Settle Your Dog and Steady the Head
Face work demands stillness, so start only when your dog is calm and ideally a little tired. Sit them at a comfortable height, support the chin with your non-clipping hand, and let them feel the switched-off clipper against their cheek before you begin.
Keep the running clipper away from the eyes and ears until your dog has relaxed to the sound and vibration. A dog that jerks its head near a running blade is the main risk here, so patience at this stage prevents most accidents.
If your dog will not settle for face work, pause and build tolerance first. Trimming around the eyes covers the gentle handling that makes facial grooming possible.
Always cup or steady the muzzle so a sudden head-turn moves with your hand, not into the blade. Never clip a struggling dog's face.
Clip the Muzzle, Cheeks and Under the Eyes
Use a fine blade or a short guard and work with the direction of hair growth for a soft finish. On the muzzle and cheeks, move in slow, short strokes, keeping the blade flat so no corner digs in.
Under the eyes, swap the clipper for blunt-nosed, round-tip scissors and comb the hair up first so you cut a controlled amount. Never point scissor tips towards the eye. For long-coated breeds, a fine blade tidies the bridge of the nose but keep well clear of the eyes themselves.
Go steadily around the mouth folds, where food and saliva gather. Wiping these clean before you clip stops the blade snagging on matted, sticky hair.
Round-tip scissors only near the eyes, and always cut with the tips pointing away. Comb hair up so you can see exactly what you are trimming.
Tidy the Ear Edges and Ear Openings
The ear leather is thin and easily nicked, so pinch the edge gently between finger and thumb to feel where the skin ends before you clip along it. Work slowly down the outer edge with a fine blade, keeping the leather flat and supported.
For breeds prone to hair in the ear canal, tidy only the visible opening with scissors and leave deep plucking to a groomer or vet. Grooming the ears is a good moment to check inside for wax or odour, and a safe ear-cleaning routine pairs naturally with this step.
Take extra care with floppy-eared breeds, where the leather can fold and hide the edge from view.
Feel the ear edge between your fingers before every pass. The thin leather is hard to see but easy to catch with a blade.
Clip the Sanitary Areas Cleanly and Gently
The sanitary trim keeps the area under the tail, around the genitals and the tummy clean and hygienic. Use a fine blade on a low speed, and work with a light touch because the skin here is loose, thin and sensitive.
Clip in the direction of hair growth, keeping the skin gently taut with your free hand and steering well clear of the genitals and anus themselves. You are tidying the surrounding hair, not shaving to the skin. Go slowly around the tuck of the back legs, where skin folds easily.
Wipe the area clean afterwards and check for any redness. A neat sanitary trim reduces stuck faeces and urine scalding, and complements a full summer tidy in warm weather.
Loose genital and anal skin catches blades easily. Keep the skin taut, the blade flat, and never rush a sanitary trim.
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Frequently Asked
A fine blade such as a #10, or a short guard, gives a smooth finish on the muzzle and cheeks. Around the eyes themselves, swap to blunt round-tip scissors rather than a clipper.
Use round-tip scissors, comb the hair up so you can see the length, and always cut with the tips pointing away from the eye. Steady the head throughout and never trim a dog that is jerking about.
Yes, a sanitary trim is routine, but you tidy the surrounding hair rather than shaving the parts themselves. Use a fine blade on low speed, keep the loose skin taut, and steer clear of the genitals and anus.
Every few weeks for most dogs, or more often for long-coated breeds where hair traps waste. Keeping the area short reduces matting, odour and the risk of urine scalding.