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Tidy feet

How to trim paw hair on a dog

Hair that grows past the pads turns a dog's feet into slippers: it slides on floors, packs with snow and sand, and hides cuts and burrs. Trimming it is a small job done with sharp tools close to thin skin, so the method is mostly about where the blade points and when to stop.

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A white dog with tan markings raises its paw to a person's hand in a grassy meadow.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team

Before you start

Before you start, choose round-tipped scissors or a small trimmer and teach your dog to give you a foot

Two kinds of tool do this job at home. Small scissors with rounded, blunt tips cannot stab into the webbing if the dog jerks, which is why Humane World for Animals, the former Humane Society of the United States, and the AKC both point owners toward blunt ends. A small trimmer with a narrow blade gets closer to the pad with less risk of a nick, and Humane World notes that a number 10 blade may work best on delicate areas like these.

The AKC's chief veterinarian adds a condition worth taking seriously: these tools should be used only after a groomer, breeder or veterinary team has shown you how. Your dog has to be ready too. A dog that lets you hold a paw, spread its toes and turn the foot over for ten seconds, with a treat after, is ready; one that snatches the paw back needs handling practice first. Good light, a non-slip mat and a comb complete the kit.

  • Round-tipped scissors or a small trimmer with a narrow blade
  • A comb to stand the hair up
  • Good light and a non-slip mat
  • A dog that already lets you hold and spread a paw

The steps

Trim the feet in seven steps, pads first and outline second, one foot per session

Start underneath, because the hair over the pads is the part that matters for grip and ice, and it is the easiest place to see what you are cutting. Comb the hair down and out so it sticks past the pads, then cut it level with the pads or slightly shorter, the length the AKC recommends. Keep the scissor blades or the trimmer flat against the surface of the pad, gliding across it rather than angling in.

The webbing between the toes is thin and bleeds easily, so never push a point or a blade down into the gaps; what stays down there can stay. The ASPCA describes the same job in one line: comb, then trim the hair between the toes even with the pads to avoid painful matting. Finish with the outline, with the dog standing, so you can see the natural shape of the foot and cut only what spreads past it.

  1. 01

    Settle the dog on a non-slip mat, lift one foot and give a treat for letting you hold it.

  2. 02

    Comb the hair on the underside out from between the toes so it stands past the pads.

  3. 03

    Lay the round-tipped scissors or the trimmer flat across the large pad and remove the hair that sticks out past it.

  4. 04

    Do the same across each toe pad, keeping the points out of the gaps between the toes.

  5. 05

    Comb again and take any long strays you missed, still level with the pads.

  6. 06

    Stand the dog up and trim the hair that spreads past the edge of the foot, following its shape.

  7. 07

    Treat, check between the toes for burrs or grass seeds, and stop for the day before the next foot.

Scissors or trimmer

Scissors suit a few stray hairs, and a small trimmer suits a full set of coated feet

For a short-coated dog with a little fluff over the pads, round-tipped scissors and two minutes per foot are plenty. For a doodle, a spaniel or a golden retriever whose feet grow hair all year, a small trimmer is quicker and gentler, because it moves flat across the pad instead of cutting at an angle. The AKC's golden retriever guide gives the reason in a phrase: the hair between the pads needs regular trimming to keep traction on slippery floors.

Humane World is frank that many dogs need several months of gradual exposure before they are comfortable with shears or clippers, so start long before the feet are overgrown. Let your dog hear the trimmer running across the room, then near it, then feel it switched off against a foot, each step paid with treats. Keep any blade off the skin everywhere except the flat of the pad, and check it against your wrist for heat as it runs.

  • Scissors: a few strays over the pads on short coats
  • Trimmer: coated feet that grow hair all year
  • Weeks of switched-on practice before the first cut
  • The blade checked on your wrist for heat

Mistakes we see

The mistakes we see are points in the webbing, cutting into matted feet and doing all four at once

Pointed scissors aimed between the toes cause most nicks at home: the dog flinches, the point goes into the webbing, and the cut bleeds far more than its size suggests. Matted hair between the pads is the second trap. A mat pulls the skin up into itself, so what looks like hair to cut is partly skin. Comb the foot first, and if the comb will not pass through, stop there and book the groomer.

Doing all four feet in one sitting is the third. The first foot goes well, the dog's patience runs out on the third, and the fourth is the one that gets nicked. One foot a day for four days is slower and much safer. Last, do not take the hair so short that the edges of the pads are scraped; the target is level with the pads or just shorter, not shaved to the skin.

  • Scissor points aimed into the gaps between the toes
  • Cutting into a mat between the pads
  • All four feet in one sitting
  • Trimming past the pad line into skin

When to call us

Leave it to a groomer when the feet are matted, the dog pulls away or you cannot see what you are cutting

Some feet belong on the table. Hair matted between the pads, a dog that pulls back or mouths at your hands, dark hair over dark pads in poor light, and pads that are cracked, sore or bleeding should all wait for a groomer, or for your vet if anything hurts. At Dogtown a full service is a bath plus a breed-specific or custom haircut, priced by size at $75, $85, $110 or $120; ask the groomer at check-in whether the feet are included, and nail clipping adds $16.

Booking only 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, since our menu has no separate line for it. A dog that needs slow, careful handling carries the $20 behavior or handling surcharge. On Cape Ann, winter is when feet matter most: snow balls up in long pad hair, salted sidewalks sting, and off-season beach days in Gloucester pack sand between the toes.

At Dogtown

Feet done on the table

A full service by size that trims the feet with the rest of the coat, nail clipping for $16, 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.

How short should paw hair be?
Level with the pads or slightly shorter, according to the AKC, so the pads meet the ground and the hair between them does not mat. Around the edge of the foot, trim just enough that hair does not spread past the outline when the dog stands. The hair on top of the foot is a style choice, not a grip one, and can match the rest of the cut.
Should I use clippers or scissors on my dog's paws?
Either works when used carefully. Round-tipped scissors suit a few strays and a nervous owner. A small trimmer with a narrow blade, and Humane World suggests a number 10 for delicate areas, is faster and lies flat across the pad, which makes it the better tool for coated dogs whose feet need doing every few weeks.
How often should I trim the hair on my dog's feet?
Whenever it grows past the pads again, which for doodles, spaniels and golden retrievers is often every few weeks. Turn a foot over once a week to check. Keep it shorter in winter, when long pad hair collects snow, and look for packed sand between the toes after a beach day.
What if I nick the webbing between the toes?
Hold a clean cloth or gauze against it with steady pressure and keep the dog quiet. Small nicks usually stop quickly. A cut that will not stop bleeding, gapes open, makes your dog limp or keeps being licked needs your vet, because foot wounds pick up dirt easily. Rest the feet afterward and let a groomer do the next trim.
Does Dogtown trim paw hair on its own?
Our menu has no separate paw trim. A full service, $75 to $120 by size, is a bath plus a haircut, and the groomer confirms the feet at check-in. With a bath, $55 to $95, ask the groomer at check-in whether the pads can be tidied that day and what it adds; we confirm that in person. Nail clipping is $16, and grooming never needs an evaluation.

More questions? Read the full FAQ

Sources

Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.

Keep reading

Dog grooming at DogtownWhat is a paw pad trim?How to trim dog nails at homeHow to wash salt off paws How-to guides All guides

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