Dog Grooming Scissors

You may find that dog grooming scissors will only be a necessary part of your grooming supplies if you have a dog who needs face, paws or tail trimmed.  Sometimes it is handy to have a pair of scissors if your dog has a long coat that gets matted.  If you don’t want to clip the whole dog off the scissors are handy to just cut off the matted bits.  The two most common types of scissors required are mentioned below.

There are many different lengths and types of straight scissors for grooming your dog.  Generally, these are for the professional groomer who needs different scissors for different cuts and looks.

However, for the pet owner and home groomer one pair of good quality straight scissors will be sufficient.

The straight bladed normal grooming scissor will cut a straight edge.  You will see a definite line from where you have just cut.  It is not a good idea to use these scissors on the body of the dog as you will get a very uneven look, unless, of course, you need to cut off a knotted part of the fur close to the skin.  These scissors are very sharp and some of them are available with a knobbed end which prevents you sticking the end into the dog.

These dog grooming scissors are good for trimming under the paws and if you want a straight edged tail in a half moon shape then you can use them for that.  They are also good for cutting a straight line across the face to cut the fur back from the dog’s eyes as well as trimming the fur around the edge of the ears and ear canal.  For any of the small fluffy breeds these grooming scissors are a necessity.

Thinning scissors are generally used in dog grooming for getting a more natural look on your dog.  For example, along the muzzle you might prefer to have a look which is not straight scissored.  You could use these on the tail also.  The paws are best trimmed with the straight dog grooming scissors.

These types of scissors are great for dogs with thick feathering which needs thinning out, either on the back end or the legs of the dog, eg. Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, Collies.

OTHER TYPES OF SCISSORS

More specialised scissors are available but more so for the professional groomer.  If you own a poodle and want to scissor a topnot on the head then you can look at curved scissors as in the picture.  This gives you an even and rounded look for the poodle topnot.

Ear and nose scissors are short and specifically for trimming fur around the nose and ears but probably not necessary for the home groomer.

The correct way to hold scissors, especially whengrooming your dog, is important and that is with the thumb and ring finger.  This gives your hand a much steadier support and you will be less likely to slip with them and cut the dog.  These dog grooming scissors are much sharper than normal scissors and therefore it is wise to be careful when cutting with them.

If you buy a professional pair of dog grooming scissors then you will find they last for a very long time.  They will need sharpening from time to time and it’s best to get a person who is a professional sharpener to do this for you as they will need to be taken apart.  You can also buy scissor oil which helps to keep your dog grooming scissors working smoothly and prevents them from getting dirty.