Trimming & Shaping the Border Collie Foot for Show

Rear foot -- untouched

Rear feet

Feet finished -- hock untouched

Finished hock & feet

Finished hock & foot

Use thinning shears to shorten/neaten pasterns to just below dew claw pad.  Be careful not to cut it too short -- you just want to neaten the look of the pastern. The pastern of a border collie is to be slightly sloping so trim the pastern hair to mimic that gentle slope.

Finished forefoot

Finished forefoot of a dog with LOTS of hair

Finished underside forefoot

After trimming bottom, have the dog stand on the foot and trim around outer edge to shape into an oval shape

Finished front feet

Untrimmed bottom forefoot

Hairy pastern!

Untouched forefeet

Untouched forefeet

Scissors hair flush with bottoms of pads.

Carefully scissors in the V-grove around large foot pad.

Do NOT trim between the toes from the bottom!

Bottom done -- not shaped yet.

untouched foot

shaped foot

Special thanks to Kathy Sours for letting me use Catcher's feet for some of this photo essay!