grooming for next time

[kristi simmons]

First cut....what can I tell the groomer to do differently next time?  Wasn't happy with the eyes at all.

[Trudy Harlow]

Oh, my, so cute!  Still has puppy fur? 

I think it's important to trim around the eyes because dogs interact that way.  But I do my doodle's face myself.  He's very curly, like a poodle, and groomers always want to clip his face like a poodle's.  But I want him to look like a doodle.

Can you articulate what's wrong with the way the eyes look?

[kristi simmons]

well I'm not exactly sure...this is my first doodle and just from looking at others on here it doesn't look like the eyes should be trimmed up as much as her's are.  It's kind of misleading, her nose hair is kind of sticking up so it looks like more hair is around her eyes then there really is.  I'll look to see if I have another picture that shows it better.

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

so cute...she looks like my lilly

[Lynda Kamrath]

She does really look like she has her puppy fur.  You will probably do better to do the face for yourself, but you really have to protect her eyes with your hand while you clip the hair under the eyes.  She looks like she had more trimming on top of the eyes than under them.  I don't think I would like that either.  We use a number 6 (mm) blade on the trimmers and trim up the top of the nose, under the eyes, and over to under the ears.  My husband is doing Groucho this week, so I will try to get a photo of his face when it is done.

[Trudy Harlow]

I got some small, blunt-nosed scissors to use on Paddy's face.  I do not shave his face at all (except for this week when I had the groomer trim way down around his mouth due to an infection near his lip, and always under his ear flaps).  I just keep it trimmed so his eyes aren't obstructed.  As I said, he's very, very curly -- he easily could be one of those "corded" poodles somebody posted about -- and I like his face all curly.  I don't want him looking like a poodle.  His "mustache" is curly too, so it wouldn't look right to have the bridge of his nose trimmed closely.

One thing he does have is loooonnnnggg eyelashes, like poodles get.  The vet said it's perfectly all right to trim them, so I do.  Otherwise they get as long as his hair, plus they can curl back around into his eyelids.

If you start training your dog with the grooming now, she will learn to stay still for you while you trim her face to your own liking.  I do take Paddy to the groomer for the rest of the job, though.  He's just too big for me, and I don't own clippers.

[Lynette Main]

Shes so cute,looks like a stuffed animal. I never cut mu doodles around their faces until they were a little older.Then I did it myself with blunt trimming shears.Watch out for those long eyelases.I love them. I have three doodles and someone always needs a trim.