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! :(

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

You did a terrific job for a first time clipper cut. And it certainly does get better, both in time and in her holding still for it. As for the uneven ears...I always love that tilted head look, so you just made her looking permanently tilted. Glad to help. Did I mention that I like to rinse Murphy off after a clipper cut to get a lot of the litte tiny hair off him and to get the hair to curl back up.?

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I actually enjoy grooming Gracie Doodle. When I get the table out and say "uppy uppy" she jumps right up. She will also jump right back down if I don't remind her to stay from time to time. The best thing I ever did was taking her to the professional groomer's for the first year. There she learned her "grooming manners" so to speak. They are no nonsense and she learned the word "Hold" which is the best word ever when you have scissors near they eyes! So glad I didn't have to find out what it would have been like to groom her from the beginning. One good grooming tip is to give them and yourself a break every 10 minutes or so. I groom in the garage with the door open and when I say "OK" to Gracie she jumps off and runs to the back lawn to play with her ball for a few minutes or get a drink of water. We take 4-6 breaks during the entire grooming process and it makes her much more cooperative and she doesn't get as tired. They just don't want to stand there for a few hours holding still. I have found grooming to be a very good bonding time with your Doodle too!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Great job! I am getting Andis clippers for my birthday after doing a scissor cut on my medium size doodle--exhausting! I feel your pain! Can't wait to try them. I just can't afford the groomer's HUGE price anymore. The clippers will pay for themselves after just two haircuts. By the way, Tara is adorable!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Laurie you are a BRAVE woman!! LOL!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I'd like to book Vern and Fudge for their appointments, please! Nice job!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thanks everyone! She CAN be a squirmy girl but I am trying to turn her into a cheesedoodle like Quincy who jumps up on the grooming table ready to go when he sees cheese!!! :)

Sharon, it was all the advice and encouragement from DK'ers that finally enabled me to get the nerve up to try it. Oh and of course the 8 day scissor cut debacle which I did NOT want to repeat!! However, everything you need to know can pretty much be found right here! And like Kevin said- "Doodle Hair Grows Quickly!" ! So even if you mess up royally you will get another "opportunity" before you know it!!

[Shelby and Kev]

A- for effort! A-for the haircut!
Be CONFIDENT in what you do!
Tara is just Georgeous and Remember-
Doodle hair grows quickly!!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Tara you are just too darn cute for words, your mom and dad did a great job.

[Jodi and Stella]

awesome job!

[Leslie and Halas]

She looks great. Nice job!