’ll need:
A pair of clipper - I use Heiniger cordless clippers or,
A pair of mini trimmers - I use Shear Magic mini trimmers
Grooming belly sling - to prevent your dog from sitting
Lets get started - either watch my video tutorial or follow my step-by-step instructions below.
This first thing to do is to prevent your dog from sitting while you shave them bum. [1] One way of doing this is to put your arm under their belly and hold up their tail with your hand, so if they do react to the clippers on their bum and try to sit, your arm will hold them up.
[2] You could also use a belly sling. If you’re using a grooming table like me, you clip it on the top grooming arm, you place the strap under your dog’s belly, clip it together, and adjust the straps for a firm fit, ensuring your dog’s feet and firmly on the table and not in the air.
[3] If your dog has a long tail, you can accidentally trim it when you shave their bum, so to keep it out of the way, I like to use a plastic food storage clip. I clip the excess fur from the end of the tail bone to one of the straps on the belly sling.
To shave your dog’s bum, you can use either a pair of mini trimmers - I absolutely love my Shear Magic mini trimmers, they’re small, compact, and aren’t too noisy. Or a pair of clippers, like my Heiniger Cordless Clippers with a #10 blade on them.
I’ll demonstrate using my cordless clippers, it’s exactly the same process if you use mini trimmers. [4] Gently holding your dog’s tail up, turn on your clippers and very gently skim the fur in a downwards direction over the anus. Now some groomers will shave in an upwards direction, I don’t do this because if your dog sit down once they feel the clippers on their bum, you can very easily shave the underneath of their tail.
[5] You you see some of the fur has been removed. if you want to shave it a little bit shorter, or if there’s poo still stuck on the fur, shave it again.
[6] And there you go, I’m happy with that. If you dog tends to do a lot of sloppy poos, you could shave all the way down their backside so their poo can slide to the ground without getting caught in their fur.
Well done! Once you’ve finished, reward your dog with treats and praise for their good behaviour. This positive reinforcement will help create a more positive association with future grooming sessions.
I’m a qualified dog groomer and fur-mum to two cavoodles; Soda and Poppy. I’m passionate about the health and wellbeing of dogs, as well as helping dog parents groom their dogs at home. I’ll teach you the basics, however if you don’t feel comfortable or confident at any time that’s completely fine, book your dog in for a regular groom and pamper session at the salon. Please never leave your dog unattended on a grooming table.
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