urgent advise please

[FuzzyDog]

how can I avoid a line made in back of the front legs when shaving down o clipping short a dog. as much careful I am, I alway get that line, and looks horrible. I'll appreciate your help.

[tmenne]

I always scissor the back of the leg. Clip the front of leg, then set the foot down and angle clip (follow the grain of the coat) from front of leg to back of leg but don't cut the rear of the leg. Do the same on other side of leg. Then comb the hair on the back of the leg straight out or up and scissor it. I usually use my curves but you can use either. Sometimes I reverse clip the back of the leg and that works too but not always.

[FuzzyDog]

thank you for your advise. I hope tomorrow that works for me.

[Debbiedogs]

It's called a "cowlick" (or whatever)

The hair on the back of the front legs swirls to one side, which is noticeable when you cut it short (like clipping). Although I used to worry about this (25 years ago), it seems a waste of time to fuss over it on a shave-off, in my opinion.

So I shave it. If an owner asks, I will show them that the hair is going in a different direction, much like the swirls on the chest. Leaving it longer and scissoring it are too much work for a shave - again, my opinion. If I want to make the dog look better, and if the owner doesn't mind a bit of hair, then I may use a #3 skip or #4 skip on the legs to blend them shorter, and then scissor wild hairs and cute, round paws. More work, but actually a type of "style". Only for dogs that come in frequently enough to have this instead of a close shave, though.

[tmenne]

I agree it is a lot more work. But when I was new to grooming I worried about it and learned how to fix it by reading post. Now I'm like Debbie 99% of the time I just shave it off and don't worry about it. but I also know what its like to think that your doing something wrong and wanting to know how to fix it. Sometimes not knowing how to do something gets you so worked up that you don't realize nobody else even cares.

[groominshuman]

All good, depends on clients and time. Most of my clients are so happy their dogs are being taken care of than the look on the back of the leg

[Smart-n-Pretty]

Debbie Dogs, do you think using thinning shears would help if you pulled the leg out in front & thinning sheared up the leg?