Coward!

Yes, I am a coward.

I am a coward when it comes to grooming outside the box sometimes.

I tend to stay with the comfortable.

The groom that I knew a customer will like.

The safe hair cut.

What the heck am I talking about?

I am talking about when you get that new customer in with a new puppy and they know nothing about grooming, or how they want their dog groomed.

They give you this blank canvas of long hair, in perfect shape, and tell you to do whatever you think.

Isn't he adorable?

He came in last week.

He is 6 months old.

He didn't have a mat in him!

His Mom had no idea what she wanted done, other than the fact that she did not want him shaved.

No matter how many questions I asked, all of her answers where either; "I don't know",  or "whatever you think".

 There is a face in there somewhere. :)

So, the owner has more less told me that I can groom her dog anyway I want.....or has she???

I don't believe that an owner ever really gives you carte blanche to cut a dogs hair anyway you want.

They say it.

They may even think that they mean it.

But, I am afraid that if I ever really gave a customer their dog back with a haircut outside of the norm, the sh*t would it the fan.

Would they be upset if I thought that their dog would look cute with shaved ears, eyebrows, and a mustache with no beard?

Would they be upset if I clipped the body in a Schnauzer pattern, or a Lamb pattern with big puffy legs and poodle feet?

I know that these examples are extremes.

Just the visual picture that these examples conger up are silly, and not what I would do, but there are times when I would love to do a cut on a dog that I think would really look cute, but is not what the owner wants.

(after the bath)

Look at all of that hair!

A blank canvas.

Actually, I think that he would look adorable with his ears scissored up to the leather and a #3F taken over them, blended into a cute, tight round head and cheeks, with the mustache and bread left long.

Can you picture that?

I love his under bite. ☺

So, how did I groom this puppy?

Well, as I said before...I am a coward.

Maybe, I am too hard on myself.

Maybe I should say that I just like to play it safe.

I decide to do my 'go to puppy cut'.

The safe cut that I give to most of my new puppy owners.

A cut that will not shock their senses.

A cut that isn't too drastic and won't get me in trouble.

I used the Wahl purple steel clip comb.

It took off about half of the coat and left a nice wavy, fluffy finish.

I scissored the face in proportion with the rest of the body, and only neatened the ears.

90% of owners want those long ears.

At least my customers do.

 Now that I think about it, I think that I will change the name of this cut from 'a puppy cut' to 'the cowardly cut'.

The cut that I do when I don't know what the customer really wants.

 Because, it is simply amazing how many times that the customer who didn't have any idea how they wanted their dog groomed when they dropped it off, suddenly knows exactly how they wanted their dog groomed after they see how you groomed them...and the cut isn't what they thought that it would look like.

Oh, as far as I could tell, the owner liked the cut. ☺

✂ Happy Grooming, MFF ✂