Need a Check of My Grooming Instructions for Rosco's Grooming!

[Adina P]

I'm taking to Rosco to his third 'pro' grooming.  In 5 years he's only been to a groomer twice (other than for baths and sanitary trim) because I've mostly done it.  But no time now and he needs a haircut.  He is not a dog that mats easily but might have a mat here and there as I don't brush him regularly--but really he's not the type to mat to the skin and I can virtually always comb or brush out his mats on my own.  His coat is NOT thick -- example of this is that I can use plastic comb attachments on my Andis clippers and they go through just fine.

 

His coat is a wee bit over 3 inches and I'd like him to be taken down to 1.5 inches. 

 

Here are my instructions that I want to print for the groomer and I need to know if ANY of this can be grossly misinterpreted or if I need to clarify any of it (I will put my explanation or notes to YOU in italics).

 

-- Trim coat to 1.5 inches ALL OVER (including tail but excluding any of the specific details below).

-- Clean up face (around eyes, snout, beard) but NO shaving anything to the skin or shorter than 1/2 inch around the face.  I just want his head to match his coat but without his eyes being covered because 1.5 inches hanging over his eyes is a bit too long.

-- Sanitary Trim

-- Clean ears and trim ear hair directly under the ear flap and around the ear opening very short.I want air flow under his ears and the hair surrounding his ear hole to be short but I DO NOT want that odd shaving under the neck from ear to ear that poodles get.

-- Paw fur trimmed and very short underneath/around paw pads but NOT poodle feet.  So far, at least at PetCo they always screw this up and there is still a lot of fur between his paw pads when all is said and done.  I want the 'clean feet' of the poodle but ONLY on the underside of his paws. I don't want to see the bare feet from the top.

-- Hair on outside of ears should be layered rather than blunt cut at the bottom -- When I do this, I use clippers and a comb attachment and go over his ears so that all the hairs are one length and look 'layered' rather than just trimming the bottom hairs to shorten the ear fur length. I don't like the look of the 'bob' blunt cut at the bottom.

 

So I'm asking for help as he goes in today in the afternoon and don't want him to come out totally opposite of what I'm asking.  But I need to know better 'groomer' terms and need to keep the instructions short and sweet.  I don't know if this groomer is experienced or not...I'm just crossing my fingers.  Any tips on improving the directions that are in bold???

 

Here is Rosco a few weeks ago--he had recently had a bath.

 

Adina

[Stella]

Wow, the top of his nose is really, really short!!  I always think they look better a couple of days later when the curls have come back in again.  But, yep he needs more of a trim under his ears for sure.  Hartley, my F1 LD, has quick that never seems to draw back from the end of his nails.  It makes it so hard to trim them shorter, no matter how much I try to keep up with doing them regularly.  Glad that overall, he came back ok!!  It is always stressful leaving them at the groomers because you never know what you are going to pick up afterwards, one groomer totally poodled my multi-gen, including cutting his beard off :( !!   That was when I began to contemplate clipping him myself  - best decision I made, but then I don't have a baby to take care of!!

[Adina P]

I really liked doing the clipping myself.  But it just takes too much time that I don't have.  In the summer when it's nice out I can see possibly doing the clipping myself while Natalie plays in the yard...though it may take a few days to 'complete' it all.  Heck it takes me all week to feel like he's 'done' after I do his grooming.  Ya just gotta keep fixing things here and there.  It's the BATH I hate doing.  He's so big and it wears me out!

[Jenny & Henry]

What a handsome looking dog!  I agree, overall, he's looking spiffy!  :)  His eyes are so pretty.

[Carol Brand]

I think she did a great job.  Look!  He has a neck again!  I don't find the top of his nose to be too short.  I think it gives his face a better shape.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Rosco looks great.  I agree that the under-ear is too long and the snout too short, but overall he really looks cute.

[Jazz & Jane]

Adina, once you've groomed him yourself, you will never be totally satisfied with anyone.... she didn't SCALP him or "poodle" him, so he's still one handsome dude.  You know you really will have to "start over" with a new person no matter how many "notes" you take..... right?  ;0)

I found this post tonight, and got TOTALLY ABSORBED and had to read from beginning to end.  It is sooooooooooo DARN CUTE......  Everyone is sooooooooo SERIOUS and TOTALLY absorbed with this "doodle" dilemma....  Someone on the "outside" would DEFINATELY call us "CRAZY" !!!

and THAT folks, is why I so LOVE it here in "doodle land."  ;0)

[Adina P]

Haha you are SO right.  I'm already trying to decide what NEW groomer to take him to...teehee.  I just want it done right.  And yes, once you've done it yourself you KNOW what you like and what you don't.  I don't want a generic 'breed' cut I want specifics =)