# Grooming help needed



## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

So here is my boy Anakin. He is 8 months and ready for his first cut. I am struggling with whether to trim him down to a puppy cut or keep his hair long and just have it trimmed up. I do need his face groomed. Thinking of a rounded face since his hair is not long enough for a top knot. Anyway, I am a first time Malt mom and any help you can provide would be appreciated!! I am also struggling with finding a groomer in NYC that I trust so I am considering doing it myself. Am I nuts for thinking I can do this?










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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

I think the decision about hair length comes down to a couple of factors. 

How easily does he mat? If a lot, is the hair length worth the the grooming time?

Do you go out a lot? Does he have a lot of playdates? Does he play rough?

You could keep growing it out for the winter, and trim it when it's summer time. 

Give grooming a try. It's intimidating but easy once you get the hang of it. 




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## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

He doesn't really mat but hates to be brushed. He does play rough. Right now I bathe him every other week and by that point he looks a little shaggy (like in this picture). Are there any posts about how to groom if you are not trimming him down completely? 


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

Ahh, I prefer shorter hair for just that reason. My two aren't totally shaved down, but they are not long either. 

I have them in my version of a town and country cut where I leave the legs long-ish, but the body hair is also about 1.5inches. 




























I make the faces short too. 



















I find this length just the right balance of convenience and hair length. 

There are some members here who keep their dogs in hair slightly longer than mine, but still not too long. You can search for Obi and Owen. Owen has hair on the longer side but still very puppy. Then there's Benjamin with shorter face, longish body. You could also check the puppy cut sticky in the grooming forum. 


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## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

Thanks!! Your puppy is so cute and I love the cut!! Do you groom him yourself?? 


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

Thanks! These are two different dogs but I give them pretty much the same haircut. 

I do. I had a really good groomer but it was just getting too expensive at $100(including tips etc) for one grooming session. 


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## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

Oh my they are adorable!!! I am looking at the puppy cut pictorial now. I think I might attempt to do it myself. I would love to cut them like your pups!! 


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

You can do it! I do follow Aastha tips and I'm grooming my boys now. I'm not very sure on what I'm doing so I do a little bit today and a little more tomorrow. 
Good luck! Come show us  

Here is Benjamin and its already time to trim his face. 








Here you see his short apple face. 









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## lols82 (Nov 13, 2012)

Dominic said:


> You can do it! I do follow Aastha tips and I'm grooming my boys now. I'm not very sure on what I'm doing so I do a little bit today and a little more tomorrow.
> Good luck! Come show us
> 
> Here is Benjamin and its already time to trim his face.
> ...


I love the cut on Dominic, particularly his face? What type of grooming scissors is it you use to cut his face? I would love to try Sammy myself and have him just the way I want him cut.


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

lols82 said:


> I love the cut on Dominic, particularly his face? What type of grooming scissors is it you use to cut his face? I would love to try Sammy myself and have him just the way I want him cut.


Thank you so much! 
I use the curved scissors, very easy to use - well he cooperate I have to say. When I'm cutting the side of his face I get his ears together on top of his head so I first shape up the side of his face and it also helps to keep his head still while I play Edward scissors hands. Then I let the ears down and try to follow the shape. I hope that makes sense
I've done it only twice so go for it, it's fun plus grows back so fast. 


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## lols82 (Nov 13, 2012)

Dominic said:


> Thank you so much!
> I use the curved scissors, very easy to use - well he cooperate I have to say. When I'm cutting the side of his face I get his ears together on top of his head so I first shape up the side of his face and it also helps to keep his head still while I play Edward scissors hands. Then I let the ears down and try to follow the shape. I hope that makes sense
> I've done it only twice so go for it, it's fun plus grows back so fast.
> 
> ...


I have ordered face grooming scissors from Amazon you have inspired me  The groomers always leave the side of his face longer than I would like.


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

lols82 said:


> I have ordered face grooming scissors from Amazon you have inspired me  The groomers always leave the side of his face longer than I would like.


I'm glad to hear that. Another thing I do is I take a picture, somehow I feel like looking to the picture shows me where to cut better than looking to the dog. Here are the before and after pictures I took to show my mentor Aastha (I can see her laughing). 
I'm very excited to see what you're going to do! Awesome. 

BEFORE








AFTER









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## Maltshakes (Sep 19, 2012)

hi anakin's mom! i wanted to respond to this thread b/c i have ONLY cut my li'l one's hair myself (i'm a jaded nycer with general trust issues when it comes to services lol). i was DEFINITELY scared to do it myself at first but marisa (obi + owen's mom) gave me some really great pointers! she recommended using both the regular shears (to cut for length; i actually use the curved shears for this most of the time) + then going over that initial length cut with the thinning shears for a more natural, softer hair edge). -- sometimes i get lazy (re switching between the shears) so i'll only use the thinning shears for little touch ups, like for the bangs area (this takes longer but it creats a very natural look).

since you are in the nyc area, please feel free to contact me via private message + i'd be happy to share with you whatever i've learned re cutting that might be useful (i'm by no means an expert, but i've definitely learned some things the hard way)  

i'm attaching a couple of pix of my guy here. i keep Sneakers' hair a little longer on the body than Aastha does; i'm also a total FAIL re topknot skills so i just trim the bangs short. i also trim close around the chin (using the rounded scissor) and keep the ears fairly short too, which i feel makes him look a bit more "puppyish" since he already has such a teddy bear face:










and so you can see the length on the body (a little longer; i like to keep his coat a little "flowy" lol):









the only place i really use the Wahl clipper trimmer is the sani shave (bum + underneath area), and the bottom of the paw pads. i just use scissors for the body + face.

hope this helps + pls don't hesitate to say hello via private message  

xoxo
janet.


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## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

Dominic said:


> You can do it! I do follow Aastha tips and I'm grooming my boys now. I'm not very sure on what I'm doing so I do a little bit today and a little more tomorrow.
> Good luck! Come show us
> 
> Here is Benjamin and its already time to trim his face.
> ...


Benjamin is so adorable!!!! So a friend of mine who groom's her own dog is coming over today to give me a hand with Anakin. I am so excited. I am also looking up the proper equipment needed so that I can order them this weekend. I also want to order the CC brushes. He hates getting brushed and I am wondering if it has anything to do with the cheap petsmart brushes I use.  


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## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

Maltshakes said:


> hi anakin's mom! i wanted to respond to this thread b/c i have ONLY cut my li'l one's hair myself (i'm a jaded nycer with general trust issues when it comes to services lol). i was DEFINITELY scared to do it myself at first but marisa (obi + owen's mom) gave me some really great pointers! she recommended using both the regular shears (to cut for length; i actually use the curved shears for this most of the time) + then going over that initial length cut with the thinning shears for a more natural, softer hair edge). -- sometimes i get lazy (re switching between the shears) so i'll only use the thinning shears for little touch ups, like for the bangs area (this takes longer but it creats a very natural look).
> 
> since you are in the nyc area, please feel free to contact me via private message + i'd be happy to share with you whatever i've learned re cutting that might be useful (i'm by no means an expert, but i've definitely learned some things the hard way)
> 
> ...


Hi Janet, I'm Darlene 

Yes, my friends thinks I'm nuts but most grooming places here are $85+ plus I just don't trust leaving them there  There was one place I was considering but they are closed until September. Either way I would still love to learn how to do it myself. And everyone in here is really inspiring me. I will definitely pm you 


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

I've been grooming Milo for over 2 years now and I've tried a good few different cuts. I've done them all with an andis clippers and just a cheap hair scissors, but I really need to get some good quality ones soon.
I usually take his body very very short(like skin tight), using a #10 blade, but it grows out to fluffy again within a few weeks, and during winter I don't clip his body at all, but keep trimming his face and paws. I leave his paws very long and just trim the bottom to make them look neater(which needs to be done right now).

This is his most recent haircut. Paws left long, fluffy but kind of short body(it was cut skin tight in June and not cut at all since then), ears shorter and face round + topknot. 









This is the same haircut, but with his topknot down 









This is a similar one, but with a skin tight body, longer ears and slightly shorter face.









This is similar again but with no topknot









This is one of my favourites. ears and face all one length. Body is the same as above.









I really enjoy grooming him myself, and I've made some mistakes - but, hair grows back so fast, so it doesn't really matter. I think the most important thing is to be careful around their nipples(I cut one of Milo's the 2nd time I groomed him ) and I never use the clippers around his arm pits - as it would be way to easy to cut his skin there.


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## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

Orla said:


> I've been grooming Milo for over 2 years now and I've tried a good few different cuts. I've done them all with an andis clippers and just a cheap hair scissors, but I really need to get some good quality ones soon.
> I usually take his body very very short(like skin tight), using a #10 blade, but it grows out to fluffy again within a few weeks, and during winter I don't clip his body at all, but keep trimming his face and paws. I leave his paws very long and just trim the bottom to make them look neater(which needs to be done right now).
> 
> This is his most recent haircut. Paws left long, fluffy but kind of short body(it was cut skin tight in June and not cut at all since then), ears shorter and face round + topknot.
> ...


I love Milo!! I just told my husband my plans and he told me to stop freaking out that his hair will grow back lol!  

Silly question, Anakin's hair is not long enough for a top knot. How do I keep it off his eyes in the meantime. I love the rounded face look but think I night let it grow out like Milo has it? 


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

Orla said:


> I've been grooming Milo for over 2 years now and I've tried a good few different cuts.


Great tips! Milo is the cutest! I love love his new cut and its do cool you have tried different styles. Give that cutie a kiss from me. 


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

Welcome to SM! My boy is named Obi Wan!!! and my other puppy is named Owen! So, we are on a Star Wars theme over here too. I do ALL my grooming myself. I keep a longer style puppy cut with a rounded face. Obi doesn't have a topknot but Owen does. I like to change the length of the ears depending on the look I'm going for. I would recommend getting a good pair of straight shears and thinning shears. If you have the money, curved shears are nice too, but not totally essential in the beginning. 




[URL=http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/sw33train/media/64C0CB87-B336-4E2B-A848-01E41B050CCC-6753-000007B822876424_zps4209f264.jpg.html]








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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

AnakinMom said:


> Benjamin is so adorable!!!! So a friend of mine who groom's her own dog is coming over today to give me a hand with Anakin. I am so excited. I am also looking up the proper equipment needed so that I can order them this weekend. I also want to order the CC brushes. He hates getting brushed and I am wondering if it has anything to do with the cheap petsmart brushes I use.
> [\QUOTE]
> 
> How cool that your friends is helping you. It's going to be fun! Since I got the Madan brushes I can tell they love the brushing time. Well Benjamin loves it, he see the brush coming and lay flat on the floor. Dominic handles better but doesn't love it. Their hair looks more put together with the proper brush yet I comb after brushing to make sure there is no matting.
> ...


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

Orla said:


> I've been grooming Milo for over 2 years now and I've tried a good few different cuts. I've done them all with an andis clippers and just a cheap hair scissors, but I really need to get some good quality ones soon.
> I usually take his body very very short(like skin tight), using a #10 blade, but it grows out to fluffy again within a few weeks, and during winter I don't clip his body at all, but keep trimming his face and paws. I leave his paws very long and just trim the bottom to make them look neater(which needs to be done right now).
> 
> This is his most recent haircut. Paws left long, fluffy but kind of short body(it was cut skin tight in June and not cut at all since then), ears shorter and face round + topknot.
> ...


Adorable! Milo is my grooming idol. I only wish I could do different looks. That's truly my intention when I start out, but somehow my dogs end up looking the same. 

Well, no more! I'm determined to let Gustave's face grow into a bob for the winter. And Mieka might be a no topknot girl soon. Thanks for posting these pics, Orla. 


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

Dominic said:


> Great tips! Milo is the cutest! I love love his new cut and its do cool you have tried different styles. Give that cutie a kiss from me.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App


Aw thanks 



eiksaa said:


> Adorable! Milo is my grooming idol. I only wish I could do different looks. That's truly my intention when I start out, but somehow my dogs end up looking the same.
> 
> Well, no more! I'm determined to let Gustave's face grow into a bob for the winter. And Mieka might be a no topknot girl soon. Thanks for posting these pics, Orla.
> 
> ...


Sometimes I set out to groom him the same as last time, but he ends up in a different cut :blink: 
I really don't know what will happen when I can get proper grooming scissors :blush:

Gustave would look so cute with a bob :wub:


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## Cyndilou (Jan 24, 2013)

Personally I think they are like little humans and different hair styles look better on different people. 
I love long hair and cute top knots. Just me though.


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## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

Hey fellow Star Wars fan!!  I love Obi Wan's face!!! Here is Anakin's before and after. I have some work to do on his face but I decided to leave him long. He doesn't mat very often and the thought of taking it all off was too scary lol!!









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## AnakinMom (Aug 15, 2013)

hoaloha said:


> Welcome to SM! My boy is named Obi Wan!!! and my other puppy is named Owen! So, we are on a Star Wars theme over here too. I do ALL my grooming myself. I keep a longer style puppy cut with a rounded face. Obi doesn't have a topknot but Owen does. I like to change the length of the ears depending on the look I'm going for. I would recommend getting a good pair of straight shears and thinning shears. If you have the money, curved shears are nice too, but not totally essential in the beginning.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Any tips on how to do the top of his hair? I combed it forward and cut it even but that leaves some hair spiking up. 


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## coconoly (Sep 9, 2013)

AnakinMom said:


> Any tips on how to do the top of his hair? I combed it forward and cut it even but that leaves some hair spiking up.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


woooow!!!!!:wub2: this is the picture I will take to my dog's groomer! she is going for the first time so I am soo excited! normally I don't like them cut, but this is a great style:thumbsup:


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## puppydoll (Jul 11, 2013)

Don't take Mieka's topknot off!!! I might just cry. She is BEAUTIFUL just the way she is, so if you don't agree, just pass her my way, lol!! But seriously, she's perfect!!


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

puppydoll said:


> Don't take Mieka's topknot off!!! I might just cry. She is BEAUTIFUL just the way she is, so if you don't agree, just pass her my way, lol!! But seriously, she's perfect!!


Thank you for your nice words about Mieka. I agree, she looks very cute just as she is.


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

OMG----how cute is that! :wub::wub: 









OK, :back2topic: ...just couldn't resist this pic!! I couldn't groom a duck....:HistericalSmiley:


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