Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there! We have a 7-month old ruby Cavalier and are surprised at how long her whiskers have become. Is it common for owners to trim the whiskers, or should we just leave them alone?
Thanks!

>>Hi there! We have a 7-month old ruby Cavalier and are surprised at how long her whiskers have become. Is it common for owners to trim the whiskers, or should we just leave them alone?
>>Thanks!

>>>>>>>>>>

The whiskers on a dog are sensory organs. Sometimes they are trimmed or clipped off for conformation showing, but this is frowned on by people whose main concern is the dog's safety and comfort. The whiskers are functional. Don't cut them at all.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Whiskers on dogs (and cats, rabbits, mice, etc. for that matter) let them know when they're getting too close to things. If a cat's whiskers are trimmed off you can often find them with their head stuck in something like a can or rabbit hole.. I remember hearing about one dog that for genetic reasons had been born without whiskers. He was never able to sense if he was crawling into a space that was too narrow. He got out of the house one day and they finally found him 2 weeks later wedged into a small gap between a garage and another house. It was too narrow for him so he got stuck and starved to death.

Basically, it's a very bad idea to trim them. They are that length for a reason, best to leave them that way for the dog's welfare.