Trimming whiskers?

[iona]

Hi everyone,

Has anyone ever tried trimming your dog's whiskers yourself? Cos my dog's whiskers are getting longer and longer making him look like a catfish! Can anyone help? Thanks!

[Lou]

Freckles has the same whisker problem....looks like a catfish, as you say. She is a lot better about letting me trim her whiskers than she is trimming her nails. But, even so, it is not easy. What I have done is keep a pair of those small blunt nose sissors in the SUV, (and there is nothing she would rather do than lay on her pillow between us and look at everything,) I use the distraction to take snips as we ride along. People seeing us at stop signals probably wonder who the crazy gal is pruning her dog....but, so far it has worked better than any other method. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[LoriAnn]

LOL, I like Freckles' distraction idea. I find some of the dogs I groom are better behaved when there is something going on outside of my room, they are focused on that rather than what I'm doing. But another thing I wanted to point out is she uses SMALL blunt nosed scissors. I find that when doing anything with a dogs face, the smaller the scissor the better they tolerate it.

[Dawn]

Well, the easiest option is to just leave them. They're there for a purpose, otherwise, unless you shave them flat off, they're going to be prickly.

[iona]

hi guys! Thanks for your ideas. I've tried trimming it once with a small scissors, but the whiskers end up being short and sharp, kinda like when you shave your legs and your hair grows out? hahaha! they end up prickly.

So what should I do to avoid that? Also, how close to the skin do you cut it? Do you leave a little there or cut it as close to the skin as possible?

Thanks.

[Lou]

Dawn is right...shaving or Nair!!! But then you have a look that is worse than the "catfish whiskers"! I have NEVER cut whiskers on any of the many dogs we have had....but, then there is Freckles!!! Those white looooong whiskers just had to go. She looks like a coyote as it is. LOL They are prickly...but can't have it all.

[iona]

hi guys! Thanks for your input. i guess i'll just have to leave him looking like a catfish!!