Different Ways You Can Cut the Hair on a Dog's Tail

Fur texture varies from breed to breed, so there are many ways to cut the hair on a dog’s tail. Owners may experiment with different looks when searching for one they find stylish or cute. Owners usually trim the tail after trimming everywhere else. They use a brush, comb and dog grooming scissors. The final look can range from a pom-pom ball to a short and neat look.

Checking the Tail

A dog owner should wrap his hand around the tail base and then slide his hand down the tail to push all the hairs in the right direction so the comb goes more smoothly through the hair. When running the comb through the hair, the owner must check the hair in the comb to make sure he does not cut the tail. When the comb passes through the hair, that clump of hair has no tail.

Hair Length

When dogs have very little fur on their tails, owners usually cut the fur short. However, dogs with more fur can have very fluffy and cute tails, so owners may only have to trim a little bit of the fur to retain that look. Some people cut the tail tip first, which removes most of the fringes of hair.

Stray Hairs

Owners can cut the long hairs on the tail using thinning scissors, clipping the longer hairs found at the end of the tail. Many stray hairs on the dog’s tail curl up when the dog lifts its tail up, only a few of which the owner should cut. After cutting, the owner should run the brush through the hair again.

Removing Mats

Dogs usually get mats everywhere, including on the tail. Spraying the mat with water will lubricate it and may allow the owner to remove the mat, but very thick mats may require a detangler first. Some owners cut out mats, which is sometimes the only option with extreme mats. Consequently, this will leave a hole in the dog’s tail coat.

Specific Breeds

Owners of certain breeds cut the tail fur in certain ways. With a Maltese, owners can comb the hair on the tail straight down and cut the bottom hair. Maltese and other dogs have tails that curl up, so owners must uncurl the tail before they cut the hair. When trimming the tail to give a poodle the characteristic pom-pom ball, the owner cuts the hair based on the tail length. When the tail is very long, they should not trim the tail so it’s thick only at the tip, or the tail will look like a ball on a long stick. However, the hair shouldn’t be too even in length from the front to the back, or it will look like a bunny’s tail.