Quick Grooming Tool Question

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Quick grooming tool question- I have been slowly making my first attempts at trimming Rooney's face. He is tolerating it well but I've been going slow so I don't do anything too drastic and then regret it.  So far, I think it looks fine but there are some spots on his muzzle that I feel look a bit too choppy (my husband says he can't even tell...) and what I'm wondering is if using thinning/blending shears would help with that?  Does anyone use thinning shears on their Doodle?  If so, for what areas and what is your general technique?

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I use thinning or blending shears all the time on Gracie Doodle's face.  The trick is to never go across the hair.  Go with the growth of the hair in a downward motion.  Do only one snip at a time, comb and snip again if you need to.  Never continue cutting without combing first and maybe moving the next cut a little.  My hairdresser showed me how to use them.  It helped me a lot.  I also will take my sharp shears and half open them and drag them down a strand of hair to help thin out in the areas where I don't want a choppy look.  The good thing with the blending/thinning shears is that if you make a mistake you can always blend it in plus Doodles always look choppy regardless.  Any time you have a scissor cut line you can blend it in with the blending shears.  You should try to never cut across the hair.  The only place I do it is around the mouth/lip area but then I will blend it so it isn't harsh looking.  Same with ears.  Gracie has the longest ears and they just keep growing.  I have to shorten them all the time.  When doing the snout with the thinning/blending shears I start at the part in the center of the snout and thin down towards the lip.  Also, to just overall shorten the snout hair you attempt to pull both sides up like in a pony tail on the top of the snout and then do a cut from the bridge of the nose straight across to the tip of the nose.  That is the only time I use a blade scissor.  When you drop and comb the hair is should lay soft and fluffy down the sides of the snout!  Good Luck!

[Bonnie and Kona]

This was a very helpful description. Thank you, Nancie!

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

This is definitely helpful and I completely understand what you mean about not cutting across the hair but rather downward. Thank you so much. I am going to look on Pet Edge tomorrow and order some thinning shears- I just know I will find them so useful.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Nancie, thanks for the description.  I have the same trouble that Lori is having.  Can you please post a close up picture of Gracie's muzzle and a side shot of her face too?  I am having trouble with the hair on what you might call Cubbie's cheeks (that spot between the eyes and the muzzle and sort of on the side of his face). It gets so full and thick there but I just can't seem to figure out how to cut it right.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Lori - that is the best way to get your equipment.  I bought a ton of stuff over the last few years from Pet Edge and a few other sites.  PetCo and PetSmart don't have anything at all.  You might find clippers but they might not be the greatest.  We have a huge archive of grooming questions about equipment and usage in this group.  When you have time just look back over the last few years of discussions.  I learned how to groom my Gracie Doodle right here in this group.  Lots of questions but I finally have it pretty well figured out...at least for Gracie's type of hair.  I still don't know how to do a body or leg scissor cut.  I use clippers on the entire body and scissor the face and feet.  I never touch her tail!!!!  She has the beautiful Golden Retriever plume!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Nancie -- Any chance for those of us who are sort of visual people you could do a little video showing you use the thinning shears on her face and ears?

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Oh, and I second the idea of ANY DK groomers posting pics or videos of helpful grooming techniques! I am always anxious to learn and visuals are incredibly helpful!

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Oh yes, Nancie- this site has been SO incredibly helpful.  In fact, I don't think I would have ever even considered trying to groom Rooney myself if I hadn't read through so many of the grooming threads and discussions and discovered how many people were tackling clipping and trimming their dogs themselves.  I remember at first I thought, "I could never do that!" and then, I kept reading and learning more and eventually thought, "Hey, maybe I could do that!" LOL! I do searches all the time and am always learning something new.  That was how I found the Royal Diamond Labradoodle videos that were so helpful in giving me the confidence to give Rooney his first scissor trim.  Now, I am starting to explore the idea of clippers...

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Gracie is due for another haircut but I don't have time until a week from now...therefore I am not able to take a profile photo because she is so shaggy right now.  Here is from her last big haircut that I did in March.  Gracie has very long ears (the leather is very long).  I feel she gets this hang dog look when they get too long and they start looking heavy and she looks like an old lady.  I prefer her ears short and fluffy.  These ears are cut 1/2' from the "leather" and although look short to many look adorable on her.  Every cut I do on Gracie is different.  I never know how it is going to turn out.  Also, each individual Doodle has a different wave/curl pattern, texture and density so it is hard to replicate a picture you might like.  Gracie is not thick coated, has fine, soft wavy hair and has swirls and cowlicks which have minds of their own.  I just have to work with what I have but in my eyes she is always adorable!!!  So, in these pictures she has very short ears but I Iove them!!

PS  I do use clippers on her neck and under her ears.  I use the 1/2" comb attachment or sometimes the next step shorter and go around her neck and right up to her ear holes while holding up her ears.  This way the ears can get air to them. With Gracie's fluffy ears you would never know.  I don't like beards so I keep the neck and chin short.  Gracie is a water fanatic and always has her head in a bucket of water so it is important for me to keep her face and ears manageable!  She also loves to have her entire body shorter rather than longer!!!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

that is how I do mine too.  I don't like drippy beards either.  How short do you cut the face (sort of right in front of where the ear leather meets the muzzle)? 

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Yep, that is pretty much the way I do it.  The ears are sort of tricky.  Sort of like my daughter's bangs when she was a little girl.  Uneven, cut more, uneven, cut more until they are so short they stick straight out!  It is so hard to measure Gracie's ear length.  Also, if she is standing up they turnout one way.  Laying down with ears spread out on the floor is NOT a good idea.  She should be standing or sitting but holding still can be a problem too.  She was perfect but is now starting to not cooperate for groomings like she use to.  I cut along the lip line but I don't want to see the black lip if possible.  The chin is all clippers.  I usually have to follow her around for a few days snipping here and there because I will see a wild hair or curl pop out.  Her eyes are trimmed frequently.  Her snout hair is so soft that in the wind it all blows up in her eyes and she can't see!!  ha ha  Like every one has said in the past...the wonderful thing about Doodles is you can screw up a haircut and within a week you will never notice it!!  

[F, Calla & Luca]

I use thinning shears on Calla around her fac. Near her eyes, acroos the bridge of her nos and other parts. She is due now but I have to work my way up to it. For her body I would like to use a hedge trimmer : ) Her hair is incredibly thick and grows so fast. She is never "done", really. At some point I just give up till the next time. I never need thinning shear for Luca, whose hair is wavier and thinner. It is not easy to groom him but much easier than it it to groom Calla.