LESSON GROUP 3
LESSON: TAIL, EAR, BEARD/MUZZLE, AND EYEBROW STYLES
INTRODUCTION
You will find some tail, ear, beard, and eyebrow styles are used again and again while grooming dogs. When you have a solid understanding of these styles, it can help you figure out precisely what style your clients are asking for or direct them to what will look best for their dog if they aren’t sure what style they would like.
OBJECTIVE
When you complete this lesson, you’ll be able to
- Properly groom a variety of dog tail styles
- Properly groom a variety of dog ear styles
- Properly groom a variety of dog beard and muzzle styles
- Properly groom a variety of dog eyebrow styles
TAIL STYLES
Short tail = doesn’t need any trimming. FIGURE SHORT TAIL
Docked tail
With docked tails, there are three options. In some cases, you will clip the entire tail short. Usually, this would happen when you are clipping the entire dog short. For other breeds with docked tails, such as the American Cocker Spaniel, you will shave the underside of the tail with a #10 blade and then comb the hair on top to one side and use thinning shears to trim the hair that goes past the side of the tail. Then comb it to the other side and do the same. The third type of docked tail has a poof of hair on the end. This is often the case with poodles or poodle mixes. FIGURE OF THIS TYPE OF TAIL
For a poodle or poodle-type tail, if it is docked long enough, you will shave a band at the base of the tail. This should be enough that when you hold the tail down over the dog’s rectum, there is no hair until past the rectum. FIGURE SHOWING THIS CONCEPT. Then you comb the hair to the end of the tail and trim across, missing the end. Now comb the hair back towards the body, hold it around the tail, and scissor everything past where you clipped the band around the tail. Shake the tail out and clean up the sharp edge. You should now have a nice, round pom on the tail. When the tail is docked long enough, the tail structure holds the poof in place on the tail. FIGURE SHOWING A POM ON A CORRECT TAIL When the tail is docked too short, there is not enough tail to support the pom pom. When this is the case, you shave a band around the tail, as noted above, and leave a poof on the end of the tail. FIGURE SHOWING A POOF ON A TAIL THAT IS DOCKED TOO SHORT
Carrot tail
This type of tail is generally seen on terriers and terrier mixes. As the name implies, it is shaped like a carrot. To achieve this look, comb the hair out from the back of the tail and either scissor it or use a guard comb, a #2 or #4 in most cases, up the back of the tail. Then hold the tail and comb the hair to one side. Scissor from the very end of the tail to the base of the tail at an angle, leaving more hair around the base and less at the top. Comb the hair to the other side and repeat. Now tidy up the top of the tail. FIGURE OF A CARROT TAIL ON A CAIRN TERRIER OR WESTIE
Long tail
Many dog breeds and mixes have long tails. There are a few ways to trim a long tail. The easiest is to comb all the hair out and trim the hair off at the very end according to client preference. Another option is to comb the tail hair, hold the tail down, and trim it to the floor. This is a good option for dogs in shorter haircuts and when owners don’t want them dragging in debris from outside. FIGURE OF HOLDING TAIL DOWN AND TRIMMING. A Third option is to hold the end of the tail up and comb all the hair straight down. Then trim straight across right above the rectum. This makes all the hair at the base of the tail short, and it will taper out longer from there. You then trim the end of the tail to the desired length. FIGURE OF HOLDING TAIL UP AND TRIMMING. A fourth option is what is known as the flag tail. You hold the tail straight out off the topline, comb the hair down and trim it in a flag shape; it will be shorter at the end of the tail and longer at the base of the tail.
Remember, there are breeds with no tails, such as Pembroke Welsh Corgis. There are also breeds whose tails don’t need any haircut even though there is hair on their tail. An excellent example of this would be a Siberian Husky.
EAR STYLES
Shaved ear
For some breeds and mixes, it’s appropriate to shave the entire ear. One example of this would be a Miniature Schnauzer. You shave the inside of the ear with a #15 or #30 and the outside with a #10. You can also opt to leave the outside of the ear longer and use a #7F, #5F, or even a guard comb attachment. Then you will scissor around the edge of the ear.
Tipped Ear
You will usually see tipped ears on terriers such as the Yorkshire Terrier or West Highland White Terrier. You clip the end of the ear at about a thumbs width using a #15 or #10 blade and scissor that clipped edge. The remaining hair will be styled when you trim the dog’s face.
Long ear
With long ears, you comb the hair straight down and scissor across the bottom evenly according to the customer’s preference or breed standard. You should also comb both ears after trimming them and look at the dog straight on, ensuring that both ears are the same length and no uneven pieces are sticking out.
Shaped ear
For a shaped ear style, you comb the ear hair and then scissor around the shape of the ear according to customer preference.
BEARD AND MUZZLE STYLES
Beards
You will find beards on many breeds of dogs. The Scottish Terrier and Bouvier have stunning beards. Beards should be trimmed to the breed standard for the breed you are grooming and adjusted to customer preference. An easy way to trim a beard on a Miniature Schnauzer is to comb all the beard hair forward, hold it, and scissor it straight up and down to the length desired. FIGURE OF DOING THIS ON A MINIATURE SCHNAUZER.
Muzzles
There are so many pets who get their muzzle area trimmed. Many of these breeds would be kept completely grown out if they were in a show style, such as a Shih Tzu, but for easier maintenance, owners have them trimmed. For these styles, the muzzle area is scissored into a cute, round shape, and the length is determined by owner preference. FIGURE OF A SHIH TZU FACE IN A PET TRIM
Clean Faces
Some owners prefer their dog’s face to have no hair or at least the muzzle to have no hair. For Standard, Miniature, and Toy Poodles, a completely clean face is the breed standard. A #7F, #10, or #15 blade is used on most pet grooms for a clean face, while a #30 or #40 blade is often used on Poodles who are shown. For pet poodles, it’s best to use a #10 or #15 blade to shave their faces. On all dogs, it is safest to use a #30 blade right at the lip line and between the nose and upper lip.
EYEBROW STYLES
Round
There are many pet trims where the eyebrows are trimmed relatively short but with just enough length to set off the eye. With this style, you comb the eyebrow hair forward and trim it with curved or thinning shears.
Terrier
Terrier breeds tend to have eyebrows flush with the outside edge of the eye, and then they curve forward down one-half to two-thirds of the muzzle. This is achieved with a pair of curved shears. They should be held at a 45-degree angle, with the part of the shear nearest your hand flush against the side of the face and the tip aiming for the opposite nostril of the dog’s nose. Cutting the eyebrows this way will make a beautiful arch. For some pet owners, this leaves the eyebrows too long; if that is the case, you trim the longer area slightly. Miniature Schnauzers and Scottish Terriers are breeds that get this type of eyebrow.
FIGURE VIDEO OF SCISSORING THIS TYPE OF EYEBROW
Absent or Small
When you groom a dog short, you want to achieve balance in the groom therefore, the eyebrows should be trimmed short as well. Some dogs have such beautiful round heads that you can clip the eyebrow area right in with the rest of their head. This is especially true with some Shih Tzus, and Shih Tzu mixes.
Breeds such as the Wire Fox Terrier have small eyebrows. They are trimmed flush at the outer corner of the eye and on a slight angle where they are a little bit longer, closer to their nose.
Fall
There are breeds where the breed standard calls for a fall. This is a quantity of hair over the eyes that “falls” forward and practically covers the eyes. These are often trimmed on the sides a bit, allowing for peripheral vision (remember from previous lessons that dogs have far better peripheral vision than humans do.) Breeds whose breed standard calls for a fall usually benefit from their forward vision being blocked. These include the Kerry Blue Terrier, Bouvier, Black Russian Terrier, and the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. These are all intense, highly active breeds; the lack of front vision slows these breeds down.
For a pet groom, dogs can still have a fall, but it can be trimmed to a more reasonable length, and the sides might be tapered in closer. You will want to use a thinning or blending shear to trim these areas to keep them looking more natural.
LESSON: SHORT DOG HAIRCUTS
INTRODUCTION
Learning how to perform short haircuts on multiple breed types is one of the foundational skills of dog grooming. In many areas of the country, these types of haircuts provide the majority amount of work in any salon. Some dog owners do not want their dogs groomed frequently, so they have the cut short. Other dog owners don’t maintain their dogs, and they will come into the salon so matted there is no choice but to shave them short.
OBJECTIVES
When you complete this lesson, you will be able to
- Properly groom a variety of dog breeds in a short hairstyle
- Determine how short is appropriate for different dog coat types and situations
Everyone’s definition of what is considered short is different. A communication error about what length an owner wants their dog groomed is a quick way to have an unhappy client. Some customers think short is where you can see the skin, while others may think one inch is short. It’s essential to be clear with customers when deciding what length to clip.
[SIDEBAR]
Clipper Blade Lengths
3 = ½”
4 = 3/8”
5 = ¼”
7 = 1/8”
9 = 5/64”
10 = 1/16”
15 = 3/64”
30 = 1/50”
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You can also use a guard comb over a #30 blade and achieve a short haircut. FIGURE GUARD COMBS To begin learning short grooming styles, start with dogs whose owners want them groomed one length all over.
SHORT HAIRCUT ON A NON-MATTED DOG
As discussed in previous lessons, when possible, bathe and dry the dog before grooming it. If you do a very short hairstyle on a dog with more than a few inches of coat, it will save drying time to pre-clip it.
- Bathe and dry the dog.
- Trim the nails
- Trim the hair in the pads of the feet
- Trim the sanitary area
- Choose a blade length based on the conversation you had with the owner.
At this point, you are ready to begin the groom. You’ll want to start at the neck of the dog and clip in the direction of the hair growth. FIGURE OF DOG WITH HAIR GROWTH DIRECTIONS/ARROWS. Clip the body of the dog first, then each leg. Clip the hair on the top of the head, sides of the face, and under the chin. Most owners will want you not to clip the tail but to trim it (for breeds with tails or whose tails aren’t docked.) Think of an imaginary circle that encompasses the dog’s eyes, nose, and mouth, and clip the hair, in the direction of the hair growth, around that circle.
Once the dog’s body, legs, and head are clipped, you must do your scissor work. With each foot, brush up the hair between the toes and scissor to be neat and even with the rest of the foot. Next, trim the tail, and finally, trim the eyebrows blending them into the head using thinning shears. Clip the hair in the corners of the eyes with a #15 blade and scissor a cute, round muzzle. If the owner prefers, you can also shave the muzzle short.
CLIPPING A MATTED DOG SHORT
When clipping a matted dog short, you must do this before the bath. You will clip the same way you clipped a non-matted dog short, but you will probably have no choice but to use a #7F or #10 blade. Because there are mats, you will have to move slowly so as not to snag skin into your clipper and to watch for moles or growths and avoid clipping them. Groomers should also watch for things stuck in the coat of a severely matted dog; groomers have found things such as fish hooks and safety pins stuck on matted coats.
You should consider having separate #7F and #10 blades for pre-clipping matted dogs. This will reduce wear and tear on your “good” blades used only on clean dogs.
Once the dog is clipped, you then will bathe and dry it. Next, you will go through the same steps used on a non-matted dog cut short and go over the body with your clippers and the same length of blade you used initially. Because you’re essentially grooming a matted dog twice, many salons charge extra when necessary.
FIGURE VIDEO PRE-CLIPPING MATTED DOG AND GOING OVER IT AGAIN
LESSON: TERRIER DOG HAIRCUTS
INTRODUCTION
Many popular dog breeds fall into the terrier category. Most terrier breeds that require a haircut have forgiving coat types, and a “connect the dot” type of grooming pattern. This makes the terrier breeds the best for new dog groomers to begin to learn how to set grooming patterns. There are breeds in the terrier group that does not need haircuts; for example, the Bull Terrier is a dog with very short hair. The terrier breeds that do need haircuts are set into two groups: the short-legged terrier and the long-legged terrier.
[SIDEBAR]
FAST FACT
Many dogs are bred to do specific jobs. For short-legged terriers, often the job was “going to ground.” This means they were used to go into or dig into holes and catch vermin. Their tools for this task include their toenails. It’s ingrained in some of these terriers to keep their tools, and many will fight and struggle against having them trimmed at a higher likelihood than other breeds.
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Many breeds that require haircuts for the general pet owner are hand stripped when being groomed for show. Terriers that are hand-stripped include the Scottish Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. There are a handful of terrier breeds that are not hand-stripped when shown but are groomed with clippers and scissors. Examples of terrier breeds that are scissored when shown are the Bedlington Terrier and the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.
OBJECTIVES
- Properly groom short-legged terriers such as the West Highland White Terrier (Westie,) Scottish Terrier, and Cairn Terrier
- Properly groom long-legged terriers such as the Miniature Schnauzer, Wire Fox Terrier, and Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.
- Understand variations of terrier grooms pet owners may request and how to execute these variations.
- Identify the similarities between breeds and haircuts in the Terrier group to allow you to perform grooms on breeds you may not frequently see in a salon.
You probably clipped some terrier breeds short in the previous lesson. We will focus on putting them into the correct pet trim for their breed.
SHORT-LEGGED TERRIER GROOMS
Short-legged terriers that require grooming include these breeds: Australian Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Cesky Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Glen of Imaal Terrier, Norfolk Terrier, Norwich Terrier, Scottish Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, Skye Terrier, and the West Highland White Terrier.
FIGURE IMAGES OF THESE BREEDS, PERHAPS BY THEIR NAMES IN A LIST
For this lesson, we will be focusing on the West Highland White Terrier (Westie), Scottish Terrier, and Cairn Terrier. Once you’ve mastered these grooms, many bits and pieces apply to the other short-legged terrier breeds listed.
[SIDEBAR]
WIN CARDING
You will see a technique called “carding” mentioned repeatedly during the Terrier group lessons. Carding refers to removing the undercoat by using a carding knife. When you are doing pet grooms, use clippers on dogs who would be hand stripped if groomed for show; if you card them out before grooming, the clipped parts of the dog will look far better. Also, when you card out the clipped areas, you help keep the dog’s skin and coat healthy.
FIGURE VIDEO OF CARDING
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CAIRN TERRIER
Before learning the Carin Terrier groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the Cairn Terrier. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/CairnTerrier.pdf Google images of the Cairn Terrier and note how they should look.
The Cairn Terrier is supposed to appear messy. The pattern line is to be invisible. Many pet owners are unaware of how the Cairn Terrier is supposed to look, they may be used to seeing them groomed with very short jackets and a definite line. The Cairn Terrier is hand stripped when being shown. Whenever possible, they look best when groomed to look as close to breed standard as possible, this can be achieved by using a longer guard comb to clip the jacket area and thinning shears to scissor the Cairn.
Look at Notes from the Grooming Table and
STEPS TO GROOMING THE CAIRN TERRIER
- Bathe the dog. While in the tub, you can rake out their jacket to remove some of the coat. (This would NOT be done on a Cairn Terrier that is being shown.)
FIGURE VIDEO BATHING A CAIRN AND RAKING THE JACKET
- Dry the dog using a high-velocity dryer. Attempt to dry the coat in the direction in which it grows. Get the dog about 80-90% dry using the high-velocity dryer, and then finish with a stand dryer. When drying the head with the stand dryer, if possible, dry the hair against the direction of growth, brushing from the neck to the dog’s muzzle. This will help get the hair on the head to stand up.
FIGURE VIDEO DRYING A CAIRN WITH A STAND DRYER, ESPECIALLY THE HEAD
- Trim the dog’s nails. Trim the hair in the pads of the feet and trim the sanitary area.
- Rake out and card the dog’s jacket
FIGURE VIDEO RAKING OUT JACKET AND CARDING
- Clipper the jacket to the owner’s desired length. When possible, use a longer guard comb such as a #2 (blue,) #1 (orange,) or #0 (yellow.)
FIGURE VIDEO CLIPPING JACKET
- Trim the tail or scissor, or use a guard comb up the backside of the tail. Comb the hair to one side of the tail, trimming from the end to the base, leaving the hair longer as you move toward the base of the tail. Comb the hair to the other side of the tail and repeat. The result should resemble the shape of a carrot.
FIGURE VIDEO GROOMING A CAIRN TAIL
- Blend the areas you’ve clipped using thinning shears. Now you will trim the underline and the legs of the dog using thinning shears. Trim the feet reasonably close to the top of the foot and blend this area into the dog’s legs. You should be able to see where the shoulder and elbow are on a Cairn Terrier after it’s groomed.
FIGURE VIDEO BLENDING, DOING OUTLINE TRIM, AND FEET
- The final part of the dog that needs grooming is its head. Here are some “connect the dot” instructions for creating a nice look for a pet Cairn Terrier. You will want to clip the tips of the dog’s ears with a #15 blade; the amount of hair removed from the tip is about a thumb’s width. Edge the trimmed area with curved shears, always in the direction from the head to the end of the ear. Now use thinning shears to trim the inside corners of the eyes; using thinning shears creates a more natural look than using clippers here. Use thinning shears to trim the “V” area of the dog’s neck shorter than the rest, blending this area into the body. Comb all the hair forward from the top of the head over the dog’s eyes. Using thinning shears, trim this area straight across. Comb the hair back to its normal position.
Part the hair on top of the head. Fold the ear in half and comb all the hair on that half of the head toward the ear, holding the hair flat while holding the ear within the hair. Now trim flush to the ear leather using thinning shears. Repeat on the other side.
Under the dog’s muzzle, trim this hair so it is about 1 to 1 ½ inches long. Comb the hair on the sides of the face out and under the chin down. You should now be able to see what needs to be removed in the area in-between where you trimmed under the muzzle and around the ears and top of the cheek. Remove this hair with thinning shears and proceed to round out these portions of the head.
For the top of the Carin Terrier head, you will want to remove what is sticking above the line you trimmed for the ear tips. One easy way to do this is to backcomb and use thinning shears to remove hair as you backcomb from the neck of the dog to the eye area of the dog.
To do one last final check of your work, hold the dog’s head in your hand you don’t scissor with, hold it with your fingers on one side, the neck in the round part between your fingers and your thumb, and your thumb on the other side with your hand facing yourself. Prob the dog’s head up and ears forward using this technique. Comb all of the hair up and out and thinning shear anything sticking out, and to continue making the head round.
FIGURE VIDEO GROOMING THE CAIRN TERRIER HEAD
- The final step is to card out the jacket and neck once more. Comb the dog and tidy up any missed areas.
WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER
Before learning the West Highland White Terrier (or Westie) groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the Westie. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/WestHighlandWhiteTerrier.pdf Google images of the Westie and make some notes about how they should look.
Look at the grooming books to see the clipping pattern
STEPS FOR GROOMING THE WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER
You may notice as you go through these steps they are similar to the Cairn Terrier. There are a few differences that will be pointed out.
- Bathe the dog. There will likely not be any coat in the jacket to rake out.
- Dry the dog using a high-velocity dryer. Attempt to dry the coat in the direction in which it grows. Get the dog about 80-90% dry using the high-velocity dryer, and then finish with a stand dryer. When drying the head with the stand dryer, if possible, dry the hair against the direction of growth, brushing from the neck to the dog’s muzzle. This will help get the hair on the head to stand up.
- Trim the dog’s nails. Trim the hair in the pads of the feet and trim the sanitary area.
- Card the dog’s jacket
- Clipper the jacket to the owner’s desired length. The Westie in a pet groom will usually look great if you can use a #2 (Blue) guard comb on its jacket. Their jackets are tighter and closer than the Cairn Terrier jacket. The Westie jacket also has lower set pattern lines and drops lower on the dog’s rear as well FIGURE IMAGE SHOWING CAIRN PATTERN VS WESTIE PATTERN. If a Westie has very thick hair, it will look better clipped longer. If you clip a thick-coated Westie, too short clipper lines will be seen on the clipped areas. For thinner-coated westies, it’s possible to clip their jackets as short as a #7F blade. It’s essential not to clip their jacket shorter than this as they will be suitable to sunburn, and it will be challenging to blend the pattern lines.
Trim the tail, or scissor, or use a #4 (purple) guard comb up the backside of the tail. Comb the hair to one side of the tail, trimming from the end to the base, leaving the hair longer as you move toward the base of the tail. Comb the hair to the other side of the tail and repeat. The result should resemble the shape of a carrot. The Westie tail is much tighter tail than the Cairn Terrier tail.
- Blend the areas you’ve clipped using thinning shears. Now you will trim the underline and the legs of the dog using thinning shears. The underline of a Westie is longer than that of a Cairn. The feet are trimmed close, and the leg furnishings are tidied with thinning shears. More hair is left on a Westie leg than a Cairn leg.
- The final part of the dog that needs to be groomed is its head. Here are some “connect the dot” instructions for creating a nice look for a pet Westie. You will want to clip the top one-third of the Westie ear using a #15 or #30 blade. Edge the trimmed area with curved shears, always in the direction from the head to the end of the ear. Now use thinning shears to trim the inside corners of the eyes; using thinning shears creates a more natural look than using clippers here. Use whatever blade or guard comb length you used on the Westie’s body, in reverse, to trim the “V” area of the dog’s neck shorter than the rest of the body, blending this area into the body. Comb all the hair forward from the top of the head over the dog’s eyes. Using thinning shears, trim this area straight across. Comb the hair back to its normal position.
Part the hair on top of the head. Fold the ear in half and comb all of the hair on that half of the head toward the ear, holding the hair flat while holding the ear within the hair. Now trim flush to the ear leather using thinning shears. Repeat on the other side.
Under the dog’s muzzle, trim this hair, so it is about 1 inch long. Comb the hair on the sides of the face out and under the chin down. You should now be able to see what needs to be removed in the area in-between where you trimmed under the muzzle and around the ears and top of the cheek. Remove this hair with thinning shears and proceed to round out these portions of the head.
For the top of the Westie head, you will want to remove what is sticking above the line you trimmed for the ear tips. One easy way to do this is to backcomb and use thinning shears to remove hair as you backcomb from the neck of the dog to the eye area of the dog.
When looking straight at a Westie head, the eyes should be located right in the center of the circle shape of the head.
To do one last final check of your work, hold the dog’s head in your hand you don’t scissor with, hold it with your fingers on one side, the neck in the round part between your fingers and your thumb, and your thumb on the other side with your hand facing yourself. Prob the dog’s head up and ears forward using this technique. Comb all of the hair up and out and thinning, shear anything sticking out, and continue making the head round.
- The final step is to card out the jacket and neck. Comb the dog and tidy up any missed areas.
SCOTTISH TERRIER
Before learning the Scottish Terrier groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the Cairn Terrier. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/ScottishTerrier.pdf Google images of the Scottish Terrier and make some notes about how they should look.
- Bathe the dog. [SIDEBAR WIN Matted Beards! Many groomers assume matted beards are impossible to de-matt and clip matted beards off before the bath. Often, there is just dried food, slobber, and dirt holding the matts in beards together. Try shampooing a matted beard several times before giving up on de-matting them. The worst case is if it’s too bad after the bath, you shave it off later! [END SIDEBAR]
- Dry the dog using a high-velocity dryer. Attempt to dry the coat in the direction in which it grows. Get the dog about 80-90% dry using the high-velocity dryer and then finish with a stand dryer.
- Trim the dog’s nails. Trim the hair in the pads of the feet and trim the sanitary area.
- Card the dog’s jacket
- Clipper the jacket to the owner’s desired length. The Scottish Terrier jacket can be clipped short or longer. If a Scottish Terrier has very thick hair, it will look better clipped longer. If you clip a thick-coated Scottie too short, clipper lines will be seen on the clipped areas. For thinner-coated Scotties, it’s possible to clip their jackets as short as a #7F blade. It’s crucial not to clip their jacket shorter than this as they will be suitable to sunburn, and it will be challenging to blend the pattern lines. The pattern line at the shoulder stops about one and a half inches above the elbow.
- Trim the tail, or scissor, or use a #7 or #5 blade up the backside of the tail. Comb the hair to one side of the tail, trimming from the end to the base, leaving the hair longer as you move toward the base of the tail. Comb the hair to the other side of the tail and repeat. The result should resemble the shape of a carrot. The Scottie tail is much tighter tail than the Cairn Terrier tail.
- Blend the areas you’ve clipped using thinning shears. Now you will trim the underline and the legs of the dog using thinning shears. The underline of a Scottie is longer than that of a Westie, although many pet owners will want it trimmed more like a Westie underline. The feet are rounded. The furnishings are left long if an owner wants their Scottish Terrier to look closer to breed standard but can be tidied and shortened to make them easier for a pet owner to maintain.
- The final part of the dog that needs to be groomed is its head. Clip the top of the head in reverse with a #5F or 7F blade. With the same blade, in reverse, clip the “V” of Scottie’s neck. The bottom point of the “V” is located two or three finger widths above where you feel the breastbone. You then match that low point of the “V” to the bottom part of the ear and clip in reverse. Tidy the cowlick areas on the side of the neck with thinning shears. Clip the sides of the face in reverse to the outer corner of the eye and the outer corner of the lip. Come forward about one inch on the lower jaw from the edge of the lip.
Next, trim the Scottish Terrier’s ears. You want to remove nearly all hair off the back of the ear with a #15 blade. On the back of the ear, the only hair left is about a thumb-tip area where the ear meets the top of the head. Now trim the hair on the inside of the ear. You remove all of this hair from the outside lower edge of the ear to the tip and about halfway up from where the ear attaches to the head. You then tidy this tuft hair with thinning shears. One way to do this is to fold the ear in half and trim what sticks outside the ear leather.
[SIDEBAR]
FAST FACT
The tuft of hair left in front of the Scottish Terrier’s ear is there to help keep dirt out of the ear canal when digging into holes.
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To trim the Scottish Terrier eyebrows, comb them forward. Use thinning shears to remove the hair on the outside corner of the eye flush to the skull. Comb them forward again. Using curved shears, place the back part of the shear right up to the side of the dog’s face and point the end of the shear to the opposite side of the end of the dog’s nose. Hold these shears at a 45-degree angle, and clip the eyebrows to ensure a lovely, defined arch in the brow. The part of the eyebrow above the nose should go 2/3 of the way down the muzzle. Comb recheck and tidy.
To trim the Scottish Terrier beard, comb the beard hair all forward. Hold between your fingers straight up and down, and trim off the desired length. Comb downward and tidy.
- Card out the jacket, and double-check your work.
LONG-LEGGED TERRIER GROOMS
Long-legged terriers that require grooming include these breeds: Airedale Terrier, Bedlington Terrier, Border Terrier, Irish Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Welsh Terrier, and Wire Fox Terrier.
For this lesson, we will focus on the Miniature Schnauzer, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, and the Wire Fox terrier. Once you’ve mastered these grooms, you will find many bits and pieces of what you’ve learned will apply to the other listed breeds.
MINIATURE SCHNAUZER
Before learning the Miniature Schnauzer groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the Cairn Terrier. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/MiniatureSchnauzer.pdf Google images of the Scottish Terrier and note how they should look.
The Miniature Schnauzer is a square dog. There is not an abundance of fluffy hair left on the chest, and there is NOT a skirt on a Miniature Schnauzer. There is a scissored underline that goes from the tuck-up area to the elbow.
- Bathe the dog.
- Dry the dog using a high-velocity dryer. Attempt to dry the coat in the direction in which it grows. Get the dog about 80-90% dry using the high-velocity dryer, and then finish with a stand dryer.
- Trim the dog’s nails. Trim the hair in the pads of the feet and trim the sanitary area; clip under the tail to the tip of the tail using a #10 or #15 blade. [SIDEBAR] FAST FACT Here’s a great way to set schnauzer feet when trimming out the pads; it will save you time. FIGURE VIDEO SCHNAUZER PADS [END SIDEBAR]
- Card the dog’s jacket
- Clipper the jacket pattern using an #7F blade. If you use an #10 blade, it will be too short to blend the underline and legs properly, it can also cause ingrown hairs and skin problems for the Miniature Schnauzer. You should NOT clip a Miniature Schnauzer jacket in reverse of the hair growth. Card the jacket area out again after clipping it. The jacket is clipped to just above the elbow at the front leg and down the side of the thigh at the rear leg. You should lift the front leg and bring it forward, and clipper behind the back of the front leg on the dog’s rib just a bit to set the underline. The chest area is clipped flat. You may need to use thinning shears to tidy the area where there are cowlicks on the chest of a Miniature schnauzer, as clipping them may bald the area.
FIGURE VIDEO CLIPPING JACKET
- Now you will trim the legs and the underline. For pet trims, a good shortcut can be to use a guard comb on the legs, a #4 for owners who prefer a shorter pet trim, and a #2 for a more accurate pet trim. When groomed properly, the legs are scissored into columns. Here are the steps for scissoring Miniature Schnauzer legs:
- Comb all the leg hair well, making sure there are no tangles.
- Start with the rear legs. Gently lift the rear leg back toward yourself and comb the hair up on the inside of the rear leg. Scissor this straight.
- Comb the hock hair back and scissor straight up and down.
- Comb the leg hair forward to the front of the rear leg and scissor straight up and down.
- Comb the hair up on the side of the outside of the rear leg and scissor straight up and down, coming off the clipped thigh area straight down to the feet.
- For the front legs, comb the hair and scissor it into columns.
- To trim the underline, trim a curve at the tuck-up area and then blend the area behind the curve into the back-leg furnishing. Then, from the tuck, trim the underline up to the elbow. This is an underline, not a skirt!
- The final part of the groom is to groom the Miniature Schnauzer’s head. You will clip the neck area into a “v” shape, starting the lower part of the v about three finger widths above the breastbone up to the outside edge of the ear. Use a #7F blade. Then clipper in reverse with the same blade on the top of the head, the sides of the face from the ear to the whisker on each side of the cheek, and the underside of the neck and chin area to the whisker and bump on the underside of the muzzle.
Trim the ears using a #30 or #15 blade on the inside of the ear and a #15 or #10 blade on the outside. You choose which blade length depending on the thickness of the hair on the ear. If the hair is thinner, use the longer blade. Scissor the outside edge of the ear from the base of each side of the ear to the top of the ear.
Trim the beard to the owner’s desired length. Comb all beard hair forward and trim the desired amount off the end.
Trim the eyebrows. Using a thinning shear, trim the outside edge flush with the face. Comb the eyebrows forward. Now place curved shears at the outside corner of the eye at a 45-degree angle and aim the point of the shear at the dog’s nose. Trim a curved eyebrow, leaving the longest point 2/3 of the way down the dog’s nose to the customer’s desired length.
FIGURE VIDEO SCISSORING SCHNAUZER EYEBROWS
- Card out the jacket, and double-check your work.
SOFT-COATED WHEATEN TERRIER
Before learning about the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, or Wheaten groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the Wheaten Terrier. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/SoftCoatedWheatenTerrier.pdf Google images of the Wheaten Terrier and make some notes about how they should look.
- Bathe the dog.
- Dry the dog using a high-velocity dryer. Attempt to dry the coat in the direction in which it grows. Get the dog about 80-90% dry using the high-velocity dryer, and then finish with a stand dryer. The Wheaten Terrier is a hand-scissored breed that tends to have curlier hair, it’s vital to stretch dry their coat correctly, so their groom turns out correct.
- Trim the dog’s nails. Trim the hair in the pads of the feet and trim the sanitary area; clip under the tail to the tip of the tail using a #10 or #7F blade.
- Clipper the jacket pattern using a #4F blade or longer guard comb. The Wheaten jacket is left longer and plusher than many other long-legged terriers. The jacket is clipped to just above the elbow at the front leg and down the side of the thigh at the rear leg. The chest area is clipped flat.
- Now you will trim the legs and the underline. The legs are left a bit fuller on the Wheaten than you leave them on a Miniature Schnauzer. For pet trims, a good shortcut can be to use a guard comb on the legs, a #1 for owners who prefer a shorter pet trim, all the way up to a 0 or A guard comb. When groomed properly, the legs are scissored into full, parallel columns. Here are the steps for scissoring Wheaten’s legs:
- Comb all the leg hair well, making sure there are no tangles.
- Start with the rear legs. Gently lift the rear leg back toward yourself and comb the hair up on the inside of the rear leg. Scissor this straight.
- Comb the hock hair back and scissor straight up and down.
- Comb the leg hair forward to the front of the rear leg and scissor straight up and down.
- Comb the hair up on the side of the outside of the rear leg and scissor straight up and down, coming off the clipped thigh area straight down to the feet.
- For the front legs, comb the hair up and scissor it into columns.
- To trim the underline, trim a curve at the tuck-up area and then blend the area behind the curve into the back-leg furnishing. Then, from the tuck up trim the underline up to the elbow. This is an underline, not a skirt!
- The final part of the groom is to groom the Wheaten You will clip the neck area into a “v” shape, starting the lower part of the v about three finger widths above the breastbone, up to the under the outside edge of the ear. A good rule of thumb is to use whatever length you used on the jacket but in reverse for the neck, top of the head, and sides of the face. Like the Miniature Schnauzer, the Wheaten has whiskers on their cheeks and under their chin that serve as sound clips to guide points.
Trim the ears using a #15 or #30 on the inside of the ear and a longer blade on the outside of the ear. The Wheaten’s ears are left longer than other terriers. You can use a #7F if you’ve taken the jacket on the shorter side and longer if you left the jacket longer, often, a #4F is a good length for the outside of the Wheaten ear. Scissor the outside edge of the ear from the base of each side of the ear to the top of the ear.
Trim the beard to the owner’s desired length. Comb all the beard hair forward and trim the desired amount off the end; if you use thinning shears to do this, the beard will look more natural.
Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers have a fall when groomed to breed standard. Most pet owners will not want a fall because they want to be able to see their dog’s eyes.
[SIDEBAR]
FAST FACT
Most breeds with a breed standard that calls for a fall are high-energy. The fall blocks some of their vision and slows them down. The fall on a dog works much like blinders do on horses.
FIGURE OF DOGS WITH FALLS
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Discuss with the pet owner how they want their Wheaten’s eyebrows trimmed. Some will want them short, and others may choose a Miniature Schnauzer-type eyebrow, so they still look a little bit longer.
- Blend areas with thinning shears to remove any lines. Re-check your work.
VARIATIONS OF TERRIER GROOMS
Pet owners will have requests that differ from the breed standard grooms. Here we will list a few of the more common variations.
SHORT ALL OVER
This is probably the most common variation of a terrier groom; the pet owner will prefer no pattern and will want the dog cut short all over. Proceed as we discussed in the lesson on clipping dogs short all over.
REMOVE UNDERLINE
When a terrier owner decides they don’t like the underline, but like the legs left a bit longer, you will clip the underline the same length as the rest of the body. There are many times when this is not the desired look, but it may be necessary if the dog is matted worse on the belly than on their legs. You may be able to de-matt the legs but clip the belly short.
REMOVE BEARD
Some pet owners opt to have a beard removed or clipped very short because the dogs get water and food in them. Listen to the owner’s request and clip or trim accordingly.
FLUFFY EARS
There are pet owners who want a softer look for their terrier than the breed standard calls for. One way to do this is to leave the ears fluffier. One example would be to use a #4 or #2 guard comb on a schnauzer ear instead of a #15 blade.
EYEBROW STYLES
Quite a few owners of terriers will opt for shorter eyebrows than the breed standard calls for. Pet owners are often adamant about wanting to see their dog’s eyes. Sometimes it’s possible to keep the overall shape but take it back shorter. For example, you might end the longest part of a Miniature Schnauzer eyebrow at one-half the length of the muzzle rather than 2/3.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN TERRIER GROOMS
You may have already noticed many things are similar. Westies and Cairns are similar. The long-legged terriers have similar jacket patterns. Westies, Cairns, and Scotties all have carrot-style tails. When you start making the connections about what is similar between the terrier breeds, you will need to remember or look up the differences to groom a terrier you haven’t groomed before.
{MAYBE MAKE THIS INTO A INTERESTING IMAGE WITH THE INFO?}
EARS
TIPPED EARS
You find tipped ears on the Cairn Terrier and Westie.
CLIPPED EARS
Clippered ears (or hand-stripped short on show dogs) are found on the Airedale Terrier, Border Terrier, Cesky Terrier, Glen of Imaal Terrier, Irish Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Norfolk Terrier, Norwich Terrier Russell Terrier, Scottish Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Welsh Terrier, and Wire Fox Terrier.
TASSELED EAR
There are two terriers with a tasseled ear: the Bedlington Terrier and the Dandie Dinmont Terrier.
BEARDS
Many terrier breeds have a beard or goatee. The difference is that a beard usually begins at the back edge of the mouth on both the upper and lower jaw. On dogs where they have a beard and a goatee, the lower jaw is clipped short an inch or so forward from the back edge of the mouth or up to the canine tooth.
Terriers with beards include Kerry Blue Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Scottish Terrier, and the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. Those with Beards and a goatee include the Airedale Terrier, Cesky Terrier, Wire Fox Terrier, Irish Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, and Welsh Terrier.
FIGURE DRAWING OF BEARD VS. GOATEE
UNDERLINES
For the terrier breeds that need a haircut (and aren’t short-haired,) you have two different underline styles that may vary a bit by length. You have the underline from the tuck up to approximately the elbow. This is seen in Miniature Schnauzers, Kerry Blue Terriers, and Wire Fox terriers. You also have the longer underlines seen on West Highland White Terriers, Scottish Terriers, and more.
JACKETS
The jackets of the long and short-legged terriers are pretty similar. Their placement may vary slightly to show off more muscle on some breeds. You will want to study each terrier and note the jacket placement.
LESSON: SPORTING DOG HAIRCUTS
INTRODUCTION
While you won’t usually see as many sporting breeds in a grooming salon as you will see terriers and curly-coated breeds, they are still popular among pet owners. American Cocker Spaniels became tremendously popular after the Disney movie “The Lady, and the Tramp” was released. The most commonly seen sporting breeds in a grooming salon include the Golden Retriever and the American Cocker Spaniel.
Many sporting breeds do not need a haircut, but they will often go to a grooming salon to be bathed and have their nails trimmed. A Labrador Retriever is an excellent example of this.
OBJECTIVES
- Properly groom a Golden Retriever
- Properly groom an American Cocker Spaniel
- Properly groom an English Springer Spaniel
- Understand variations of sporting grooms pet owners may request and how to execute these variations.
- Identify the similarities between breeds and haircuts in the sporting group to allow you to perform grooms on breeds you may not frequently see in a salon.
The sporting group is a large group within the AKC! The four types of sporting dogs are spaniels, pointers, retrievers, and setters. The Sporting Group breeds include American Water Spaniel, Boykin Spaniel, Brittany, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Clumber Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Curly Coated Retriever, English Cocker Spaniel, English Setter, English springer Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Flat Coated Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, German Wirehaired Pointer, Golden Retriever, Gordon Setter, Irish Red and White Setter, Irish Setter, Irish Water Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Lagotto Romagnolo, Nederlandse Kooikerhondje, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Pointer, Spinone Italiano, Sussex Spaniel, Vizsla, Weimaraner, Welsh Springer Spaniel, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, and Wirehaired Vizsla.
FIGURE IMAGES OF THESE BREEDS, PERHAPS BY THEIR NAMES IN A LIST
For this lesson, we will focus on the Golden Retriever, American Cocker Spaniel, and the English Springer Spaniel.
GOLDEN RETRIEVER
Before learning about the Golden Retriever groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the Golden Retriever. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/GoldenRetriever.pdf Google images of the Golden Retriever and make some notes about how they should look.
- Bathe the dog. The Golden Retriever is a double-coated breed, so it can be helpful to rake out their jacket while in the bath to help remove excess coats.
- Dry the dog using a high-velocity dryer. Attempt to dry the coat in the direction in which it grows. If the dog has packed in an undercoat, using the high-velocity dryer will help to break it up and remove it from the coat. You can completely dry a Golden Retriever with a high-velocity dryer.
[SIDEBAR]
FAST FACT
With practice, you can learn to hold the high-velocity dryer hose under your arm. This will allow you to dry and brush at the same time. It’s best to take this step when a dog is almost dry. You will want to do this without using the condenser cone.
FIGURE VIDEO DRYING AND BRUSHING USING THIS TECHNIQUE
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- Trim the dog’s nails. Trim the hair in the pads of the feet and trim the sanitary area. Be sure to ask pet owners if they want the sanitary area trimmed, it isn’t necessary with a Golden Retriever.
- Card and brush out the Golden Retriever’s jacket
- Now you will tidy the furnishings and underline. On some Golden Retrievers, you will find fuzzy, cottony hair on areas of their legs and ears. This can be pulled out with your fingers or a pumice stone to help make the dog look tidier.
FIGURE VIDEO CARDING, BRUSHING, PULLING FUZZ, TRIMMING FURNISHINGS AND UNDERLINE.
- Trim the hair on the tops of the Golden Retriever’s feet.
- Tidy around the Golden Retrievers ears.
AMERICAN COCKER SPANIEL
Before learning about the Cocker Spaniel groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the Cocker Spaniel. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/Cocker_Spaniel.pdf Google images of the Cocker Spaniel and note how they should look.
Note: we will cover grooming the Cocker Spaniel in a shorter version of their breed standard trim.
- Bathe the dog.
- Dry the dog using a high-velocity dryer. Attempt to dry the coat in the direction in which it grows. Once the dog is 80-90% dry, finish drying it using a stand dryer. Back brush and stretch dry the legs.
- Trim the dog’s nails. Trim the hair in the pads of the feet and trim the sanitary area. You can trim the underside of the tail with a #10 blade.
- Card out the jacket.
- For a pet trim, you will now clip the jacket from the occiput to the tail and down the sides of the hip, rib, and shoulder just a little. The Cocker jacket is set higher than a terrier jacket. . A #7F, #5F, and #4F blade trim can all look good, depending on how thick the hair on the dog’s jacket is. If it’s thicker, a shorter blade length can look smoother. Clip the topside of the tail as well.
- Trim the skirt to the customer’s desired length. For some, this will be shorter, while other owners will want it longer and closer to breed standard.
- Scissor or clipper the legs into columns. If the owners want this left longer, scissoring will produce a nicer finish. If they want them shorter, often a 0 or A guard comb taken over the legs will look great. If you use a guard comb, you will want to comb the leg hair up and go over it again with shears around the tops of the feet.
FIGURE VIDEO GROOMING COCKER SPANIEL PET TRIM
- The headpiece of the Cocker Spaniel has quite a few steps to complete.
- Trim the ears. Hold the ear next to the dog’s face; most of the time, the clipped part will begin where the flew and ear meet. Clip in reverse on the outside of the ear using a #10 blade to where the ear attaches to the head. (NOTE: Do NOT clip in reverse on an ear if you use a cordless clipper with a 5 in 1 blade, instead, go with the grain using the #15 setting.) Clip the inside of the ear to the same lines, with the grain of the hair, using a #30 blade. Comb the long ear hair down and tidy the ends. Usually, the length of the ear stops at the point of the shoulder.
- Trim the neck using a #7 or #10 in reverse. Start the V two to three finger widths above the breastbone. Clip to the ear and up the entire area of the neck.
- Clip the sides of the face from the ear to the outer corner of the eye in reverse, do not clip under the eye.
- Clip the top of the muzzle using a #10 or #7F blade against the grain, and remove the hair and whiskers.
- Clip the underside of the muzzle with the same blade length you used on the neck, in reverse. Be aware of the flews. You will want to pull the lip taught and use a shorter blade length (a #15 or #30) in the flews.
- Blend the clipper line on each side of the face into the top skull using thinning shears.
- Take the same blade you used on the neck, and just above and behind the ears, clip some hair away to blend into the jacket. Tidy these areas using thinning shears.
- For the dome on top of the head, from the occiput to the neck area, clip with a #7 with the grain. Blend that area into the longer hair at the front of the head. Create a small, non-exaggerated dome by blending all this with thinning shears.
FIGURE VIDEO SHOWING GROOMING COCKER SPANIEL EARS & HEAD
- Card out the jacket and blend the jacket into furnishings using thinning shears. Re-check and tidy your work.
ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL
Before learning the English Springer Spaniel groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the English Springer Spaniel. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/EnglishSpringerSpaniel.pdf Google images of the English Springer Spaniel and note how they should look.
- Bathe the dog. Rake out the jacket when shampooing.
- Dry the dog using a high-velocity dryer. Attempt to dry the coat in the direction in which it grows once the dog is 80-90% dry; finish drying it using a stand dryer. Use a stand dryer and a pin brush to dry the furnishings straight.
- Trim the dog’s nails. Trim the hair in the pads of the feet and trim the sanitary area only if the owner requests. If you trim the belly sanitary area on a male Springer Spaniel, you are removing a coat that creates the underline of the dog. You can trim the underside of the tail with a #10 blade.
- Card out the jacket.
- For a pet trim, you will now clip the jacket from the occiput to the tail and down the sides of the hip, rib, and shoulder just a little. FIGURE OF CLIPPED AREA OF A ESS PATTERN. Using a longer guard comb, such as a #2, #1, or #0, will leave the jacket looking closer to the breed standard. Avoid, when possible, clipping shorter than a #5F blade. Clip the topside of the tail as well. To look even closer to the breed standard, you can rake out the jacket and then backcomb and thinning shear the jacket.
- Trim the Springer’s feet. Brush the hair up and trim it with curved scissors or thinning shears.
- Trim the underline to the customer’s desired length. For some, this will be shorter, while other owners will want it longer and closer to breed standard.
- Trim the furnishings on the hocks and legs.
- The headpiece of the English Springer Spaniel has quite a few steps to complete.
- Trim the ears. Approximately the top 1/3 of the ESS ear is clipped. Clip in reverse on the outside of the ear using a #10 blade to where the ear attaches to the head. (NOTE: Do NOT clip in reverse on an ear if you use a cordless clipper with a 5 in 1 blade, instead, go with the grain using the #15 setting.) Clip the inside of the ear to the same lines, with the grain of the hair, using a #30 blade. Comb the long ear hair down and tidy the ends.
- Trim the neck using a #7 or #10 in reverse. Start the V two to three finger widths above the breastbone. Clip to the ear and up the entire area of the neck.
- Clip the sides of the face from the ear to the outer corner of the eye in reverse, do not clip under the eye; use a #7F blade.
- Clip the top of the muzzle using a #10 or #7F blade against the grain, and remove the hair and whiskers.
- Clip the underside of the muzzle with the same blade length you used on the neck, in reverse. Be aware of the flews. You will want to pull the lip taught and use a shorter blade length (a #15 or #30) in the flews.
- Blend the clipper line on each side of the face into the top skull using thinning shears.
- Take the same blade you used on the neck, and just above and behind the ears, clip some hair away to blend into the jacket. Tidy these areas using thinning shears.
- For the dome on top of the head, from the occiput to the neck area, clip with a #5 with the grain. Blend that area into the longer hair at the front of the head. Create a small, non-exaggerated dome by blending all this with thinning shears.
- Card out the jacket and blend the jacket into furnishings using thinning shears. Re-check and tidy your work.
VARIATIONS OF SPORTING GROOMS
Pet owners will have requests that differ from the breed standard grooms. Here we will list a few of the more common variations.
SHORT ALL OVER
This is probably the most common variation of a sporting dog groom; the pet owner will prefer no pattern and will want the dog cut short all over. Proceed as we discussed in the lesson on clipping dogs short all over.
REMOVE UNDERLINE
When a sporting breed owner decides they don’t like the underline but like the legs left a bit longer, you will clip the underline the same length as the rest of the body. There are many times when this is not the desired look but it may be necessary if the dog is matted worse on the belly than on their legs. You may be able to de-matt the legs but clip the belly short. This type of groom is often seen on American Cocker Spaniels.
SHORTEN FURNISHINGS
Most often, people who own certain sporting breeds will not want traditional, long furnishings and will ask you to trim the shorter or remove the furnishings altogether. This style is often requested for Golden Retrievers, Setters, and English Springer Spaniels.
EAR VARIATIONS
Some owners with sporting breeds where the ears are typically partially shaved will request this not be done and that the dog has a full ear. Other owners with a sporting breed where the ears are typically left full, or only part of the ear is clipped, will request the entire ear be shaved short.
FIGURE IMAGE OF A DOG IN BREED STANDARD AND ONE WHERE FURNISHINGS ARE TRIMMED SHORT
This is a simple task; make sure to be clear with the owner about just how short they want the furnishings. If they want them considerably shorter, trim them using scissors or thinning shears. If they want them much shorter, a clipper with a guard comb, such as a #1 or #0 guard, can quickly get the desired look.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPORTING BREED GROOMS
You may have already noticed many things are similar among sporting breeds. English and Irish Setters are groomed quite similarly. American Cocker Spaniels and English Springer Spaniels have a similar head and ear style with only minor variations between the two. This makes learning how to groom sporting breeds easier as you can find the similarities.
EARS
NATURAL EARS
You will find minimally groomed or trimmed ears on these breeds: Golden Retriever, Brittany, Clumber Spaniel, Flat Coat Retriever, and Sussex Spaniel.
CLIPPED EARS
The top one-third of the ear is clipped on these breeds: American Cocker Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel, English Setter, English Springer Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Gordon Setter, Irish Setter.
NECKS AND FACES
You will find clipped necks and faces on many of the sporting breeds. The variations will be mainly the length they are clipped and where the clipped area begins on the neck.
TAILS
Regarding sporting breeds that require grooming, you will see two types of tails, docked and flag tails.
DOCKED
Dogs with docked tails have had part of the tail surgically removed when they are young. Docked tails in sporting breeds are styled by clipping the underside of the tail and using thinning shears to shape the remaining hair on the tail. Sporting breeds with docked tails include Boykin, Brittany, Clumber Spaniel, American Cocker Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel, and Field Spaniel.
FLAG
Sporting dogs with a flag tail have a long coat on the tail that is trimmed like a flag. Sporting breeds with flag tail styles include: English Setter, Flat Coat Retriever, Golden Retriever, Gordon Setters, and Irish Setters.
JACKETS
You should notice that the jacket patterns on many of the sporting breeds are very similar. This makes knowing how to groom a large section of any sporting breed dog pretty easy as they are pretty much the same. Sporting breeds with similar jacket patterns include English Setter, Irish Setter, English Springer Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel, American Cocker Spaniel, Field Spaniel.
FIGURES OF SOME OF THESE BREEDS
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A quick tip: while breed standards will call for not using clippers on a sporting dog’s jacket, many pet owners want this area trimmed shorter. You will want to rake and card out the jacket and then clip it the most extended length you can to get a more correct finish that is easier to blend. If you go too short, it will be challenging to blend the jacket into the underline and furnishings.
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CITATIONS