# Sanitary trim question



## Olie

redcricket said:


> This is going to sound a bit silly, but is there a "proper" way to do a sanitary trim on a standard poodle? Obviously the point of a sanitary trim is to keep the private areas short and sanitary, but I guess my question is....should you just clip from underneath the tail/ anus, all the wall down to the vulva in one straight section? I'm getting pretty good at clipping her face, neck, feet and tail, but when it comes to the sanitary trim, I always feel like I am doing it wrong or it looks weird. What "should" it look like under there? :embarrassed: Thanks!


YEs and pics would be great!


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## plumcrazy

I have the grooming video from Annette Shepard and she demonstrates a sanitary trim on an 11 week old standard puppy - I've been (sort of) following her instructions... What I do with Lucy is to use the clippers on either side of her anus going outward (if that makes any sense) :wacko: an inch or so just to keep the hair away from that area. When I trim her tail, I get the hair above the anus, too... Then I trim her "undercarriage" (vulva area) as well as I can - this helps keep the urine from "wicking" into the hair there... There is a section of puppy hair in between the anus and the vulva that I leave there to help camouflage her privates so she doesn't look like she's skinned nekkid!

I can try to get pictures later tonight - it's hubby's birthday so we're going out to Johnny Carino's for supper first and then I'll see if Lucy is in the mood for a "sanitary"


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## Fluffyspoos

What you can do is lift her back legs, one at a time, and go in at a side and shave the inside of her little belly there and up around her vulva. If you've seen any of Agilities pictures of Vinnie, on some of them you can see how his tail is up and he has a really clean bum! She dogs a good job. ^^


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## KPoos

Clean bums are a good thing.


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## flyingduster

I clean out Paris' bum when I'm shaving the base of her tail for her pom. If it wasn't a poodle pom pom tail I was doing, I tend to use scissors just to tidy the hair around the anus.

I don't shave down from the bum to the vulva. Trim it, yes, but not shaved.

When they're standing up, I lift one back leg (like a boy would if cocking his leg on something) and zip out the hair that way, from beside the vulva, the inside of the thigh, and the stomach. On a boy, I take right out to just infront of their sheath, on a girl I go a slightly shorter equivalent distance. Turn around, and do the other side by lifting that leg.

I don't have any pics of the inside of her legs (will see if I can get some) but here's a pic of her butt end!








I'm not sure that I'd done her vulva and inside her back legs in this pic either... lol. So ignore that!


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## AgilityIG

Fluffyspoos said:


> What you can do is lift her back legs, one at a time, and go in at a side and shave the inside of her little belly there and up around her vulva. If you've seen any of Agilities pictures of Vinnie, on some of them you can see how his tail is up and he has a really clean bum! She dogs a good job. ^^


:embarrassed:Thanks!! I was trying to think of a photo that would actually show his backside. I think this is the only one I have. I read somewhere that the shaved area on the tail should not be any wider than a blade width and then I just go around the anus enough to clear room for poo :biggrin: I keep the area directly in front of his penis trimmed a little shorter and then just skim his sheath to make things look tidy.


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## Fluffyspoos

AgilityIG said:


> :embarrassed:Thanks!! I was trying to think of a photo that would actually show his backside. I think this is the only one I have.


I found a couple more! I feel like a total perv looking up pictures of your dogs bum.. sorry. :cat:


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## Eklectic

This is great! I will most probably do my own grooming _when_ I get mine and this answers a few more of my questions!!

I totally LOVE the pictures!!!!


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## Mercury's Mom

Oops! I just totally gave Mercury a shaved road from the base of his tail to in from of his...ding a ling, along with a smooth belly. He is fuzzy everywhere else other than face and feet though. Luckily I didnt shave it down to the skin, but pretty close. I wondered why it didn't look quite right. Oh well, hair grows back.


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## Olie

Mercury's Mom said:


> Oops! I just totally gave Mercury a shaved road from the base of his tail to in from of his...ding a ling, along with a smooth belly. He is fuzzy everywhere else other than face and feet though. Luckily I didnt shave it down to the skin, but pretty close. I wondered why it didn't look quite right. Oh well, hair grows back.


"Ding a ling" LMAO!! Thats cute. And I made a mistake too and yep I am relying heavily on the new growth.


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## Mercury's Mom

He he! Luckily poodle hair grows back pretty quickly and they don't get embarrased by having a bad haircut. Otherwise, I have a feeling Mercury would be embarrased a lot as I am just learning.


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## AgilityIG

Fluffyspoos said:


> I found a couple more! I feel like a total perv looking up pictures of your dogs bum.. sorry. :cat:


LOL - I totally missed this one when I was looking! :biggrin: I don't use the 30 anymore on Vinnie's face - just a 15 now (no more close shaves!). He looks so much different now! Also, I don't shave quite so wide around his anal area now - that's quite a bit!


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## redcricket

Wow! Thank you everyone for all the replies and for the pictures! They are very helpful! I think I clipped Cricket too short this time back there, but it will grow in fast enough. LOL! Thanks again!


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## *skye*

This whole thread, while informative, is hilarious. I've never purposefully looked at so many doggy butts in my life!


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## passion4poodles

We call the "road" a baboon butt LOL! I trim it like AgilityIG. It looks better that way, specially on dark dogs. Kiara is Blue and having that whole thing shaved really stands out!


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## frostfirestandards

I shave a stripe, that way in the event there is runny poo It wont get caught up and pretty much, because Im lazy


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## Mandycasey'smom

I think I do a road sorta like an 8 though around the but thin down and around for Mandy and little longer around what used to be Caseys jewels. Can't remember what I did this time though now neutered I tried to stay away from it as was just done in Oct thought it still might be a bit loose skin


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## ArreauStandardPoodle

AgilityIG said:


> LOL - I totally missed this one when I was looking! :biggrin: I don't use the 30 anymore on Vinnie's face - just a 15 now (no more close shaves!). He looks so much different now! Also, I don't shave quite so wide around his anal area now - that's quite a bit!


I love these photos. Is this a Whippet or a Greyhound? I am thinking Whippet. I find it interesting hows many Spoo breeders have both. I wonder if we are drawn to these sighthounds because of the minimal amount of grooming they require. Once you have one though, you are hooked for life, correct?


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## puppylove

Another butt picture for you pervs!


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## artsycourtneysue

LMAO on this whole thread! But where else could you find this much good info?!!


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