Should I cut the hair around my dog's paws?

Diana Bradtke
2025-08-13 15:14:16
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: 18
While most pet parents understand the importance of nail trimming, fewer know that it’s important to trim the hair around their dog’s paws. This is particularly important for dogs with medium and long hair, whose hair can be a hindrance on their feet. The hair around your dog’s paws and in between their toes is susceptible to accumulating dirt and debris while your dog runs around. When this happens, the hair can begin to clump together and stick to the toes. As your dog walks around on these clumps, they might cause irritation and even wound the skin around their paw. To avoid these problems, the excess hair between and around your dog’s paws should be trimmed back and combed. This is likely easier done by a professional groomer, but your vet may be able to teach you how to do it at home.

Lavada Prosacco
2025-08-01 11:40:50
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: 17
If your dog’s fur has grown so long it covers their paw pads preventing them from gaining tracking on surfaces, it’s time for a trim. Long fur between the paw pads can become matted and prevent you from spotting grass seeds, burrs and other objects that can cause discomfort, irritation and infections. It’s fairly easy to trim the fur between you dog’s paw pads, however your dog might get a little bit squirmy if they’re not used to it, so it might be best to get someone to hold them for you. You can remove the fur either using mini trimmers or dog grooming scissors. I prefer to use the Shear Magic Rocket 4500 battery operated mini trimmers. They’re quieter than other mini trimmers I’ve used, and believe it or not, you’re less likely to cut a dog using mini trimmers compared to scissors. If you decide to use scissors please use a pair of straight dog grooming scissors with a rounded tip for safety. If you’re using mini trimmers, very carefully scoop the fur out between the smaller pad and the large pad scooping away from you. Be very light with your scooping motion as you’re shaving the delicate skin between the paw pads so you don’t want to accidentally cut the skin. If you’re using scissors, simply trim the excess fur above the surface of the paw pads. Don’t trim in between the pads, you could easily cut the skin.
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