First attempt at DIY doodle grooming - ?'s about trimming the face

[Eric & Rufus]

Hi everyone,

This is a wonderful site with lots of good information! I've been reading through these forums for months now and have several pages bookmarked - along with dozens of pages from other sites. I have been trying to gather the knowledge (and nerve!) to try and groom Rufus, my giant schnoodle. Rufus is almost 15 months old and has been to the professional groomers on three occasions. At $100 a pop, I can't afford to take him as often as necessary. (I'll admit that when I chose a new dog, I was one of the people that didn't think far enough ahead to realize that "no shedding" equals "lots of grooming" - of course now that I have Rufus, I wouldn't ever change my decision!)

Anyways, as much as I would like to have Rufus professionally groomed, finances have dictated I invest the money up front in some decent equipment in order to save money in the long run, At bbird's suggestion, I purchased the CC 16mm pin brush and a wooden handled poodle comb. I was using inferior products before that and these made a huge difference in the day to day brushing. I also finally purchased a pair of Andis AGC2 clippers and some Andis clipper combs, as well as a pair of blunt-end curved shears and a pair of thinning shears. I cannot afford the table and arm just yet, so I had to make do with a plastic table I already had.

After bathing, drying, and combing, I used the "B" comb (13/16") on his body and the "D" comb (15/16") on his legs. I also used the "F" (1.25") on his tail (Rufus' tail is a long dock so it is done differently than the  typical doodle). The hardest part about clippering the body was actually working up the courage to turn the clippers on and start buzzing him. Considering it was my first attempt, I was fairly satisfied with the outcome of his body and legs.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same about his face. I was very lost as to what to do and searched through this forum quite a bit before starting Rufus' face and head. I also watched several YouTube videos (for the umpteenth time) until I thought I had the idea. I started with his ears, and somehow I got it in my head that I should hold his ear flap with my fingers below the actual "flap" of skin and then trim just below my fingers using the curved shears. As soon as I did it I knew I had cut the hair waaaaay to short. Of course, in the name of symmetry I had to do his other ear the same way. I tried using the thinning shears to make the bottom edge look a little more natural, but wasn't too successful. I was really discouraged afterwards and didn't do too well on the rest of his face either. I mostly just used the thinning shears to shorten the top of his head and his mustache and beard. I also used the curved shears to clip between his eyes.

I am looking for any other resources, instructions, guidance, etc. on how to groom Rufus' face/head/ears in the future (once it grows back out!). Of course now I know not to cut the ears so short, but I am still baffled in particular about the sides of his face - not his snout but the area in front of the ears (his cheeks?).

Here are the before and after photos. Thanks in advance for any help given! - Eric

[Marie Dennen]

His face looks great! His legs could be better blended with the body. The legs look good , there may be some uneven parts on the back legs. Over all I think did a great job for a home groom. Doodles are not easy to groom.and.I have been grooming for quite some time. I have a few a I still struggle through. I am guessing you don't you use a high velocity dryer. That will blow everything straight and you will achieve a more even look when you scissor. You do get a better groom when you high velocity dry it. But I know they are expensive. If you like a kinky curly look you can always spritz it after to kink it up. Barbara.J Bird is fantastic. I have seen Royal Diamonds videos and I don't care for them. There is very limited info on them and some things she did looked unsafe. She does not go in detail on prep work such as bathing, drying and properly combing and brushing out the coat. Learn2groomdogs.com is a site you can subscribe too. Check out Jay Scruggs and Sue Zecco styling sessions, I don't know if have something geared to doodles, even if you got a poodle video you can still pick up pointers. They might have something on faces. I heard of something called doggie net flix, I am not sure about the name.The Theory of Five is a fantastic book by Melissa Verplank. It has some greatpics and info that might help you visualize things She wrote Notes from the Grooming Table which any groomer worth their salt has that book on hand. The Mutt Styling book might be helpful. Doodle grooming is expensive. I groom professionally. I will confess I do not budge on my prices because of work that goes into them. The only customers I give a break to are ones who commit to a regular schedule and the coat is in very good shape.