scissor cut vs. clipper

[Doodle Grooming]

Does anyone scissor cut their doodle?  Not just the face, but the entire body.  How long does this take you?

[Lynne B]

I use scissors on Beck. His coat is so thick that I can only use clippers on his belly and private parts, I have a super duper heavy duty set of clippers and it simply won't go through his fur unless it's with a very short blade, I bought a 3/4" blade (not attachment) and it just doesn't do the job.

How long does it take? It depends, if I stay on top of it and trim him every few weeks maybe an hour or two, but I generally put things off and end up spending half the day getting matts out (which seem to appear before my eyes) and the rest of the day scissor cutting him.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

If I prepare the coat in standard groomer fashion, the scissoring takes about 30 to 45 minutes depending on how still the dog is. This girl is scissored to one inch on the body and 2 inches on the legs. I was sending her out that day, so I wanted to give her a bit shorter coat so the new owner would not have to send her to the groomers too soon after moving.

I always scissor my dogs. I like to shape them... not follow body contours. Also I like to have their coats 2 to 8 inches long. On my wool dudes, there is no way to use any blade but a no. 10 [naked] if I want to shave them. I can use a No 4 skip tooth blade if I scissor the coat to 1 inch, brush, comb, bath, table dry [fluff] and then shave. That's a lot of work. If I have a dude with a long coat and I want it to be 2 inches, I scissor it shorter first, called roughing out. Then I brush and comb out matts. This leaves some high points so I even the coat out and then wash and let dry naturally This is really hard on the scissors. You are not supposed to use grooming equipment on dirty coats. I do it anyway as it seems to be most efficient. I just need to get my scissors sharpened more often. I don't want the coat to look "perfect". I want it to be more naturally shaggy. You can't really get it even by using ths method but that is the way I want it.On the picture below, this wool girl has a 2 inch coat. I blend in the legs. I cut the thigh quite close and then leave the lower leg longer to give a bit more of that stove pipe look rather than follow the leg contours. I leave a bit more length on the chest because I like the look. The length of time for this process is 3 to 4 hours. It includes 2 haircuts. It can be longer if the coat is matted.

Below
This is the first time I tried using a no 4 skip tooth blade on one of my wool boys. It's waaaay shorter than I like, but it was good to know it was doable. He liked the freedom, so how could I deny him that pleasure? :-)

This is the way he usually looks.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Barb, your dogs are so beautiful and your grooming really shows them off!

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Thank you. The best part about my dogs you can't see because it's on the inside. :-)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Ha, well the outsides look terrific!

[Lynne B]

Barb, come to Reno and groom my dogs...pleeeaaassseee

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I use to go to Reno a lot. Now that I have 18 dogs and 15 new puppies, I am a little tied down. Other than that, I would be there in a flash. I went to SF for 2 hours to deliver a dog just before Christmas. I left and got home in 12 hours.
Hmmm let's see...Horizon flies from Kelowna to Seattle and then to Reno. It takes 3 hours total in the air, plus airport time.

[Lynne B]

well phooey..

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

More good information. The last time I took Harlow to the groomer, I had her scissored to 3". She look lovely and I will probably leave her at 3" until weather gets warmer. Then I think I will try to scissor her my self, based upon this post. Thanks for posting.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I bought a $50 pair...good, but not overly expensive. I am not stuck on a brand...Whoever has a sale... I have other scissors that are $100, but they stay tucked away until I am working on clean coats. Scissors can be way more than $100, but I find at that price they do a good job.

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

Where do you purchase your scissors? There pairs I bought eons ago at dog shows are shot from being sharpened too many times. I need to get new ones. Also do you use both straight and curved scissors?

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Last time I bought scissors, Renspets was having a sale. I also buy things from PetEdge when the $ exchange is closer. I don't do finishing work, so moderate price equipment is ok for me. The only thing I don't compromise on is my best friend..blower dryer...I find my blower literally saves me hours of work and not only keeps my dudes fresh between baths, but extends the time between baths dramatically.