Where have you cut dogs before?

[Reader]

I know about the loin area being dangerous. I just learned the hard way that the neck can have loose skin that can get caught. I heard about the front of the legs being risky. Also the tongue if they lick while scissoring.

What are some places to watch out for?

[minkyboodle]

Necks can be hard sometimes on like old dogs with thin skin that doesn't seem to want to stretch out to safely clip.

I always am very careful around the back of the head for swinging ears, and of course any scissoring around the ears.

Another spot is the back of the back legs where it curves at the joint there is that tendon and some thin skin there. umm...Thats all i can think of at the moment.

[Sweetpea]

Gotta be carful even brushing the ears out. Hold the tip of the ear "leather" with index and and make sure you hold onto it as you brush the long hair away from the ears. If you just pull on the ears with the brush, the tip of the ear could split.

[diamienono]

EARS. If they move when you are close to the edge. YUP. The slightest nick bleeds like a stuck pig.

[greymom]

I've knicked an ear before scissoring. I've also nicked an armpit shaving out a mat. Luckily (knock on wood) nothing serious so far.

[toomuchfunbnme]

Yep, the ears

definitely my biggest area to watch out for is the ears.

[misscatahoula]

Be super careful with the ears.

[Maggy]

When doing clean faces, be careful of the eyelids, flews (sp?) and the nose. I hate doing poodle feet because I'm always scared I'll cut the web between the toes. I was also taught to never scissor across a pad if you have to scissor the bottom of the foot and/or between the pads. Its easier to show it than explain it, but basically line your scissors up with the hair you're cutting so if the dog kicks its foot its less likely to kick the pad into your scissors.

Like everyone mentioned, ears are really easy to nick. In school I was shaving a japanese chin down with a 9 blade (what the owner wants the owner gets, right?) and got that little spot where the ear meets the top of the head, so I'm very mindful of that little corner now.

[dogsdayspa]

ears are the number one spot I cut if I cut something

[plushpuppy]

EARS!!! I was doing a wild little poodle a couple of weeks ago, was clipping her ear and she flung her head. Yep you guessed it...snipped the ear could not stop the bleeding so off to the vet. I felt so bad. "The owner said don't worry I've done it too"

[furrybestjob]

Although this has never happened to me, I have seen someone cut a cocker's lip when shaving its face. I always hold my breath when doing clean faces on poodles or other dogs that need their mouth areas shaved. Even though I'm very careful to stretch out the skin, the thought of it still sometimes bothers me.

[K9Klips]

When I first started grooming I had the hardest time with schnauzer ears. I probably nicked the first four that I did. I used to dread having to shave them. Now I am so careful when shaving them, but all it takes is one little jerky movement and its all over. The other thing I hate doing is cats armpits and of course all the places everyone else has mentioned.

[RevWind]

Tongues! Dogs that lick while you're clipping around their face. I've done that a few times. Poodle are my main culprit. Schnauzer ears too because they're curved a bit if they've been cropped right.

[Plexi]

Mostly uneven Schnauzer's ears, once on a tongue
and couple times in the poodle's web part of the foot.
I hate it when it happens but it does happen. I feel like I'm going to faint & throw up all at once.
I owners are understanding when you explain how it happened.

[Fluffy Puppy]

I've gotten a couple ears..one was a Westie..little kid banged on the window when I was in mid snip. THe other was a Schnauzer with a bad crop job. They left a piece of skin sticking out towards the tip of the ear..well, I took care of that!
I've knicked one neck...real tight matts in the area. I've got a pad..older dog with real soft pads. I've gotten a couple armpits, and I got the tuck up area on a cat..wasn't bad, but I know how they can tear so I sent that to the vet for a glue job. And then I skinned right above the hock on a Pom..I took that to the vet too because a little piece of skin was hanging off. The vet just clipped it off and kinda laughed at me because I was hysterical and it was such a small knick.
All the owners were real nice about it except for the Westie owner who kept screaming at me "How does this happen?? How do YOU let this happen?" It's not like I let it happen..some kid banged on the window.

I really worry about tongues.