# Full groom for the first time



## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

Hi All!

I have an 8 1/2 month old cockapoo and we're bringing her in to get a full cut for the first time. We've taken her to this place to get her ears/face/feet trimmed up and I was very impressed with how even her cut was and how they blended in with the rest of her (very long) hair! But...we're taking her in on Wednesday and I'm getting more and more nervous. I've been looking around and found some pictures of cuts that I like, but I'm still scared.

Any suggestions/tips? I know that the leggs are supposed to be longer, but what is supposed to happen with the ears? Rounded? Many that I've seen have kind of looked like a cocker spaniel. Is that right?

Thanks for all of your thoughts and encouragement! I'll make it through...


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

it depends on what you like, most groomers will bring the ears levle with the beared but i am growing my girls out so they look longer. 

it also depends on the coat gypsy and Inca are very poolde Echo is Very spanial, Delta im not sure about but i think more poodle. 

i think it takes time for you to be sure of what you want, it can change from groom to groom. that is the beuty of the breed, you can play with it and the hair grows back and you can start from scratch after a couple of weeks.


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## Kel (Feb 1, 2011)

Stupid question, Kendal (or anyone else who knows), sorry I have to ask it, but how do you tell if your puppy is more spaniel or more poodle? I didn't pay much attention to dogs before I got Chloe.

Whenever we have had Chloe groomed, she looks so "fluffy" afterwards which I don't really like but it soon grows back into the "scruffy" look that I do like on her. I do think it is personal preference , for sure.


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

From what I understand they have to be blown out so the groomer can get an even cut. Bella comes home looking like a poodle every time she's gotten her face/feet trimmed, but after a day or so, she back to her wavy scruffy hair! 

I'm wondering about the coat difference as well. I guess I'd say that she's more like a poodle, because it's pretty thick and wavy (but not kinky/curly like a poodle) but I'm still not sure. 

Should the ears be rounded? I was thinking about asking the groomer to bring her down to an inch and a half on the body. I don't love the square cut ears. What should I ask for so that I don't get square 'freshly cut' ears?!

Thanks for all of your help and support!


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

Kendal - Did I read somewhere that you groom your own dogs? If so, what length are they in the body vs the leg. I like the look, but I might want just a little bit longer on the body. Still trying to get ideas!

BTW- I'll make sure to post before and after pictures after all this!! 

Paula


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Like Kendal said I think its just trail and error til you find the look you like and hoping the groomer can repeat it the next time ... but yeh it does grow back thank goodness. Theres a thread where it shows how Kendals girls coats have changed form pups and it shows you the texture of their coats poodle/cocker ... I'll have a look for it . Good luck x


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

Gypsy and Inca are curlier and hold a shape when blowdried where as Echo falls flat as he r curls are looser, also Gypsy and Incas ears bush out like poodle where as Echos lie flat. Delta has a big poofy head like Inca but her hair on her body falls flat on her legs like Echo. 

as for the earsi dont thik its posible to trim them without them looking freshly cut, maybe they could be done with thinning sheers 


my girls get a 7 blade on thei back, im still playing with their legs dont realy know what length they are. 

Gypsy


















Inca

















Echo










Delta


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## caradunne (Nov 29, 2010)

sorry Kendal for being a pain, can you do a reminder of the parents of each of your dogs? These are amazing pics, their faces are so expressionistic. x


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

caradunne said:


> sorry Kendal for being a pain, can you do a reminder of the parents of each of your dogs? These are amazing pics, their faces are so expressionistic. x


lol they are on this thread 

http://ilovemycockapoo.com/showthread.php?t=701&highlight=sylml


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for the pics! Your pups are all adorable!!

I think Bella is somewhere between Gypsy and Echo. Her hair is kind of kinky like a poodle, but not wiry. It's like of flat, but wavy. Maybe it's classic cockapoo?! ;-)

This is an attempt to post a picture...not sure if it'll work! If it does, this was Bella at Christmas time, just before she got an at-home face trim!


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## Dawny (Mar 28, 2010)

hi wispa looks like she has been crimpted all over ( the shaggy look) i like to do wispa myself when i think she needs it. i stand her on the garden table and go all over her with scissors, its not that hard you may need help for the first few times just hold them still and lots of treats! if it looks rubbish dont worry it grows back really fast and its cost you nothing LOL. go on have a go


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

I groom Flo myself and keep her about 1 inch all over as she has lovely soft, crimped fur. I keep her face quite short as well. She looks more cocker than poo. I use thinning scissors at the bottom of her ears so they are not cut blunt across the bottom.


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## Enneirda. (Mar 5, 2010)

On the ear discussion, 'Lo's ears are left alone, and tend to get beat up by playing, biting, and chewing on toys so stay this length naturally.


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## Pauly (Apr 6, 2011)

Hi Everyone, 

My name is Paul and we have a an 8 month old Cockapoo called Tilly. Getting her was right up there with the best decisions we ever made! She is one very loved little dog!

I made my mind up to register on the forum as she is defintely due a cut also and we are considering what to do. We currently trim her face which she has no problem with (provided there are treats involved!) and would much rather take care of it than take her to the groomers. It's just something that we would rather have control over.

The reason for my post is that Tilly looks very similar to Flo in the images above (colour and coat type) so I hoped that I could get some advice from you Mandy about how you go about trimming Flo yourself? A simple 1" all over sounds perfect to me and Flo certainly looks a lot neater than Tilly currently does! 

Do you use scissor to achieve this or clippers? Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated. 

Sorry if this counts as hijacking a thread? I'm not really sure on the etiquette!

Thanks!
Paul.


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

embee said:


> I groom Flo myself and keep her about 1 inch all over as she has lovely soft, crimped fur. I keep her face quite short as well. She looks more cocker than poo. I use thinning scissors at the bottom of her ears so they are not cut blunt across the bottom.


Mandy - is the pic you posted above right after a 1in cut all over? I love the look!


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

sonatalady7 said:


> Mandy - is the pic you posted above right after a 1in cut all over? I love the look!


She around 1-1.5 inches which is a 1" (25mm No.8) comb attachment on the clippers. In some places (her neck, lower leg and waist) I use a 5/8" (16mm No.5) to give her shape a bit of definition. I use thinning scissors on her face, top of head and ears. I prefer to keep her face quite tidy, without moustache or beard (although Enneirda would probably laugh at my description comparing Flo's 'clean face' to 'Lo's). I suppose I should say relatively clean face compared to others here like Kendal's who prefer longer fur on their dogs faces. She is my first dog and I brought the equipment and decided to groom her myself after a few visits to a groomer where she was sent home with a look I wasn't happy with. It really is quite straight forward if you want a shaggy, scruffy look and I do it bit by bit - one day I might just run the clipper over her back and sides, another day I'll tidy her face. If you want a look like Kendal or Enneirda then that's another matter altogther - I wouldn't attempt to try and make Flo look like 'Lo or Delta and would turn to a professional for a groom like that.

Here's Flo with the groomers look and the reason I turned to home grooming...


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

Well...she's home...and quite hair-less! I'm actually very pleased! I uploaded my photos to shutterfly...thinking it would be easier to post them on here, but I can't figure out how to do it. Anyone have ideas? Since I'm 5 hours behind most everyone else, I might have it figured out by the time anyone sees this! ;-)


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## Pauly (Apr 6, 2011)

Looking forward to seeing the pictures Paula. Glad that you're happy with the results as it is defintely nerve wracking!

Mandy - Can I ask one more question? Do you use specialist clippers or do normal hair clippers suffice?

We are definitely keen on learning to do this ourselves as we also want the control over how it turns out. I'm sure Tilly can cope with a couple of 'practice' cuts while we get the hang of it!

I can post before and after pics if anyone is interested?


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Pauly I know theres another thread, somewhere, that says what Mandy uses, she put a link up to a grooming equipment website, if you can find the thread. I presume that hers were more expensive than mine but I bought Wahl ones from Argos which have various comb attachments, a smaller clipper, the main clipper, a comb and scissors ... it does however look very similar to clipper i bought to cut my sons hair when he was little so im sure you could give them ago, its worth a try...its like shearing sheep x 
Looking forward to pics of Bella, Paula x


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

Pauly said:


> Mandy - Can I ask one more question? Do you use specialist clippers or do normal hair clippers suffice?


I brought an andis dog clipper as I didn't have any human clippers. I think they are the same thing and someone did say to me that if you buy clippers in a 'dog' box they are much cheaper than identical clippers packaged in a 'human' box. http://www.groomers-online.com/product.php/271/andis-agc-single-speed-clippers


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## Pauly (Apr 6, 2011)

Thanks for the answers. Much appreciated.

I have a pretty decent set of human clippers as I kept my hair quite short for a while. Provided we have the right length attachments I may give it a go this weekend (as its so nice and sunny i'm Sure Tilly would appreciate it!). We have kept her coat in very good, unmatted condition so fingers crossed it should go ok.

If we pluck up the courage to do it then i'll post some before and after pics!

Thanks again!


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

Can't wait to see Pauly!


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Oooh Paula are you thinking of giving it a go next time x


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

I am! Now that she's managable...it seems like it can't be too hard, right?! Haha...

I'm concerned about a couple of things:
1- She's a squirmer - especially in the tub and with the clippers (I bought an inexpensive people hair kind to trim her sanitary areas).
2- She doesn't love her feet touched, but I've cut her nails before, with much fighting...well, mostly me trying to pin her down with my body and her trying to pull away! I've never hit the quick...so I"m not sure what her issue is.
3- I've never done her ears and i'm afraid I'd cut the end of her ear off.
4- Do I have to blowdry her straight to trim her? I'm hoping I don't have to...

So..I think that about sums it up. I'm guessing I'll have to deal with all of these issues, and whether or not i cut her myself in a couple of months or so...


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

lol best time for clipping nails is when they are sleeping or just chilled out. start off by just playing with her feet sepperating the toes with you fingers(not making a fuss just doing it as you would pet her while watching the tv) 

i like blow drying the coat before clipping as if you dont it looks uneven (my opinion) also before the clippers go thrugh the coat it needs to be mat free and it is easier to find matts when blowdrying to coat(blowdrying blows the loos hair out the way meaning you see the matt and can get to it easier) 

ger her used to staning and lieing down for you 

ears, if the take the ear between you middle and intex finger(like hairdressers do) you will feel whe the ear stops and know where you are only going to cut hair. 

does she have hair inside her ears? as some cockapoos need their ears plucked Gypsy and Delta need it but more Gypsy


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for the tips Kendal!

She doesn't love having her feet touched, but she'll tolerate it for a while. If I try to brush her while she's sleeping, she wakes up and starts biting the brush! I need to do more training with her. 

Would a normal blowdryer work? I don't have anything else. Just blow dry it like I'd do my own hair with a brush?


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

I use my own hair drier ... she's still only young, id do it in stages ... have bathed and dried Mable today and will try and cut her tomorrow ... try being the operative word as she's a wriggler and hates the bath, she acts like a wet cat x


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## Pauly (Apr 6, 2011)

Hi Everyone, 

Tilly had a her first haircut over the weekend, right in time for the Spring. Her hair was too long for the clippers so we started off with the scissors and ended up just using them to complete it (barring a little tidying up which we used the clippers for). 
We also used thinning scissors to try to blend it all together.

It was quite time consuming as we used the scissors but I think we will be much quicker next time. We've spent a lot of time getting Tilly used to the clippers and being held and we always trim her face so she was pretty much fine about it. We gave her a few little breaks when she looked like she was getting cranky!

On the whole though it was pretty fun and we are very happy with the results. If you are thinking of giving it a go for yourself then I say go for it. It's a two person job though so one can trim and one distract when required.

Tilly defintely loves it and straight after we were finished she just ran and sprang around in her new lightweight coat!

I have before and after photos so if anyone can tell me how to post and is interested then i'm happy to show them? 

Paul.


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

Can't wait to see them Paul!


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Pauly said:


> I have before and after photos so if anyone can tell me how to post and is interested then i'm happy to show them?


Most of us use photobucket.com. Once they are on there you just copy the IMG code and paste it into your post and the photo appears.


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## Pauly (Apr 6, 2011)

I have tried to add the pics as attachments. Hopefully they will work?

Paul.


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## sonatalady7 (Apr 4, 2011)

Love love love love love!!! You did a great job!


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## Pauly (Apr 6, 2011)

Thanks Paula, thats very nice of you to say. There are a few bits that still need tidying but we were very happy with it.


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## Enneirda. (Mar 5, 2010)

Great job! It looks very nice.


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Well done! Better than a lot of the professional grooms that we've seen!


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## weez74 (Feb 9, 2011)

Dylansmum said:


> Well done! Better than a lot of the professional grooms that we've seen!


I second that! Well done you - what a lovely job! I did think that the pile of hair was Tilly all curled up until I took a second look! She looks well happy with it.

Now, can I send my two year old son round for a haircut? He's a quite a bit more fidgety than a cockapoo, but there would be less hair involved.


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## Pauly (Apr 6, 2011)

Thanks everyone! We were very happy with her look but theres always the chance that we would have liked it however it turned out, love is blind and all that! Good to have feedback. 

Thanks for the earlier advice too, really gave us confidence to have a go. Its really hot here this week too so just glad its sorted. 

If we can help with anyone else then im happy to advise using our very limited experience.... Although im afraid it would be dogs only! )


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## maplegum (Mar 10, 2011)

Oh wow, that's a great neat job. Not too short, not too long.


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