The utility cut is a very practical cut that is especially popular during the warmer months. Keeping the hair on the body short with just some fluff in the legs will turn any high-maintenance coat into a style that is much easier to maintain.

• Clip the body following the direction of the hair growth. Be sure to keep skin taut by gently pulling it with your free hand, paying close attention to avoid scratching folds, nipples, or growths.
• While trimming the neck area, keep the dog’s head up to stretch the extra skin.
• With the medium attachment comb, clip the hair on the legs, combing the hair up and going over it again with the clippers and attachment comb to help achieve a smooth finish.
• Neaten the edges with the straight shears and blend with thinning shears.
• Trim around the feet.
• While resting the ear flap in the palm of your hand, shave the inside of the flap with a No. 10 blade, paying close attention to the edges.
• Using the clippers with the small attachment comb, trim the outside of the ear flaps in the direction of the hair growth.
• Trim the edges of the ear flaps with scissors using your fingers as a guide to avoid cutting the ear leather.
• Folding the ear flap back, clip down the side of the head with the short or medium attachment comb.
• With the help of thinning shears, trim the hair from the base of the ear to the outside corner of the eye. Trim the eyebrows with the thinning shears, pointing them from the outside corner of the eye to the nose and then across, to neaten the bangs.
• Holding up the dog’s chin, with the short attachment comb, clip from the snout to the Adam’s apple.
• Comb the hair on top of the head forward and go over, from the occiput to the eyebrows, with the short or medium attachment comb over the No. 30 blade on the clippers.
• Holding your dog’s mouth closed, trim the sides of the muzzle with thinning shears. You may need to stop a few times while doing this because most dogs don’t like to hold their mouths for too long.
• Trim the tail with scissors, finishing them with thinning shears.

Tools Needed

• Clippers
• No. 10 blade
• No. 30 blade for attachment combs
• No. 5, No. 7F, and No. 8.5 blades for the body
• Medium and short attachment combs for the legs and head.
• Slicker brush
• Comb
• Straight shears
• Curved shears
• Thinning shears