There are two ways to shape the rounded foot style, the long way by hand or the quick way with clippers. Shaping the foot by hand allows you to correct conformational flaws with ease. It takes a little longer, but for a talented groomer, this method ensures a quality unavailable with the short cut.

However, there are tricks to getting this style quickly and easily by following a few simple rules. The quicker way to rough in a round foot is with clippers while you are trimming the pads. For the everyday pet, this technique offers a nice, fast, safe way to trim feet, but the ability to correct conformational faults is lost.

Trimming Technique by Hand

• When shaping the foot by hand, first clean the pad of long hair with blades ranging from a #40 to #15. The foot is then blocked in with straight lines to create a square box. Brush and comb the foot thoroughly with a heavy slicker or comb to eliminate any tangles and fluff the coat. Make sure the dog is standing squarely on the table. The initial trim line should be straight across the front two digits of the foot. The following two cuts should be along the outside edges. The final cut should be along the rear of the foot, completing the box.
• Straight shears are used for this process. To set up this technique correctly, the bottom blade of the shear glides along the tabletop next to the dog’s foot as the pet stands in a natural position. The shear needs to be beveled up and away from the pad of the foot.
• Once the foot is boxed in, go back with curved shears and take off the corners of the box.
• Next, pick the foot up — either under the elbow or above the hock — and brush the coat down over the foot. Check and reshape the foot if there is not a smooth, soft “U” shape. Make sure to view the foot from the top and only cut at the edges, never under the foot from top view. Re-brush the foot and turn it over to check for long strays next to the pad. With small, detail shears, trim anything that falls outside the guidelines you have already established. Shake the foot once more and place it on the table. The shape should be full, round and neat.

Trimming Technique With Clippers

• The faster method is to set the basic shape of the round foot with clippers at the same time you are clipping the pads with blades ranging from a #40 blade to a #15. Brush the foot area thoroughly with a heavy slicker brush to eliminate all tangles.
• When the brush glides easily through the hair, brush all the fur down over the foot. Next, slide your hand down the dog’s leg, thumb toward the table, and pick up the foot.
• First, gently clip out the pad. Using your hand and fingers as a brace, clip off the excess hair that hangs beyond the outside edge of the foot. Keep the blade level with the foot pad. Do not cut up into the side coat of the foot.
• To make the feet appear neatly rounded and forward facing, you will need to finish them off with shears while the dog stands naturally on the table.
• Soften the line with thinning shears, if desired. This technique allows you to both trim the pads and roughly round the foot, all in one motion. This method is better for dogs with small to moderate feet and should not be used on dogs that have extremely poor fronts or extremely large feet.

Tips for Shaping the Round Foot

• The coat must be exceptionally clean and fluff dried as straight as possible.
• Use a heavy slicker brush to pull the coat down over the foot so that each hair shaft is in line with its neighbors. The operation is similar to a hairdresser who combs all the hair in one direction, holding the hair between the fingers, then trimming the ends.
• Double and triple check your work before the dog leaves the table.
• When working on the pads with scissors when the foot is picked up, only use small detail shears less than 6 inch long to minimize the risk of cutting them.
• When rounding the foot by hand, box it in first to eliminate the “pointed toe” look.
• When rounding the foot with scissors, open the blades, gliding them through the fur to be trimmed. The bottom blade of the shear will glide along the table top. Keep the shear close to the foot but beveled outward eliminating the risk of cutting the foot.
• Setting in a round foot with a clipper does not work well with exceptionally large feet, heavy coats or on dogs that are poorly built when standing square.