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What is a paw pad trim?

Foot care

What is a paw pad trim?

Turn your dog's foot over: on a Lab you will see four toe pads, a larger pad behind them and a little short hair, while on a doodle, a spaniel or a setter you may find a carpet of hair growing out past the pads. That hair is what this trim is for. Here is what the groomer actually cuts, why it matters on Cape Ann, and how often it needs doing.

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A fluffy white dog raises its paw to a person's open hand in a grassy field at dusk.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team

The trim

A pad trim takes the hair under the foot down level with the pads

Every dog has pads, the tough, hairless cushions under the toes and the larger pad behind them. Many coated dogs also grow hair in the gaps between the pads and around the edge of the foot, and on a dog whose coat keeps growing it does not stop at the pad. A pad trim is the groomer clearing that hair from underneath, with a clipper or scissors, so the pads sit flat on the ground again. The top of the foot and the toes are shaped separately as part of a haircut.

The dogs who need it are the ones with hair between the toes: poodles and doodles, bichons, Shih Tzus, cocker and springer spaniels, setters, golden retrievers and Bernese mountain dogs among them. Short, smooth coats such as Labradors, boxers and pit bulls grow little there and rarely need it. There is a comfort reason as well. The AKC explains that a dog's sweat glands sit only in its paw pads, and that trimming excess fur on the paws helps that sweat evaporate.

Trimmed: hair between the pads and below the pad line
Trimmed: stray hair around the edge of the foot
Not part of it: the nails, a separate $16 add-on
Not part of it: the haircut on the top of the foot and legs

Grip, ice, mud

Short pad hair gives a dog grip, sheds ice and carries less mud

Grip is the everyday reason. Hair that covers the pads sits between the pad and the floor, so a dog on hardwood, tile or a wet deck is standing on hair rather than on the pad built for traction. Young dogs skid into furniture, and seniors and dogs with weak hips find it harder to get up. A trimmed foot does not fix a slippery house, but it lets the pads do the job they are built for.

Ice and mud are the Cape Ann reasons. The AKC's paw-care guidance says snow quickly turns into balls of ice between the pads, that they are uncomfortable, and that longer-haired dogs benefit from a professional carefully trimming the hair between their pads. Mud season in March and April packs the same hair with clay, the off-season beaches put wet sand in it, and the woods at Dogtown Common and Ravenswood Park add burrs and, from April to November, ticks tucked between the toes.

Grip: the pads touch the floor instead of hair
Ice: less hair for snow to freeze onto
Mud and sand: less carried into the car and the house
Checks: cuts, burrs and ticks are easier to spot

How often

How often: with every groom for coated dogs, and sooner in winter

Pad hair grows back on the same schedule as the rest of the coat, so for a doodle or a spaniel the trim belongs in every regular groom rather than on a calendar of its own. The simple test is to turn the foot over. If hair has grown level with the pads or past them, or you can see clumps between the toes, the feet are due. Winter is the season to keep them shortest, because a week of snow turns long pad hair into ice balls on every walk.

Between grooms, a quick weekly look keeps you ahead of it and doubles as foot care. The AKC suggests treating paw cleaning as a chance to check for cuts, scrapes and dry or cracking pads, notes that cold air outdoors and dry air indoors can crack them, and recommends parting the toes to check for debris and drying thoroughly afterward. A paw balm or wax can help dry pads; anything bleeding, swollen or making your dog limp is a vet visit.

01
Have your dog lie or stand comfortably and lift one foot gently, with a treat ready
02
Turn the foot over and look at the pads in good light
03
Spread the toes and check the hair, the skin and the webbing
04
Look for cuts, cracks, burrs, ticks and packed ice or sand
05
Dry between the toes if the foot is wet, then reward your dog
06
If hair reaches past the pads, book the trim with the next groom

A groomer's clipper trimming the hair between the pads of a tan and white dog's paw, with clipped tufts on the table below.

At Dogtown

At Dogtown the feet are part of the full service; on a bath, ask at check-in

Dogtown's grooming menu does not list a separate paw pad trim. The full service, a warm bath, a blow-dry and a breed-specific or custom haircut priced at $75 up to 25 pounds, $85 for 26 to 50, $110 for 51 to 90 and $120 over 90, cuts the whole dog, feet included, so that is the booking for a coated dog whose feet need tidying. Nail clipping is a separate $16 add-on and pairs naturally with the feet.

If your dog only needs a bath, $55 to $95 by size, ask the groomer at check-in whether the pad hair can be tidied on that visit and whether it changes the price; we confirm that in person rather than publish a figure the menu does not carry. A dog who pulls its feet away may need slower handling, and the $20 behavior or handling surcharge covers that extra time. No evaluation is needed for a groom, and booking the next one before you leave saves $5.

At home

At home, keep the feet clean and dry and leave the clipping to the table

Clipping between the pads at home is where nicks happen: the webbing between the toes is thin, the pads are close together, and a dog that pulls back at the wrong moment can be cut. If you want to tidy the outline of the foot between grooms, the AKC suggests simple shears with rounded tips, which keep you from accidentally poking yourself or your dog. Leave the hair between the pads to the groomer, and stop if your dog stiffens or pulls away.

The rest is maintenance. Rinse or wipe salt off after walks on treated Gloucester sidewalks, dry between the toes, and check the feet after a beach day; at the time of writing the city allows dogs at Good Harbor on even-numbered days through March 31 and at Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days through April 30. If your dog dislikes having its feet handled, our how-to on cooperative care for nail trims builds the same tolerance a pad trim needs.

At Dogtown

Feet, nails and the rest of the groom

Full-service grooms that shape the feet, a $16 nail add-on, and grooms that fit inside a daycare day.

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Is a paw pad trim the same as a nail trim?

No. A pad trim clears hair from the underside of the foot; a nail trim shortens the nails. They are often done at the same visit. At Dogtown, nail clipping is a $16 add-on to a bath or full service, and the full service already shapes the feet as part of the haircut, so the two fit together in one booking.

Does my short-haired dog need a paw pad trim?

Rarely. Labradors, boxers, pit bulls and other smooth-coated dogs grow little hair between the pads. Turn the foot over: if the pads are clear and nothing sticks out past them, there is nothing to trim. Their feet still need checking for cracks, salt and cuts, and the AKC recommends drying thoroughly between the toes after cleaning.

Can I trim the hair between my dog's pads myself?

You can tidy the outline of the foot with rounded-tip shears, which the AKC suggests because they keep you from poking yourself or your dog. Cutting between the pads is riskier, since the webbing is thin and dogs pull back. If you try, use good light, a helper and treats, and stop at the first sign of stress.

Will a pad trim stop snowballs completely?

It reduces them but may not stop them. Snow also clumps on long leg hair, so a winter cut that keeps the legs tidy helps too. The AKC advises loosening ice balls with a towel soaked in warm water rather than pulling, since pulling costs hair and a dog that chews them out may swallow road salt.

How much does a paw pad trim cost at Dogtown?

There is no separate price on our menu. Feet are trimmed within the full service, $75 to $120 by weight. If your dog is booked for a bath only, $55 to $95, ask the groomer at check-in whether the pads can be tidied that day and whether anything is added to the price; we confirm it in person.