Shave the belly?

[Tom, Sydney, Hailey and Bailey!]

Why do you want to shave the belly? We're new to grooming and we hadn't noticed the belly shaved. Also, if you could share a link if there is a discussion already posted on how to do a santitary cut on our little girl. Thank so much for sharing your abundant knowledge.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I don't shave Tara's belly but I do keep the hair there pretty short. It seems that the hair on her underside tends to mat pretty easily. Probably just due to friction on things when she lays down. I think some people in warmer areas shave the belly to help keep their doodles cooler. That way they have some skin exposed when they lay in grass or cooler areas in the house.

[Tom, Sydney, Hailey and Bailey!]

Thanks for the reply. That makes total sense. Hailey has little tummy hair to begin with and no mats to speak of. So, for now we'll leave as is. Gotta get the hang of trimming the paws, face, ears and such. Never get it quite right at the groomers. Courage and patience...that's what we need. Thanks again!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Pretty much the same for me. I scissor cut my dogs and keep the belly hair short to prevent matting. I do keep the perianal area and area around the vulva really short too.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Here is a video on the sanitary cut:

[Tom, Sydney, Hailey and Bailey!]

Woohoo! Thanks for the video too. Went to the main site, lots of good information.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

wow great videos!

[Lynda Kamrath]

I have shaved Harpo's belly because it used to mat in little balls and he did not want to have them combed or pulled.  I will probably continue shaving his belly (as well as his face and between the toes) but use a #10 blade.  On the toes we use a 1 mm blade.  Getting them used to being groomed is the hardest part but Harpo now puts his feet up on the table for me to list his rear end.  He doesn't mind his ears being groomed and I pluck the hair and shave the insides of his ear flaps.  He also likes the beef flavored toothpaste and will stand still for a tooth brushing.  It does take a while to get them used to all the grooming, but it is worth it.  We groom both of our doodles and always have.  I's still struggling with the cords for Harpo, but it is coming along.

[Tom, Sydney, Hailey and Bailey!]

Thank you for your reply. As we're hoping to adopt our second doodle being able to groom them ourselves will become even more important. Haven't been able to get a good cut twice. With practice we should be able to get just the look we want......hopefully!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I started grooming Cubbie when I decided that I wanted a second doodlen and knew I wouldn't want to pay to have both dogs groomed.  It was expensive to buy the good tools, but I have saved so much money doing it myself that the initial cost is long forgotten.  You should be fine doing it yourself.  Practice makes perfect  :)

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I shaved Riley's belly the other day for two reasons, he had some little mats there which I first of all cut off and also he gets quite hot so he will be more comfortable.  I also shaved a little around his bum.  I used a #10 blade for those areas.  I used a 5/8 blade for under his ears and around his neck and used a scissors everywhere else, including in between his pads. It's a bit difficult keeping him still, he's fine when I do his head and the top half but I needed my partners help for the underneath bits. I'm looking around for a good grooming table with an arm so I can keep him steady.  He loves to lie down on the table right now so keeping him upright is the challenge.  I am going to continue to do him myself as even if I make a mistake (which I did a few months ago) lol (shaved him naked under his ear!)  I love my little blunt ended scissors and also the curved one which I use around his feet and on his sides. The clipper is the 2speed Andis. Those videos are really useful though I personally don't like using the clippers anywhere on the face.  

[Tom, Sydney, Hailey and Bailey!]

Thank you for all the helpful information.. We have an Andies clipper set and need to become familiar with all the different sizes and type of blades. Think we need to add a couple different scissors to our arsenal too. If a naked ear is all you got maybe there is hope for us. Thanks again for your response. I love being a part of a community with such love for our beautiful, loving canine life companions......