Cutting hair over eyes

[Christy&Riley]

I have been trying to trim the hair over Riley's eyes. Just when I think she can see, she moves her head around and more falls in her eyes. I also noticed the hair falls straight down instead of framing her eyes like everyone else. Is this because you dry it that way or is it the cut? We always let her air dry so I'm wondering if that is part if the problem. I try to cut angled like they cut my hair so it isn't blunt but that isn't working either. Would anyone have suggestions? My next resort was buying thinning shears and maybe asking a groomer to teach me. Not sure they would since it limits my visits.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Lucy has this problem but I think I have Finally figured it out. When she first came to us a year ago, her breeder/groomer was letting the hair over her eyes grow longer. That made it more weighted and it stayed nicely out of her face. Her new groomer has been cutting it short and now I can't keep it out of her eyes. I have even resorted to using a hair clip just so she can see. 

She was just groomed on Friday and already it is in her eyes

[Christy&Riley]

LOL on the hair clip. I may have to try that soon. I like the "wind blown in the eye look" on Lucy!

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I really like using the thinning shears, I just got a pair at Sally's. People shears were less expensive than pet. My most recent pictures on my profile were after I used the thinning shears.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

I really like the look! Yogi is adorable and looks like he has the same kind of hair as Lucy on top of his head.

[Marla Norton]

Zoe has the same issue, as you will see if you look at the photos on my page. I am interested to hear. That other doodles have long lashes. I thought she her weird Snuffelepagus eyelashes were unique! Our current groomer recommends in between appointments for face/eye touch ups and "hygiene" trims.

[Yvonne Scott & Miss Ivy]

Long lashes...prettiest part of their face. Love them and I make sure not to cut them, but rather trim hair so lashes are very noticable.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

These are the scissors I use to cut in between Yogi's eyes: Conair PRO Dog Round Tip Shears, 6-Inch.
They are wonderful! I purchased them from amazon.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

It looks like its just the way Riley's hair grows. Oscar and Lucy have the same problem. I'm comfortable with trimming around their eyes, so I just trim whenever the hair starts obstructing their vision. I am the type who likes to see my doodles' eyes anyway, and have been trimming my dogs' eyes since they both were puppies. I started with blunt end scissors but now I use regular dog grooming shears. You must be very, very careful when using scissors around eyes (obviously!).

[Teresa Joyce]

Hi Christy,

If you are looking for a framed look around the eyes known in the grooming industry as a teddy bear, you need to comb all of the hair on top of the head forward and then cut what "hangs over" in front of the eyes.  This will give you more of a finished look and keep the hair from falling in the dog's eyes when it shakes its head and the hair on its head moves around.  The easiest way to do this is with curved grooming shears. The curve of the blade will give you the arch in one cut in front of each eye. You can bevel the cut to make the hair closest to the eye shorter and the hair on the head longer.  The shorter hair will help support or "stack" the hair that is longer above it. Regardless, the hair will still grow quickly and you may need to touch up every four to six weeks to keep it from growing back in the eyes.  I also trim my doodles eyelashes but I leave them about an inch long - I just love the way they look with those beautiful lashes.  Good luck and if you want to find curved shears, you can find them at www.ryanspet.com.  Teresa

[Christy&Riley]

Thanks! This is really helpful! Gulped when I saw the price on the curved shears. Wow! I told my husband yesterday that I may have to go to beauty school to keep up with this crazy doodle hair. Definitely beyond my skill level and pay grade. LOL

[Shanen Sadowski]

Great discussion. :) Thanks for posting this question.  I've wondered the same & agree that it's the hair that grows along their nose-near the eyes that is so tough to get a decent length. If over trimmed, it makes the beard look longer.  Some people had great explanations of how they trim the head/face.  If you ever get the chance to do a video of it to share with us that would be GREAT!

[Christy&Riley]

I used thinning shears (for humans) over her eyes and it made a big difference. With a little practice, I might get daring and try to scissor cut her body too! Poor Riley....Kind of like how I experiment with food on my husband. LOL