Fed up after three groomers and really bad haircuts. Need advise.

[Sonal & Coco]

We have taken Coco to three highly reviewed, expensive and highly rated boutique groomers for a puppy cut the first time, a short 1.5" cut the second time and a trim the third time. Each time she comes back with a bad haircut. 

1. The head is poofy and has lots of hair

2. The muzzle is always shaved off with no fan like hair

3. Eyes are always droopy or feel like weird circular cut-outs and this time I had to take her to Petco for them to specifically trim her eyes because she could barely see. 

Basically she doesn't look like an Australian Labradoodle anymore. :( 

What should I do beyond showing instructions, pictures of the cut we want and giving specific measurements? It's almost like the groomers ignore anything we say and we never a desired outcome. Our cute dog always looks messy. Really frustrated that we can't get a good groomer or rather the groomers don't seem to know what to do with her hair.

Does anyone have recommendations for doodle groomers in the Seattle area? 

Hair cut #1 - poofy and shaved off muzzle. Asked for a puppy cut this time. 

Haircut #2 - Then her hair grew out and we did haircut #2. Here's the groomer left 1.5" length upon my request but the face is completely messed up. 

Haircut #3 - Poofed up. this is more of a face trim so the groomer trimmed her ears, muzzle and yet again, everything looks messy and unlike a labradoodle. 

Now, Coco doesn't have the usual wavy hair of the Australian Labradoodle but, she is super adorable and was a cute puppy.

Her puppy cut here is perfect on the face with nice hair around the muzzle, clear eyes with the right length hair around them and defined eyebrows. This was when we got her from the breeder. 

As you can see, her hair is curly/wiry and not wavy.

This is another gripe we have because the breeder never shared any concerns how her coat would grow out to be fuzzy unlike her litter mates who have perfect wavy coats. 

Coco is as cute as a button but, I'm so sad that her haircuts seem to have messed up her Aussie Doodle look. 

Coco's litter mate with perfect waves. 

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

With a wooly coat like Coco's you're never going to be able to attain a real 'doodle' look like you could with a wavy coat. The good news is, it's really pretty straight forward to learn to clipper cut a wooly coat. Once you start doing it yourself a few things happen. 1. You learn what look you like the best and tailor the groom to reflect that look, 2. You become far less critical of the final look, and when something really bothers you, it's super simple to either fix it or do it differently next time (which always comes sooner than you'd like!), 3. Never again will you feel frustrated by a professional grooming job!

I had quite a few BAD experiences with professional groomers before finding one whose work I could comfortably accept. Even then, there were repeated requests for a change to a particular issue or two that never seemed to be resolved over the year that I used them. (I really think most pro groomers believe their way is best, regardless of what the owners prefer.) Learning to groom the doods myself has eliminated all that hassle. It is a time consuming task, however (approx. 4 hrs total from comb out to finish for each dog). So it comes down to whether you can live with the hassle and frustration of using a professional groomer, or have the time and desire to do it yourself.

[Sonal & Coco]

Thanks everyone, will be taking her for a trim today. Fingers crossed! :) 

[Erin]

Waiting to hear how Coco's cut turned out!!!

[Sonal & Coco]

Here's an update on the cut. In one word, it was 'not what I asked for'. My instructions to the groomer along with pictures were, 

1. Don't cut around the face

2. Leave approx. 2" length of hair all over

What happened was that she now looks like a Poodle. But, after a week, the hair grew out a bit and she's actually looking pretty cute!! I can live with this look finally. I found that the 2" length works perfectly for summer and when it grows out in a week, is adorable to look at. 

As for the face, we still have some struggles there. 

 

After: 

This weekend:

[Judith and Addie]

She is a cutie, no matter the cut.

I am now grooming my girl myself, learning as I go. I found that, although I thought they were shaving down the top of her nose, when I use scissors myself, the effect is similar, so maybe I was wrong in what they were doing. 

One of my gripes is with my dog's feet because they tend to groom them more like a poodle, and it looks like there is no wrist; as though my dog's legs are straight sticks. I see your girl has a similar effect.

[Sonal & Coco]

Yes, a lot of the cut is like a Poodle. Coco's hair on the nose has grown out a bit and she's looking so much better. I'm going to do another round of research to find a true doodle groomer :) Wish I could groom her myself but, with our tiny apartment, it's impossible. 

[DonMarie and Picco]

Sorry to hear your not happy with groomers so far.  I do my own first because I have more time than money, but found that I do enjoy it.  I like to send Picco off to a groomer once or twice a year to get a "sanitary cut" because I'm chicken to get those clippers & scissors to close!  

Is there any doodles owners around your area that can recommend a groomer?   Coco is still a cutie and looks so soft. I do like the body but not to sure about the face and the high puff top.

[Sonal & Coco]

Thanks!! :) Agree, I'm waiting for that high puff top to come off next time. 

[Kamela & Beckett]

She is a cutie! I think it can be hard, because there is a standard accepted poodle cut and maybe the doodle cut isn't so cut and dried or accepted. To me, I notice a couple of things in this latest cut that are somewhat poodle like. The top of her head is pouffy and there is a line of demarcation between the hair on her head and her ears. Most doodles have less fluff on top and a more rounded overall appearance to the head, one smooth line from top of head to ears. Googling "doodle cuts" will return lots of images demonstrating this. The other thing is her feet look to have a little bit of a poodle cut- tapering down to the the ankles then visible toes. Doodles usually have fluffier teddy bear feet. Those are pretty minor adjustments and there are tons of pics out there to demonstrate. Our Beckett has a very curly coat and I groom him myself. You're welcome to look at his pics and see if they are closer to what you're looking for.

[Sonal & Coco]

Thanks Kamela, will check out Beckett's cut. Great observations and from the back of the head, that line is even more distinct. I've seen a lot of goldendoodles so will try asking their owners, not too many Aussie Doodles in our area though. 

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

I agree with Nancy.  The coat is the luck of the draw.  At times, Ned and Kona look so much like each other that we have to look twice at our doodle romps (they are buddies in real life) to see which one it is.  Other times, Kona's wavy fleece hair makes it easier to tell them apart.  Because of a few bad hair cuts the first year, I do all of my own grooming on Kona and I keep him long and scraggly (just my preference). 

Here are a few recent shots of him this week

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

But here are a few that make him look more like Ned when he is cut shorter. This second photo is if Kona.  the first photo is of Ned (far right) at the same romp. So even though Ned is curlier, Kona can look just as curly after being wet and after a short haircut. The longer  his hair gets the straighter it is. But he's never had a very curly face so that might not work for you.