Trimming Eyes - Help, Tips?

[Megan]

Brooks' hair is always growing into his eyes...I try to brush it back, trim in up...but it just seems to grow towards his eye and I know that has to suck and be uncomfortable for him. I try to trim it myself but he wiggles. I usually am successful, but not pleased with the results. Any tips, tricks....I use regular scissors and have a hard time seperating the hair from the eye lashes....thanks in advance for the help!

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

Hi Megan!

I posted this on another group but thought I’d repost it here in case you find it helpful. There are lots of different doodle styles and looks out there, this is just how I do mine. :)

This is how I trim the area in front of the eyes:

The red lines show the hair I trim off. Its not much, just the hair that sticks out in front of the eyes. The blue scissors show the angle that I hold the scissors. I also trim off hair that has eye goop on it, and the eyelashes when they get really long. I like using blunt-tipped scissors for eye trimming. The ones I use are small (they’re called “ear trimming scissors”, from Petco I think), but regular sized scissors will work fine too. You can also use thinning shears if you want a softer look.

And this is how I trim their bangs: Basically I trim off any bangs that droop below the red line. Kinda like a doggie visor! ;)

One trick- if you’re worried about Brooks moving his head while you trimming, you can steady him by grasping his beard hair with one hand and scissoring with the other. And if he’s really wiggly then you might want to enlist a helper to hold him in their lap. And you can take it slow, just do a little bit each day so he isn’t overwhelmed. Oh, I don’t bother separating the eyelashes, I just trim everything at once. So I’m not much help there, sorry. But I hope that helps! :)

[Megan]

That looks beeeeeautiful! OMG..wish I would have just done it myself...took Brooks to groomer, explained his face to a T - came back looking like he had a scowl on his face..i'm going to try and correct it. =/ Beautiful doggie you have!

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

Thanks! :) Sorry to hear about the scowl, hopefully you can fix it! :)

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

Thanks for posting this! I was having the same question and am going to try trimming around the eyes today! This will be a great picture to use for help! :)

[melissa t. and charlie]

sharon, just read your tips (and saw the pictures with the "where to cut" ) around the eyes and for their bangs.
any similiar tips you have for around the nose or the top of the head. charlie was just groomed; his body looks great but the face is a little weird looking; some parts too long and some to short; want to try to fix it a little but not exactly sure how (you can see his before and after picture on my page). if you have any suggestions, i would love them. he just doesnt look like himself!

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

Hi Melissa! Charlie is a cutie pie! :)
I tend to keep my doodles pretty short, so I’m not sure if this will help, it depends on the kind of look you like. :) But this is how I trim my doods:

For the muzzle, I trim the mouth like this:

Side view:

I also like to trim their ears short (it makes them look puppyish) and trim their heads into a bell shape. (Kinda like a Darth Vader helmet, hahaha!)

This is my curly boy:

And this is my straight-haired girl. The hair on the top of her head parts naturally, so her “helmet” is a little flatter! ;)

I hope that helps! :) And don't worry if you mess up, I do that all the time, and it always grows back! ;)

[melissa t. and charlie]

thanks sharon that does help! any advice on the kind of scissors to use or buy?

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

I use these for trimming around the eyes and other small areas. I like them because they're inexpensive, $12.99 (I think I got them at Petco?)
http://www.fourpaws.com/products/ear-trimming-scissors.htm

The regular sized shears I have are pretty crappy, I need to get some better ones. But you could start a group discussion and see what people recommend. I've heard good things about the Dubl Duck shears, but haven't tried them myself. Having a pair of curved shears along with straight shears is helpful. :)

[melissa t. and charlie]

thanks; i am getting braver; i trim his head a little bit on top last night (its already grown in a bit) and did a pretty good job; feel like if i stay on top of it and don't let it get out of control i will be able to keep it in better shape and have less of a chance of being shocked when he goes to the groomer. thanks for all your tips!!!

[Anita - Thunder, Noodle, Sparky]

This is great and how sweet are you to take the time to put this together!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I just found this info. Thanks. I finally figured out what I didn't like about Ned's hair cuts and it was the between the eyes part. When he had his first haircut, the groomer shaved between the eyes and I had such a bad reaction to that that she began leaving that part longer - more like a bedlington terrier. I don't blame her but I am glad that I finally figured out what wasn't right!

[BG and Gavin]

Looking for this exact advice right now. Gavin is sporting a rock star look at this point and I was unsure whether to let the hair growing at the bridge of his nose grow out so that it will lay down or trim it back. Or maybe I trimmed too much (too far down the nose) last time and should let some of it grow in. Any advice before I get my scissors out?