Yorkshire Terrier: How to Cut Hair on the Pads of Their Feet

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Your Yorkie will find it difficult to move around freely when the fur on your dog’s foot starts getting in the way of its paw pads. The dog’s soft paw pads allow it to grip slick surfaces, gain traction, and move around freely without slipping. That’s why it’s important to trim the excess hair on the pads of your Yorkie’s feet.

This article discusses how to cut hair on the pads of Yorkshire Terrier’s feet.

Yorkshire Terrier: How to Cut Hair on the Pads of Their Feet

You’ll need the following supplies to cut excess hair on the pads of your Yorkie’s feet.

Graphic image of Yorkie and scissors with a text describing how to cut the hair on the foot pads of a Yorkshire Terriers
  • Electric clippers
  • Rounded scissors
  • Comb
  • Towel or Hair Dryer

1. Start With Rear Paws

Grab the first paw and angle it towards yourself gently. Don’t grab and hold your dog’s paw forcibly. If it resists, give it a treat and let it calm down. I recommend you trim the back paws first.

Starting with front paws can make your Yorkie nip at you if it isn’t in the mood. It’ll likely relax by the time you start trimming the front feet after finishing the rear ones.

Important Note: Your Yorkie will likely stand up or lie down multiple times during the entire cutting process. It means you’ll also need to adjust your grip multiple times. Make sure that you place your clippers and scissors away from your dog to prevent accidental injuries.

Groomer massaging the feet of a Yorkie

2. Comb Hair

Use a soft-bristled comb, specially designed for dog style and grooming, to raise the hair up by holding the foot steadily. Brush your dog’s hair in between its paw pads to lift it up. Spread the toes out using your hand and comb the hair up towards the dog’s ankle on top of the foot.

Raising the hair will make it easy for you to cut clumps of fur or any matted hair that’s hiding between the toes and pads. Yorkshire Terrier is a very small dog breed so make sure you use a small comb.

3. Start Cutting in Between Paw Pads

Dog clippers have blades of different sizes to cut hair at different lengths. The following chart explains blade numbers and the hair length they offer.

Blade NumberHair Length in Inches
31/2
43/8
51/4
71/8
95/64
101/16
153/64
301/50

Use the #30 blade and start cutting the hair located in between the paw pads. Work the blade in between every paw pad to trim down excess hair. Use your free hand to gently spread your Yorkie’s paw pads and trim hair slowly.

Groomer cutting the excess hair off the paw pad of a Yorkshire Terrier

Use rounded scissors to cut excess hair from areas that the wide comb of the clippers can reach. Take your time and be very careful to make sure you don’t cut your Yorkie’s paw pads accidentally.

4. Cut Hair on the Bottom

Lift the hair surrounding the bottom side of the paw pads using the small comb or your hand. Use scissors to trim the hair that’s sticking out the edges of the paws. Using electric clippers here will be difficult because of the small space.

5. Remove Tangles, Knots, and Mats

If you see any clump of mats, knots, or tangled hair, use your comb to straighten them up and cut the excess hair sticking out towards the bottom side of the paw with scissors. If the hair on a certain part of the paw can’t be combed, make sure you cut the cluster carefully.

Use your electric clipper to cut tangles and mats because scissors can tug the hair out of your dog’s skin which can lead to irritation. In addition, cutting tangles and mats in between the paw pads is important because they can increase in size with time and cause pain.

6. Remove Hair From Toes

Reach the top of your Yorkie’s foot by flipping the paw over. Use the same comb to straighten the hair on top of the paw. Press the front part of the middle paw pad gently to make the combing process easy. Now use the #7 blade to trim the hair from the toes.

Trimming with the #7 blade means your dog will have three millimeters long hair on its toes. If you’re living in a colder climate, you can use the #5 blade that will give more than six millimeters long hair.

Choosing the blade type to trim the hair from tows is a matter of your personal preference. You just need to make sure that the fur on your Yorkie’s feet is uniform and doesn’t look odd when compared to the rest of the hair on your dog’s legs.

7. Remove Individual Hair Sticking Out

Take your time and inspect your Yorkie’s paws carefully to see if there is any loose hair sticking out from the paws that you missed the first time. Double-check in between and the bottom side of the paws and cut if there is loose hair sticking out using your rounded scissors.

Yorkshire Terrier

8. Repeat Process for Remaining Three Paws

Once you have cut the hair on the first foot of your Yorkie, repeat the same method to do the same for the rest of the feet.

9. Give Bath to Yorkie

Once you have trimmed all the feet, give your Yorkie a bath. You can also just wash your dog’s feet thoroughly to remove the remaining hair. However, giving a bath to a Yorkie won’t take much time because of its small size and you can also do it over a sink rather than using a tub.

Make sure you use the towel to dry your dog’s fur thoroughly before you let it play around, you can even give them a little massage to make them feel relaxed.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some frequently asked questions about cutting hair on the Yorkie’s pads of feet.

Why Is It Important to Cut Yorkie’s Hair on Pads of Feet?

It is important to cut Yorkie’s hair on pads of feet because it allows your dog to gain traction and grip slick surfaces. The soft paw pads of a Yorkie allow it to walk and run freely without sliding all over the place.

If the fur on your pet’s feet starts getting in the way of its paw pads, it increases the risk of slipping, especially on smooth surfaces.

What Blade Size Should I Use to Cut Yorkie’s Hair on Pads of Feet?

You should use the #30 blade to cut hair on your dog’s paw pads and between the toes. It’s the shortest blade size which will allow you not to worry about trimming your Yorkie’s paw pads for at least a couple of months.

Final Words

Cutting your Yorkshire Terrier’s hair on pads of feet is a little tricky process but you can complete it effectively at home using the right steps. Feed your dog with tasty treats during this process to calm down your Yorkie if you see any signs of distress and be extra careful while cutting hair on paw pads.

It’ll allow you to complete the process in the shortest possible time without hurting your little furry friend.