Trimming those fuzzy ears.....

Borzoi are a breed that requires little trimming for the show ring. A little stray hair around each foot, a few hairs around the tuck-up, and....those fuzzy ears. It's not necessary to trim anything for the show ring, but it does make for an prettier outline on head and body.


Melissa has LOTS of puppy curls, so many curls that her ears were hidden. I figured those fuzzy ears would look better if I trimmed a bit with thinning shears. For months Melissa has been learning how to stay still while I, and others, touch her body, looking inside her mouth,at her teeth, touching her ears, her neck her rib cage and her tail.



The actually trimming of the hair around her ears took several two to three minute training sessions.


I first reviewed holding her muzzle. She got to chew on yummy treats as I held her muzzle gently.







She sniffed the scissors and looked them over. Then, holding them away from her, I made a few snips in the air while she nibbled a treat from my other hand. At each of these steps Melissa got a yummy treat in order to make a pleasant association with the sight and sound of the scissors.


Then....the first snip, and another and another. Melissa chewed on more yummy treats as I took tiny amounts of stray hair from around her ears.










With a toss of her head, Melissa basks in the sun showing off her new look.






Looking less fuzzy around the ears and so mature! A bath and blow dry the day before the show and she will be ready to enter the ring. A big thank you to my husband Paul for the grooming photos, and to Lessa Shear for the other photos. It takes patience to photograph a puppy who stays still for only short periods of time.