Haircut

[Sally M]

Tomorrow Penny gets her first haircut. And I'm apprehensive! I'm afraid she'll come out not looking like herself. I know, silly me. I have explicit instructions as what to cut and not cut. So hopefully, she won't look too differently...just shorter on her body and legs and top of head. I'm also wondering how she'll react. She didn't like the elec. clippers when they trimmed the bottom of her feet, but maybe that was just a feet-thing and not a clipper-thing. If it's the latter, they will have to scissor cut her. I hope they don't charge extra for scissoring. At any rate, she has to be cut, she's starting to get matted. Well, I'll post photos of the "new" Penny tomorrow. She'll probably be unrecognizable. Her hair is so long and so wild, shorter hair has got to be an improvement, right? Wish us luck! LOL!

[Joan Bollaert]

First,your not silly for worrying about haircut. Most places from my experience don't know how to cut a doodle. They come out looking like poodles. Tell them to cut column or bear legs. Never cut tail. Ears should be to tip of nose when stretched forward, no shorter. And, you will find that no groomer will scissor cut. If your doodle is matted, expect her to be shaved. Sorry, but that's the trend of groomers. My Millie had a gorgeous wavy coat and never matted. She came home a different dog, shaved and her coat grew back with gray hairs. She was a solid chocolate/fudgey brown to start with. Good luck. I hope you have a better experience. Do not assume the groomer knows what she's doing. And tell them to call you first before shaving her. Comb the Matt's out yourself because they will not.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Just remember no matter what it is, it's not permanent.
Looking forward to seeing your doodle pic

[Joan Bollaert]

Exactly!!!   I probably sounded like a Debbie Downer in my post and not very encouraging. :(   I was horrified and actually cried when I saw what my Millie looked like, but her coat grew quickly and she's still adorable.  :)   

I really do wish there was as groomer around here that will scissor cut.  But I've found someone who does a pretty good job and grateful for that.  

[Julie, Eloise & Beasley]

Just about every one of us who's used a groomer can relate, and I think the first groom is esp nerve-wracking because it takes away some of that "puppy-ness".  ;)  Your specific instructions should help - have them agree up front, and it's good to have a picture(s) too so they can visualize what you're expecting.  And if you don't like it, don't worry; it's amazing how quickly they grow out and start looking like themselves again.

My groomer scissor cuts both of my girls, and just uses clippers on the bottoms of their feet.  (I had Beasley shaved during her coat change - I tried to keep Ellie longer during hers, but the mats were unbelievable and I knew I didn't want to go through that again - me or the dog.)  You might have to try more than one to find the groomer you like.  The first one I used made Eloise look like a poodle a couple times (nearly shaved face and all), no matter my pics or requests - so, I found another who does what I ask.  Good luck, and I look forward to seeing Penny's picture! 

[Glenda & Lizzy Lu]

If you can find a groomer at some point that has groomed doodles your chance of getting the cut you want will be more likely. We got lucky.

[Sally M]

Thanks everyone. Joan you weren't being a downer...I've heard that before...about not many groomers know how to cut Doodles. But maybe that's changing. I have a few "rules": No hair off ears (yet), keep her mustache/beard, nothing off tail, no tapering of legs, and no cutting of her extremely-long eyelashes. I have pictures on my iPad to show groomer. I hope I don't regret this. But, like you all have said, it'll grow.

[Joan Bollaert]

That's right about the eyelashes!!!!   I love their long eyelashes and beard.  Good luck!!!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

It sounds like you've done the best you can do to ensure that Penny gets a proper doodle haircut! It's in the hands of the groomer now!  I'm always surprised at how different Tara looks after a grooming session and I do it myself! LOL  So there may be a surprise and hopefully it's a pleasant one! Good luck-I'll watch for your update! 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Stay positive.  Looking forward to seeing photos of Penny's groom.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Hope she turned out to your liking.  If not, it will grow.

[Wanda Klomp]

Hi Sally, how old is Penny? Doodle owners have a tendency to wait too long before the first haircut, often till right in the middle of the coat change and because most groomers don't take the time to detangle the coat or know how to groom a Doodle properly in the Doodly way, most Doodles get clipped short, looking ugly. I know, because I am specialized Doodle groomer who teaches owners to groom them themselves in a fluffy way. If every owner would know what proper coat care and grooming entails, they could either keep the coat tangle free themselves, helping the groomer (which unfortunately is no garantee for a natural fluffy look) or groom and trim the coat fully in a fluffy way themselves. It all comes down to the correct information. Please download my FREE ebook on my DK page and follow me on my DoodleComfort FB page to learn more. I will be offering a Brushing Pro and tangle tackle program in the near future and my 6 month program "Learn to groom and trim your Doodle in a Doodly way in 7 easy steps". I want to make it possible for every Doodle owner in the World to learn the right tools and never be dependant of groomers again! (Saving tons of money and frustration about groomers, taking the wellbeing of your Doodle in to your own hands and improving the relationship with your Doodle to boost). Good luck tomorrow!

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

How did her haircut turn out?