How to Trim the Hair around your Dog's Eyes Safely

If your dog's fringe has grown so long that you can barely see their eyes, it is time for a tidy-up. Hair hanging over the eyes is not just a cosmetic problem: it can block your dog's vision, trap moisture against the skin, and make tear stains worse. The good news is that a careful trim around the eyes is one of the easiest grooming jobs you can do at home — as long as you go slowly, use the right tools, and know when to stop.

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Why the Hair Around Your Dog's Eyes Matters

Dogs with long coats — Shih Tzus, Poodles, Lhasa Apsos, Cocker Spaniels, and many fluffy mixed breeds — grow hair on their faces just as fast as on the rest of their bodies. When that hair gets too long, it flops forward over the eyes. Your dog may start bumping into furniture, hesitating on stairs, or turning their whole head to look at something instead of just moving their eyes.

Long facial hair also holds tears, dust, and discharg

e against the skin. That damp, dirty environment is a common cause of tear staining, skin irritation under the eyes, and even mild eye infections. A short trim every few weeks keeps the area clean, dry, and comfortable, and it lets you spot problems — redness, swelling, or unusual discharge — early.

Before You Start: Gather Your Tools

Never trim around the eyes with kitchen scissors or craft scissors. You need tools made for the job, and a calm setup:

• Small rounded-tip grooming scissors: the blunt tips protect the eye if your dog moves suddenly. This is the single most important safety item.
• A steel pet comb: for combing the forehead hair up and away from the eyes before you cut.
• A slicker brush: to smooth the surrounding coat so loose hair does not fall back over the eyes mid-trim.
• A quiet clipper kit (optional): useful for very nervous dogs, since a low-vibration clipper can be gentler than snipping near the face.
• Treats and a helper: one person holds and reassures the dog while the other trims.
• Good light: work near a bright window or under a strong lamp. You must be able to see exactly what you are cutting.

Let your dog sniff the tools first, and give a treat for calm interest. If your dog is already anxious, do a short practice session with just combing and treats, and trim another day.

Combing the forehead hair up and away from the eyes shows you exactly how much needs trimming.

Step-by-Step: Trimming Safely

Step 1: Settle your dog

Choose a quiet moment when your dog is relaxed but not sleepy — after a walk is ideal. Sit on the floor or place your dog on a non-slip surface at a comfortable height. Your helper should hold the dog gently with one hand under the chin, keeping the head still without squeezing. Talk softly throughout.

Step 2: Comb the hair away from the eyes

Using the steel comb, gently comb the hair on the forehead upward and outward, away from each eye. This reveals the true length of the hair that actually falls over the eyes, and it pulls tangles out of the way so you do not cut matted clumps by mistake.

Step 3: Trim a little at a time

Hold a small section of hair between your fingers, well away from the eyeball, and trim only the tips — a few millimetres at a time. Always point the scissors away from the eye, never toward it, and keep your fingers between the blades and your dog's skin as a guard. Work from the inner corner of the eye outward, checking your progress after every snip. If you are using a clipper, use the shortest safe guide comb, keep the blade flat against the direction of hair growth, and stop immediately if the blade feels warm.

Step 4: Check both sides

Step back and look at your dog face-on. The two sides should look roughly even, and you should be able to see both eyes clearly. It is better to leave the trim slightly uneven than to chase symmetry with extra cuts near a wriggling dog.

Step 5: Clean up and reward

Wipe around the eyes with a soft, damp cloth to remove loose hairs, then give your dog a treat and plenty of praise. End on a happy note, even if the trim is not perfect — you can always tidy up again in a few days.

Trim a few millimetres at a time, with the scissors pointing away from the eye.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Using sharp-pointed scissors: one sudden head turn is all it takes for a pointed tip to injure an eye. Rounded tips only.
• Cutting wet or matted hair: wet hair looks longer than it is, and mats pull the skin up into the blades. Comb first, and detangle before you cut.
• Trimming a stressed dog: panting, lip-licking, whale eyes, or trying to pull away mean stop. Forcing it teaches your dog to fear grooming.
• Trimming too close: the goal is clear vision, not a shaved face. Leave a short protective fringe rather than cutting right down to the skin.
• Pulling the skin taut near the eye: unlike body grooming, stretching the eyelid skin is risky — work with the skin relaxed and your fingers as a barrier.

How Often Should You Trim?

Most long-coated dogs need a face tidy every 3 to 6 weeks. Fast-growing breeds like Poodles and Shih Tzus may need it every 3 weeks, while dogs with slower-growing coats can go longer. A quick weekly comb-through of the face hair will tell you when a trim is due: if the hair falls over the eyes again right after combing, it is time.

Between trims, wipe the corners of the eyes daily with a damp cloth or a vet-approved eye wipe. This removes discharge before it dries into crusts and keeps tear staining under control.

When to Skip the DIY Trim and See a Professional

Do not trim at home if your dog has a red, swollen, or weepy eye, a visible scratch on the eye, a growth or lump on the eyelid, or if your dog snaps or panics when you touch their face. These need a veterinarian or a professional groomer, not a home trim. Likewise, if your dog has an eye condition such as cherry eye, entropion, or chronic dry eye, ask your vet before trimming near the eyes — they can show you the safest technique for your dog's specific case.

A professional groomer is also the right call if you are unsure of your hand steadiness or your dog simply will not hold still. There is no shame in it: a groomer's calm, practiced hands can finish in minutes what might take you a stressful half hour.

Clear eyes, a calm dog, and a treat to finish — the perfect end to a face trim.

Recommended Products

These are the tools mentioned in this guide — buying through these links supports PawProper at no extra cost to you.

Steel pet comb
★★★★½ 4.7 (8,762 ratings)
For combing the forehead hair up and away from the eyes before you cut.

Slicker brush
★★★★½ 4.6 (14,451 ratings)
Smooths the surrounding coat so loose hair does not fall back over the eyes mid-trim.

Clipper kit
★★★★☆ 4.4 (98,389 ratings)
A quiet, low-vibration clipper can be gentler than snipping near the face for very nervous dogs.

The Bottom Line

Trimming the hair around your dog's eyes is a small job with a big payoff: clearer vision, cleaner skin, and a happier dog. Go slowly, use rounded-tip scissors or a quiet clipper, keep your fingers between the blades and the eye, and stop the moment your dog says they have had enough. A little patience and a lot of treats will turn face trims from a wrestling match into just another part of your grooming routine.

By PawProper. This article is general information only, not veterinary advice. If your pet is unwell, see a veterinarian promptly.