# How to groom rear feathering?



## puddles everywhere

My girl has very long feathers too but would never trim them. I just bathe often


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## Megora

I never trim the butt feathers... as long as they are not excessive length, there's no reason to use any blades anywhere except feet, tails, ears/neck. 

Wet and dry pics showing normal length for my guys and most goldens....

They don't really get poop on the feathers though unless it's soggy/soft. And then I just spray poop off with the hand nozzle in the bathtub. It's not really a big deal.


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## puddles everywhere

Good idea, didn't think about posting a pic.


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## Prism Goldens

Not much you can do to get rid of the choppy look, but from here out, you CAN take scissors at about 135 degree angle around the anus and take all that long hair out, imagine a bullseye look if the tail were up.


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## Summertime15

Prism Goldens said:


> Not much you can do to get rid of the choppy look, but from here out, you CAN take scissors at about 135 degree angle around the anus and take all that long hair out, imagine a bullseye look if the tail were up.


Thank you...so I think you are saying what I was thinking, which is to remove a bit of the fur around the inner thigh area. (Maybe also thinning?). That would at least give a somewhat softer and more natural look. I have learned my lesson on this one and will not be trimming the length again. At the time it seemed like a good idea for the cleanliness (after all, he sleeps on my bed and sits on my sofa!) and I have done it previously to a lesser extent. But this time I didn’t realize how much I cut off until I looked at him from a distance, sigh. Hopefully it will grow in fast as it has done in the past.


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## Prism Goldens

Summertime15 said:


> Thank you...so I think you are saying what I was thinking, which is to remove a bit of the fur around the inner thigh area. (Maybe also thinning?). That would at least give a somewhat softer and more natural look. I have learned my lesson on this one and will not be trimming the length again. At the time it seemed like a good idea for the cleanliness (after all, he sleeps on my bed and sits on my sofa!) and I have done it previously to a lesser extent. But this time I didn’t realize how much I cut off until I looked at him from a distance, sigh. Hopefully it will grow in fast as it has done in the past.


I will take some pics this week- so you can see what I mean. If I remember. But no, not the thighs- lift his tail and cut all around his anus with the scissors pointing AT and down to his butt, not lying up against it. There's a GR judge who in her pre-judge days used to call herself the 'Butthole Queen' and that is the position she held the scissors. At the same time, though, there are many judges who do not want to see the butt like a bullseye at them if the dog is holding tail up.


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## Megora

> At the time it seemed like a good idea for the cleanliness (after all, he sleeps on my bed and sits on my sofa!)


For whatever it's worth - the dogs keep themselves pretty clean.

With my younger guy, it's to a fault with him picking the slightest debris out of his feathers. And then they are meticulously fussing over their personal areas...  

Then also, poop just doesn't stick to the trousers. Only if the poop is soft - in which case, we just spot clean. It's not a huge deal.


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## LynnC

Ok so I have a question. Luna is getting groomed tomorrow and they asked if I want a “sanitary trim”??? I said yes but now I’m wondering if it’s necessary or not?


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## Goldens&Friesians

LynnC said:


> Ok so I have a question. Luna is getting groomed tomorrow and they asked if I want a “sanitary trim”??? I said yes but now I’m wondering if it’s necessary or not?


Sorry, this is a little late to respond to your question. A sanitary trim is a very short trim around the anus and the belly/penis area. Lots of pet owner like it because it keeps urine from catching in the hair, plus that area is sometimes hard for pet owners to keep brushed so it prevents matting. It doesn't harm the dog and is really just a personal preference thing. I don't do it on my current girl because I know how to keep it brushed since I'm a groomer. I did it for the last year or two of my bridge girl's life because she was struggling with incontinence and it kept her cleaner. Plus she was left a bit off-balance from a stroke she suffered at age 13 which made it difficult for her to stand on 3 legs-a quick shave under the belly was faster than brushing it so easier on her.


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## DevWind

I never trim that are either. My boy doesn’t seem to have a problem and he has so much that you can’t see that he’s intact. I’ve been trimming my girl’s inner thighs because spay coat just mats horribly there.


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