Where are the ears??

[Carol and Banjo]

I have not had Banjo professionally groomed yet.   I have wanted to but chicken out each time....I'm so afraid he'll come home looking like a different dog.   I plan to wait til late spring/early summer and have him cut then.   In the mean time, I have cut his "bangs" and between his eyes so that he can see.  I love his "muppety" look!    The question I have is.....is there a way to trim along the sides of his face so that his ears are more visible?    The hair on his head, face, neck and ears all blends together and you can barely see that he was ears.    Maybe this is just the way he is??   Any help/tips would be appreciated!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I think we need to see a photo of Muppet....er...Banjo with his new face cut first. I usually have to trim away some of the hair on the sides of Gracie's face but first, I always clip the hair that is under the ears which I guess would be the side of her head. That alone can lighten up the face a bit so the ears are a little more pronounced. Gracie has very big, long ears so it is hard to say without seeing Banjo in his present look.

[Sharon & Monty]

thinning scissors! i just bought some this weekend, instead of chopping the hair around his mouth, eyes, ears, it looks so much more natural.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Absolutely. Calla really needs them or she looks like someone put a bowl on parts of her face and cut around it. Luca doesn't really have that problem since his hair is not as thick and it's curly.

[Carol and Banjo]

Here's a close up of his face.....I had to keep going back to between his eyes to try to repair the very "chopped" look...it's still a bit choppy....I will definitely get the thinning scissors....are they "people" scissors???

I think if I can trim around his "cheeks" and under his ears...we might get more definition.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Banjo looks very sweet. You sort of want a choppy look. I always finish anything I have done with scissors with a thinning clip to make it jagged and choppy looking. What I do to Gracie on that clump of fur that I see on the lower part of his right eye (cheek) is...take really sharp scissors and start with a pointing down action. They are so sharp that I can actually just glide them down the fur or slightly scissor them but going down towards his legs. That way you don't get a blunt scissor line and it acts like a razor and shaves down the outer hairs. It is hard to describe or visualize. Have you ever cut wrapping paper and you have been able to just hold the scissors open and run them across the paper and they cut perfectly? If so. that is the same type action you would do with the scissors but go down along the growth of the hair. Never across like you are cutting bangs...that is a huge no no! Actually, I just did that part of Gracie yesterday and also opened up her eyes. Here is her picture. She needed her face washed so she is not looking so fluffy and soft like she usually does. I tried to circle the area I am talking about. Also, You can clip the hair under the ears into the neck area. On Gracie that is very curly. I even use my clippers there. Hope this helps you.

[Carol and Banjo]

Ohhhhh....nice job! Soooo cute! I don't have scissors THAT sharp! I'll have to invest in some very good scissors just for Banjo. Thanks for the help! I'm going to try trimming on the sides of his eyes and just a bit lower to help bring out his ears. Then go from there.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I just bought 2 new pair of scissors. One was another Ed Geib, $50 plus dollars but they sell scissors for hundreds of dollars. But boy do good scissors make a difference . It still saves tons of money over paying a groomer.

[Carol and Banjo]

I checked the Ed Geib shears out and they ARE pricey for sure! If you had to buy one scissor....what size would you recommend? I agree with you...doing it yourself does save $$$....and I'd rather blame myself for results I'm unhappy with than some poor groomer!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Carol, do you have a Beauty Supply Store in your area. We have Sally's Beauty Supply here. Discounts of course to those who have a license, but normal people can purchase products also.
I bought( human ) Beauty Salon Shears and Thinning Shears and spent a lot less. I would have to look up the price but it was no where near what they want for Dog Grooming Shears and certainly worth the money or taking my dogs to a groomer

[Carol and Banjo]

There is a Sally's in NH....thanks Joanne! I'll check it out.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

P.S. I don't know what size to recommend. Just go look and see a pair you like. I think they come in 5,6,7 inches.

Spud's hair is very thick and even the best shears will not work. I have to hand cut him down, then take a 10 blade to him!!

I think I purchased the 6 inch. I can use these on the face and coat both.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I got a 6.5 inch at sally's for about $21. It's fine for small work and faces. It would also be fine for Luca in general. But Calla has a very, very, thick coat and it's actually bent cheap scissors. I got the 7.5 inch Geib which is up to the job. i actually would have liked it smaller as well but there was none in the "reasonable" line. They are very heavy , sturdy and sharp. There's a site called Shear Precision that I used for the thinning shear and this new pair.