How to Groom Your Dog’s Face

While professional trimming looks excellent, it can create a big hole in your pocket and isn’t something you can do on a regular basis when on a budget.

However, you can still make your dog look amazing and feel comfortable by grooming your dog right at home! Some dog breeds have excessive facial hair that may even hamper with your furry friend’s vision.

So, grooming your dog’s face on a regular basis is important is its case.

I will answer the question, “how to groom dog face?” in as much detail as possible.

The Effective Method

I’ll jump right in to teach you how to properly groom your furry friend’s adorable little face.

Things You’ll Need

As with everything, there are a few things that you’ll need when grooming your furry friend. Take a look:

• Scissors
• Clippers
• Comb
• Wet wipes

Step 1: Get Everything Ready

Have all the tools that I have mentioned above ready to go and within your access. Bathe your furry friend and carefully brush his hair out before snipping.

Step 2: Using the Clippers

Hold the clippers in your hand and let your dog sniff them so that he doesn’t get a fright when they start making the sound. Then, when you think your dog is comfortable with snipping them, turn them on and let him hear the sound.

After that let your furry friend feel the vibration as you hold the clippers against your dog’s body. When your dog is finally comfortable, you can start with the clipping process. However, keep in mind that the Clippers must be sharp.

Dull blades have a tendency to pull on your dog’s face and cause pain.

Step 3: Directions Matter, Too

As you do with shaving, the rule you must follow is to trim in the direction of the fur, never against it as it looks unnatural and jagged. This means that you’ll have to keep moving the clipper a lot while working.

That’s completely normal.

Step 4: Hold the Dog Still

While grooming your dog’s face, you should make sure to have someone hold the dog still or have him on the leash because sudden movements can cause your dog to get injured severely.

That’s not something we want, right?

Step 5:  Trimming the Muzzle

You should start on top of the muzzle and work your way downwards clipping in the direction of the fur. Use scissors in case the Clippers aren’t efficient.

Step 6: Trimming Your Dog’s Cheeks

For easy access to your dog’s cheeks, all you have to do is to lift your dog’s ears. This will make things easier for you.

As always, clip in the direction where the fur is growing for a seamless and professional look. This will ensure that your dog’s face is free of snags and extra pulling. This will also create soft and gentle lines.

Step 7: Trimming Above the Eyes

The area above your dog’s eyes also needs special attention. Use the comb in order to lift the fur above your furry friend’s eyes. Make sure that you don’t touch the clippers to the dog’s skin and cut the length.

You can also use scissors if you’re more comfortable with that.

Step 8: Finishing Touches and Wiping Down

Using a water wipe, clean your dog’s face to remove the excess hair and evaluate. You can determine which area needs more trimming, and which needs additional finishing touches.

Make all the changes that you feel are necessary and you’ll be good to go.

Cautions You Need to Follow When Grooming Your Dog’s Face

There are certain set of precautions required when grooming your furry friend’s face. Let’s take a look:

• Depending on your furry friend’s breed and how neat you’d like your pooch’s face to be, you may have to groom the face using clippers regularly, which is ideally every 2 to 4 weeks
• If you own a long-haired dog and wish to keep the fur on his face short while letting the hair around the head to get longer, you’ll probably have to groom more frequently, about every 2 weeks.
• You should try to avoid placing the clippers on the skin directly as they might irritate the dog’s skin. This can also effectively startle your dog
• It is a good idea to let your small or medium-sized dog to lay or sit on a table for better access and easy grooming
• You can let your large dog breed lay on the floor on a blanket or towel he finds comforting. You can choose to sit either in front of him or behind him according to how you’ll need to reach around the dog’s head to groom his face
• Always keep in mind to be extremely cautious when you’re grooming the area around your dog’s eyes. Any injury can have severe consequences for your furry friend
• Keep in mind that the top of your furry friend’s muzzle may not need lots of grooming. However, the sides of your dog face may need your attention. So, try and do one side at a time
• Always make sure that you are pointing the clippers in the direction of the hair, not the opposite

Final Words

Grooming a dog’s face is something you’ll learn as you go.

If you have a long-haired dog, grooming the face is really important for the dog to look clean and to see properly. Make sure that your furry friend is comfortable before you turn the clipper on, or it can startle him.

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t groom your dog’s face in a hasty manner, or the result may not be ideal. Take your time and try to follow the steps.

And, be cautious when clipping the area around your dog’s eyes.

I hope that helped you figure out how to groom a dog’s face. Do let me know if you have any questions or concerns.