This was the second time that I groomed this Labradoodle.
The first time that I groomed her, she was a bath and neaten up all over.
The previous groomer had shaved her very close and she was still growing out.
That was about 6 to 8 weeks ago.
My instructions for this grooming were; (Husband) "I don't think she needs a hair cut, but my wife wants some hair off."
"Some hair." Hmmmmm.
What would you do????
The picture above is after the bath and blow dry and before any cutting.
I noticed one of two things was going on with her coat.
Either her body grows out faster than her legs, or the last groomer had clipped her legs shorter than her body.
She has one of the best coats that I have seen on a Labradoodle in a long time.
Other than a few small natty mats here and there, she was in very good shape.
She also had a really nice plushy coat hiding under the courser top coat.
The hair on her back was almost an inch longer than the hair on her legs.
Remember, the owners did not want too much off.
So, I decided to take length off her body only, and match it up with the length on her legs.
That would leave about two inches of hair all over.
The owner also wanted the top of her head and over her eyes short.
I clipped her back with the Wahl (A) Lavender clip comb.
It took off just the amount I was looking for.
I skimmed off at the top of the hip and the top of the front leg.
The clip comb took off about an inch.
All I needed to do was comb the hair up and scissor to neaten up the body.
All that was needed to be done to the legs was to neaten them up with the scissors and blend in to the body.
I would say that I only took a little less than a 1/4 of an inch off the legs.
I think that the clip comb was a good look for him.
And, now his owners can see her face!
What a cute face it is. :)
You did a great job.....what kind of groomer cuts the legs shorter than the body?......This is why I groom My own dogs and cut and color my own hair too.......I live on Long Island and only found one groomer who did a good , no great job when my Beardies got older and me too and needed someone to give them not just the bath and blow out they got every two weeks for 7 yrs but the cut I wanted now...long legs, tail, beard and ears and short but fluffy body.....it got pricey so she even taught me how to clip them since I did all the work combing them every day to keep them mat free for her......she said I was the only customer who came in with mat free fur every time ....My mom has a shih Tzu who when not in Florida gets a haircut here that look like she was groomed with a weed eater.!!!!! No matter where she takes her.....I wish you lived here.....you are more like an artist.
ReplyDeleteThank you granmommyli,
DeleteI like to look at grooming as an art. :)
Great job! She is really cute and definitely looks better when you can see her cute face!
ReplyDeleteThere's a vets office here in town that does all its grooms by using a reverse blade on the legs to "avoid scissoring." So a #5 gets a #4 reverse on the legs and feet, thereby making them shorter. It may just be a rumor, but I have seen several of their dogs and the legs ARE shorter! People like that make all groomers look bad, if you ask me...
ReplyDeleteI wish my doodle had such a great coat -- mine has sparse hair on her legs. I am planning on printing this and giving it to my groomer as a general guide but I promise to tell her I realize Kandy's legs won't look like the picture.
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteOn my Doodle customers that have sparse coats, I like to clip the body and scissor the legs. I personally think that they look better scissored.
Lisa, MFF
That doodle looks great! shorter legs are what happens at my store when a customer "has been brushing their do" (that they want left long!) only on the back & chest. Then they want the hair to be left as long as possible, but those legs are totally matted and can't be brushed out. We really do have people say they don't care if it looks bad, they just want it left as long as possible everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mini,
DeleteI believe you. I once had a customer that would have me shave the matted legs on her dog and leave the body. The next time the dog was in I would clip the matted body and leave the legs. It was a vicious cycle. lol
Lisa, MFF
Awesome these are some awesome ideas! This will help my sister with her pet grooming in Munster IN!
ReplyDeleteNice job - he looks great!
ReplyDeleteThank you Melanie!
Delete