First Home Clipper Cut!!!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Some of you may remember Tara and my adventures when I attempted to scissor cut her awhile ago. The cut turned out pretty well but it took me 8 days. Yes, eight!! And that was just her body!!

Following the sage advice of my DK friends, I have since invested in a pair of Andis Clippers and combs. DH and I clipper cut Tara's body this Saturday and I trimmed her face and legs yesterday and today with scissors. This was INCREDIBLY faster!!! Much less wear and tear on both of us. AND DH did ALL of the clipper cutting part (involved a power tool!!) which was AWESOME!!

Results are mixed. Here are some photos before bath and like with the scissor cut I am counting on the curls to come back and hide the boo boos here and there!! There isn't much symmetry in her face and the ears are not even.... and on and on. BUT I think it is a good first attempt and hopefully with practice we will see some improvement. :) In the meantime I will be following her around with a pair of scissors...

Thanks to all of you who helped transition me to the clipppers!! And a special shout out for Sue of Sue, Murphy and Bella who spent a lot of time explaining the ins and outs of clipper cutting to me. :)

P.S. I don't know WHY one of my pictures ended up at the top or how to move it! :(

[Donna Vee]

Love Tara's new look...She's sooooo darned cute! Thanks for stopping by my page and for noticing that I haven't been around as much.  We were on vacation a couple of weeks ago and then last week things were just totally chaotic.The crate situation is AWESOME! They go right in in the morning, no questions asked. It took about a week or so but they are so good in their crates.  Out of the crates however, is another story. We sitll have to watch them like hawks.....lol. They're settling down a bit though.  :)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

That's a good point Nancie! You have those long straight stretches that would go pretty fast with a clipper. With Tara I can never get any speed up!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Bonnie...I have the 27" Standard but only 73 lbs.  She is one very tall girl and I groom her all the time!  It probably just takes longer because there is so much more body to clip.  But less nooks and crannys!!!!!  haha

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thank you Bonnie!! These pics were taken over 2 months ago and I really haven't done much maintenance during that time. I think that is part of the issue!!! I trimmed her feet yesterday and that was a big improvement. Today I am going to work on her face.  And I agree, I dont think I would have the nerve to take on a 94 pounder either!! I'm having trouble managing a mini!!!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Tara is a beautiful doodle and I think you have done an excellent job grooming her! It looks professional from these photos! I think it is probably a bit less of a chore to groom a mini compared to a 27 inch, 94 pound standard. I think about it but chicken out every time he needs to be clipped. ;o(

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thanks everyone!! And Linda, don't listen to those nay-sayers!! LOL!! If you decide to try it you will have all the support you need right here on DK!! :)

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

She looks very cute. Good job.

[LG & Sadie]

She looks great! Nice job!

[Linda and Murphy]

Wonderful job!
I have trimmed Murph's face and eyes between cuts but he grows so fast. I have been secretly contemplating getting some clippers. When my I mentioned this way back, my youngest son had a fit. "Mom, you used to cut our hair. Jordan always looked like you put a bowl on his head. Please don't do it to Murphy." I guess I'm scissors challenged too.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thank you! Ginny, I think you will be REALLY pleased with the difference between scissoring and clipping! :) Be sure to post pictures!! I can see that our grooming time is become more and more a fun or bonding time for us too. Mostly the brushing part right now but hopefully the clipping part will follow. We took some breaks during Tara's cut too. One time she looked like a rhodesian ridgeback!!! Plus I think we needed the breaks as much as she did!! Sue, you may have mentioned the rinse but I totally forgot it. It is a good idea though as I'm finding the little hairs all over the house! :( Next time I think we will be more relaxed and hopefully enjoy it more. This time was kind of "hair raising"! Hee hee!!!