# Grooming the Rear



## Jeanniek (Mar 20, 2018)

I have been grooming Zumba, who is going to be 2 in a couple of months. Except for a very short cut last September when I came back from a 3-week trip to a horrendously matted dog, I have been letting her hair grow out. It is now about 5 - 6” long. What I have almost always done is cut extremely short from right underneath her tail down and around to her belly. Now that her hair is longer, I think it looks unusual to have this shaven middle area, with the long hair on either side. I keep thinking of something Ricky Ricardo’s Pop said a while back about his wife refusing to see the “eye” looking out at her. I wish I understood how Ricky is groomed then. So, the last couple of times I have done the sanitary grooming, I have been less aggressive in cutting off that section, but not sure if that is right. Can someone explain to me how to handle that area and show me a pic of what the back of the well-groomed dog looks like? I just can’t find a pic on the internet, and the videos that do show it, the dogs are being cut really short all-over.


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I have gradually done it less and less often. I don’t know the right way to do it. Usually when I’ve asked for a sanitary trim they shave like the “eye” and I hate that, too. For a while I tried to stretch the time in between but eventually I found he wasn’t having trouble so I haven’t done anything in the back in a long time. 

But, he’s a boy! 

I do try to keep the downy hair in the creases of his back legs and the lowest part of his tummy trimmed. I stop around the creases of the legs and leave the back hair alone.


----------



## Jeanniek (Mar 20, 2018)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I have gradually done it less and less often. I don't know the right way to do it. Usually when I've asked for a sanitary trim they shave like the "eye" and I hate that, too. For a while I tried to stretch the time in between but eventually I found he wasn't having trouble so I haven't done anything in the back in a long time.
> 
> But, he's a boy!
> 
> I do try to keep the downy hair in the creases of his back legs and the lowest part of his tummy trimmed. I stop around the creases of the legs and leave the back hair alone.


Thank you so much EvaElizabeth! That is what I've been wanting to do, but worried about doing it. I'll do your strategy - -just stretch the time between cuts and see how far I can push it.


----------

