F1 Grooming with Wavy Coat

[VScott & Lloyd]

Hi,

Lloyd is turning 1 this month and I think it's time for a trim. He has more of a Golden look with a loose wavy coat that sheds and feathering on his legs and tail. He has a beard, eyebrows and some facial furnishings. 

I'm thinking of a cut at this time because he's developed some matts behind the ears and his coat is getting so long that the individual hairs are weaving into our clothes, furniture, carpets, etc. I'm not quite sure what to ask for at the groomers. I'm thinking about a 1.5" trim all the way around and a trim of the eyebrows beard, and "mustache" coming down the side of his muzzle? I'd like him to look as doodley as possible but now he sometimes looks more "droopy" than doodley (if that makes any sense). 

I've never owned a dog that needed to be cut before... so any advice on what kind of look Lloyd can get, tips, suggestions (bonus points with pictures) would be greatly appreciated!

[VScott & Lloyd]

Here's another picture where you can actually see his little bit of facial furnishings :) I wonder if they will continue to grow?

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

He is very cute!  If he sheds, I would be inclined to leave him about 2 inches and just brush him.  His head probably does not need much other than to trim the beard occasionally. Lloyd has a very sweet face!

[BG and Gavin]

He is so cute. Look at that nose. I think you should just tell the groomer what you said here. I think that sounds like what we get. The good thing is it grows back fast. The first cut is always a bit of a shock. I will lookfor a pic.

[BG and Gavin]

Here he is just freshly cut at 1.5 inches:

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Wow, BG, that looks a whole lot shorter than 1.5"?  Not that he looks bad, just short.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Funny. That's what I thought too :-)

[BG and Gavin]

That could be one inch.  I go back in forth - one inch in the summer and 1.5 in the winter.  Because Gavin has a mixed coat, I find it looks a bit ratty if I let it get too long as the different textures seem to grow at different rates or the straighter parts look longer than the curlier parts lol.

[Laura and Angus]

That looks like what we do! I do our grooming now and I think we use the .5" guard in the winter - that's what Angus looks like with .5 or .25" guard really... 

I love it though :) Doodles are so cute!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

AnnaBelle's coat is very much like this.  I do my own grooming.  I have in the past used a 1.25" or 1" comb guard on the blade to cut her.  This last time I used the 3/4" comb guard on her.  I think I liked it a little better.  On the facial hair, it should always continue to grow but I don't know that it will thicken up.  I think he is adorable just like he is, but I know what you mean about the shedding.  Here are a few pics of AnnaBelle.

Before she had a haircut.

This would have probably been a cut with the 1.25 comb guard.

This is a picture from just this week.  I cut her about 2 weeks ago with a 3/4 comb guard.  I like this length.  It leaves her longer than 3/4.  You will notice that she has a couple different hair types.  Some that tend to be a little curlier when cut short and some that are just wavey and fine.  She is also like one big cowlick ... her hair grows in every direction imaginable.  Makes it a little harder to cut.

[Karin Frydman]

She is beautiful! We are meeting with the groomer next week to talk about how we want our Zoe groomed. She will be 16 weeks next week, and doesn't need a full groom, but want to get her used to going there. Our groomer did our Golden Retriever, and we trust her completely. She said that people have different thoughts about how they want their doodle to look. I'm going to bring these pictures of AnnaBelle as a guide, if you don't mind. I love how she looks in both pictures. :)

[BG and Gavin]

Also I want to show you the coat change that Gavin went through

8 months:

13 months:

17 months:

And at 6.5 years old (five weeks into a groom)

[VScott & Lloyd]

Thanks everyone! Although I will miss his long wavy locks, I'd be interested to see how it is with a new "do." 1.5" seems like a good number so we'll start there. Annabelle and Gavin are adorable with all their different haircuts. Lloyd's head isn't as fluffy as their's but I wonder if he'd look any different with a mustache and beard trim. A friend of ours said recently that he looks like a goat (haha, but not really). Hair dressing appointment is next Monday. Wish us luck!