Front Leg feathering.

[Colin]

Help ! I really don't know how to approach this area. I've scanned through previous threads but can't see any tips.

I know with a show cocker you wouldn't do much trimming on leg feathering other than tidy up but what about a pet ? Last night I trimmed Jimmy's paws and also the very bottom of his front legs so that the feathering isn't touching the ground. Trouble is he now looks like he's wearing a pair of half-mast bell bottoms when viewed from the front. :roll: What is the best method for trimming the bits that stick out on either side of the front leg ?  Handstripping isn't an option with Jimmy there. Using trimming scissors would I cut from front of leg backwards, horizontal to the ground perhaps ? This is the only place he has really thick feathering, giving him a very unbalanced appearance, the fact he has huge paws just makes him look even stranger now the bottom of the leg feathering has gone. :?                    

[Mary]

Colin, have you looked at the second picture that Michele posted on the 'Trimming feet - Pet & Show style' thread?  It shows how the feathering is trimmed at a slant to avoid the bell bottom look.

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/grooming/Tr...how%20Style.htm                    

[Pammy]

Colin - how I approach this is to hold the leg out straight, forwards from and at a right angle from the shoulder and trim from the foot to the top of the leg with a gently sloping angle. This allows the feathering to hang straight down and helps get a straight finish - for me anyway  Put the leg back down to see how it looks, and trim more off if you need to. This way you shouldn't get the "plus fours" look

hth and makes sense                    

[Colin]

Thanks Pammy I will give that a go.    :wink: