need some grooming advice

[Lynne B]

Beck is almost 6 months old, poor baby can't see anymore and I am not sure I want to play groomer. I had him groomed 2 months ago, but the lady who did it made him look like an owl (I think she trimmed too much hair over his eyes) and he had a sort of poofy top to his head which was weird. I downloaded a PDF file here with instructions for the groomer, but I'm not sure those will really explain to the groomer what I want.
1. How do I explain what to do with his face?
2. His 'fur' is really like hair and is not tight tight curls but I guess he has a wool coat? I brush him a few times a week and he hasn't had any matts. His fur is about 4" long should I have them trim it down?

Here's a picture hopefully it will give you an idea of what he looks like right now

[03pilqobzlvp7]

He's beautiful! I can see why you don't want to risk having him messed with, but it is important for them to see, and I believe dogs communicate best with each other when they can see each other's eyes. I don't know how short you want him or if he might be too hot with his current length, that is best left to you...as far as hiseyes, I think you can do it yourself without too much trouble or risk of making him look like an owl. You just need a sharp pair of scissors and a little patience. If you make small cuts at an angle and not just parallel with the body, you can get a natural look that doesn't look like you just cut holes in a paper bag.

[Kathy Wilson]

Okay, this is a long shot and may sound lame, but do you have a haircutter friend you could consult with? I know he's a dog and not human, but maybe a human hairdresser could provide some input as to how to trim his face without turning him into an owl.

Other than that, call a bunch of dog groomers, take the info to them and let them know what you didn't like about the last grooming. Just some thoughts on a day that I am ditzy and super excited because Hershey is in heat!!! (yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy)
Kathy

[Ivy Bates]

Beck has a fleece coat. I have some pictures on my website, if you like you can take it off my website and bring it with you. Try not to use a brush, use a comb because he will start the change of coat and a brush will not get out the mats

www.doodlestyle.com

[Lynne B]

wow, I didn't know it was fleece- that's interesting. I will go to your website now & get some pictures, thanks. I will try a comb, so far I have not been happy with the results from brushing him, his coat is so fine and hairlike it sort of wraps around the brush if I'm not careful and gets pulled which I'm sure doesn't feel real good

[Cindy and Mandy]

Your pictures are so wonderful!!! Each of them look cute and gorgeous.

[Cindy and Mandy]

When Mandy's face was trimmed I just wanted around her eyes and they did the muzzle which turned out fine. But the top of her head above the bridge of her nose is sooooo short. Dave said it made her look like a monkey. It does look a little better after I wet it so some curl came back. Mandy's coat is soft but also coarse. She doesn't matt and her coat is shorter, maybe 2 inches long. I told Maureen I wanted one that didn't require a lot of grooming and I don't think she will. I bet you could trim around his eyes fine. I would have done Mandy's but still can't use scissors with that hand.

[Lynne B]

like a monkey huh? Well, that's probably better than Beck, when he looked like an owl lol

[Kyoko]

LOL! I thought Charlie looked like a monkey, too when her face was cut short!

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

What a sweetie! Love those chocolate noses! :)
One tip about the length- if you have hot summers then having the body cut to 1 inch or shorter is nice for the dog. Keeps them cooler in the summer heat. :) But one caveat- make sure that you can run a greyhound comb thru his coat, down to the skin, from tip to tail. Otherwise the groomer will probably shave him down. (Its hard to leave length on a coat when clipping, the coat needs to be totally knot free.)

Check out Ann and Sully's video on grooming. She demonstrates "line brushing", which is very helpful for doodle coats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szIij_zknNs&feature=channel_page

Hope that helps! :)

[Lynne B]

Hopefully I found a good groomer, I was referred to a local groomer who is supposedly 'in love' with labradoodles and has been grooming quite a few of them. I phoned her and was impressed, she asked if he was an F1, of F1B, talked about his coat, and she asked about knots- she said the same thing as Ivy did- comb him! which I have started doing and it's going much better than brushing (thanks Ivy) . I have an appt. for tuesday, so I will post some pictures after that. I guess no matter how it turns out, at least he will be able to see again lol

[Kathy Wilson]

GREAT news, Lynne! Can't wait to see the photos!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I personally like long ears, muzzle and beard - just the way Beck looks now. For the summer I would just have the trim his body to an about an inch long. If you think his head needs to be trimmed, then just ask them to TRIM it a little bit. The way his picture looks I would just trim between his eyes but not down his nose. I love his face!! (You can always trim it shorter yourself if it is too long.)
I clipped Samantha again this past weekend and have her pretty short. Her coat is MUCH straighter than Beck's.
For the top of her head, I comb her hair forward, grip between to fingers and snip with scissors.
Check out the discussion on Gromming Group - Just a Place to Share. see if any pictures there are helpful for you.
Please don't forget to take before and after pictures to share.