About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

What Would You Do?

When an owner asks you to clip their dog short enough for the groom to last  3 months.


 This little one was in for her third groom.

She had her first groom in February, a hand scissor cut.

Her second cut, in March, was another hand scissor cut.

Her owner does a wonderful job of keeping her combed out.


She was in again today for her third appointment.
This time her owner wanted to cut her short.
Short enough for the cut to last three months.






It killed me to clip this coat.

She looks so cute when she is hand scissored.







So, what blade?
How short should I take her?
How fast will her hair grow?

What would you do?

What blade would you use?

So, what did I do?






I chose to use a #4F blade.

I just could not bring myself to go shorter than that.









I told the owner that we would see how long it took for this cut to grow out.

She could go even shorter next time if she wanted.




As for the face...nothing short of shaving it would stop it from growing out before the three months were up.

Even though the 'before' is from the dog growing out of a longer clip, around the corner of the eyes were scissored just as short as in the 'after' picture.

The 'before' picture is only 4 weeks growth.

We told the owner that no matter how short we took her around her eyes, the face cut would not last three months.



I think she turned out cute, but I still liked her longer cut. :-)


Just a note:
I am working on the step by step grooming posts, but have found it a little harder to get my pictures.
My oldest son took most of the pictures while I groomed for my blog.
He has now moved on to a new career, so I have to relay on my husband or younger son, and they are busy with their own jobs at the shop.
It has been crazy busy lately, which is a good thing.
I hope everyone else is busy with the spring grooming season also. :-)


18 comments:

  1. I like the shorter cut. It is much easier to care for and looks very cute. I believe the dog is probably more comfortable in the warmer months with a shorter cut. My Labradoodle and Poodle love their coats shorter in the warmer months.

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  2. Live your blog! I read it always. Keep them coming! 👍👍

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  3. So glad you are back! I really enjoy your product reviews and rants, so witty! Can't wait for more :P

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  4. cute pics! she looks great with that grooming. my dog is going in soon...

    zack

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  5. Have had to do a combination of a 10f and 30f on a few badly matted dogs. It's pretty frustrating since the owners think a once, or twice, a year shave down is good enough. They liked the look and asked if it can be taken shorter next time.... *sigh*

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  6. Nice blog.

    We must take care of our beloved dogs, and make them look as beautiful as they can be, no matters how much we need to walk for it.

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  7. i think she looks great with both long and short hair. nice job

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  8. Hi lisa do you hand scissor the entire body? A lot of groomers don't do this. Is it because it takes to much time.

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  9. Hi Lisa,
    I would like to be a dog groomer but my parents are not very supportive of this because they don't think there's any money in it. Anyway I wanted to ask you if you were ever scared of accidently hurting a dog or not being able to manage a dog and groom it fully or well and/or not getting enough business! I've found a dog grooming school were I can get some training but I'm worried I'll be a bad groomer for some reason. I would love some advice from someone experienced. Thanks, Beth

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  10. I think she looks pretty cute with the shorter cut too! I like that you can see her eyes and face better after her coat has been trimmed around her face. It's amazing how fast a dog's coat can grow and I think it's even more noticeable if it's been cut short. http://www.muddypawsintheguild.ca/grooming.html

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  11. I love reading your blog so much! I hope to see more!

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  12. Please update! I am really missing your blog :) Hope all is well!

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  13. What a lovely lovely person and family you are. I feel very lucky to have found such a blog. Amazing xx

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  14. Hi, I know this as absolutely nothing to do with this post, but in my shop, the one thing we struggle with is grooming the dogs front legs, they always seen to pull away. Have you got any tips to help with this?

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  15. Hi. PLease let me know what blade you used to the head...
    Thank you so much :)

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  16. Really many thanks for this awesome helpful blog. I love getting impressive information.

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  17. I would do an Asian fusion cut. Bladed body fuller legs. To me it's the best of both worlds! Whats your handle at petgroomer.com. I would love to friend you. Also are you a member of the secret Facebook group Groomers? I would love to follow you there as well! Good blog!

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  18. they are both adorable!!!!!!

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