The Dreaded Groomer Visit

[Trowby]

Well, I thought I went through everything with the groomer...wrote it all down. But she came back with owl eyes. Shaved across her nose and around her eyes. It will grow out but eessh...The rest of her looks very good, though - especially her feet. I guess it's a case of trial and error. But our baby looks so different. SIGH.

Trowby

[Joan and Rags]

Trowby,
I know how you feel. Especially after the first grooming. If it helps at all, just know that she will look better in a couple of weeks. My husband always says how "ugly" our dog is right after a grooming. Then without fail two weeks goes by and he says how much better she looks. Think of this way, It can only get better.:-)

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

This comment may be too late, and I am sorry you had this experience. I guess it could have been a lot worse. I find that the best look comes from scissors only grooming. I shave the inside of the feet, a sani clip and the base of the ear only. The rest is all done with scissors. I had a groomer I hired working with me here this summer and she had worked at several grooming shops before. She would not pick up a pair of scissors and said she did all grooming with shaving. Needless to say she was only allowed to brush and wash for me. She also ruined a coat on my stud boy with using dematting tools only suitable for shedding double coats like my shepherds. It is hard to talk to experienced groomers as their training and experience is almost opposite to what needs to be done to a doodle coat.

[Rae]

I know this won't help right now but---in about two weeks, or when her face looks exactly right take several pictures and then make several copies of the pictures. EVERYTIME you go to the groomers take the picture and say "this is exactly what I want her face/body/etc to look like. That really worked for our groomer and now we don't need to even take a picture. She actually taped the picture to our dogs card for future reference. Give it a try and good luck.

[Trowby]

Thanks everybody. I know she will grow out and will probably look great in 2-3 weeks. Barb, the groomer said she was going to use only scissors which she did on most of the rest of her but then the eyes...eessh. I told her that she looked great except I didn't want her eyes shaved or her anus either which is shaved to the skin. Do you shave there or the belly? Her coat looks good- curling up again after being blown dry...Thank goodness their hair grows fast!! And she should be losing her puppy coat soon. What can I expect then? Does it all come out at once or just gradually?

Trowby

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Puppy coat has to be brushed out. If your dog is non-shedding, the puppy coat will not fall out on its own and this stage can take a few months. What type of doodle do you have? My doodle's coats all grow extremely slowly. 1/4 inch a month at the most. For this reason, I scissor them only once a year in the spring and just tidy them up in the fall.
I shave the belly in the spring and summer and if they have matting hair there. I carefully lift the hair away from the anus with my razor. I don't shave any skin there as the bare look on a dog that has lots of hair is sort of a funny look.

[Trowby]

Hi Barb
I believe that she has a curly fleece coat. When she went into the groomer her fur was in very narrow dreads next to the skin. What would you say with that description?After grooming her fur is soft and beginning to curl again. She has had very few mats. Mainly under her jaw and on her back knees. Otherwise pretty mat free. Her fur seems to grow quickly. But I don't plan to have her cut again for quite a while. It would seem the main thing is brushing to get the puppy coat out. And when I take her for a nail clip (I'm a chicken about that because her nails are clear) I am planning to ask the groomer to do a thorough brushing.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Hi Trowby
When I asked what kind of doodle you had I meant was it a Goldendoodle, Labradoodle etc. Instead, I looked it up and I see you have one of Kendra's babies. Great! I do too. As a matter of fact, the black girl at the top of the grooming page is from the same place. I went there to pick her up last year.

[Trowby]

Hi Barb. Glad you figured it out lol. Kendra has beautiful labradoodles. Sage is a mini from her Vivaldi and Fancy. Cool that the black girl is one of Kendra's babies. They are super!

Trowby

[Jazz & Jane]

Good point about the butt -- I've read of doods having their butt shaved to the skin and then it was itchy like a razor burn (I envision a diaper-type rash). I use round-tipped scissors (and it takes awhile), but now that you've said it -- I SHOULD use the clippers to lift the hair AWAY. Great tip !!

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas had a few spots shaved on his body due to mats in early July. Those spots are growing back very slowly. But the hair on his face grows back very quickly. There's only been a time or 2 that I felt he was a little too short around the eyes and nose, but within a few days, it already looked good to me again. I'm sure she's still adorable, and she'll be back to her normal coat in no time.

[Trowby]

Thanks for the encouragement Leslie. May it be so! I will say that I'm getting more used to what she looks like! Guess I really like the scruffy look best.

Best

Trowby

[Nancy (Chelsea and Harley)]

I share your pain. I had the same thing happen the first time my Chelsea was groomed. What helped the next time in was the IDOG biz checklist. So take heart, and take photos of the body so you can take them with you next time. Take care!

Nancy