Tucker's First Haircut...and I'm Nervous!!
Tucker is almost 9 months old and has never been groomed professionally. I take great pride in brushing him daily (at least the ears, where those pesky mats seem to literally grow overnight), and brush his whole body every 2-3 days. I have trimmed his head and face many times and have just started clipping in between his pads on his feet. But given that we got a brilliant dumping of about 2 feet of snow last Monday and it is now taking us as long as 30 minutes to get the giant clumps of ice off of Tucker (and that is with the help of a hair dryer), I decided to book him a groomer's appointment just to get an all around trim in the hopes that this will make life a bit easier for us all when Tucker Bear comes in from the great white north (and by that I mean Petawawa, ON). I have a whole bunch of photos of OESs that I DO like in terms of grooming, and a page of photos that I DON'T like. I just want him to have an all-over puppy cut. I don't want it too short because he'll get cold outside. Aside from bringing in pictures to my new groomer (I had my choice of 3, and I have it on good word that one of them is awful and the other is solidly booked for a long time) and being as explicit as possible, is there anything else I should do to make sure I get the cut I want? I would hate to pick him up and cry on the way home because of how he looks (although of course he'll always be gorgeous, but you know what I mean). Thoughts? I don't have the money for a set of clippers yet, although that is in my plans for the future... Thanks! |
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| love your signature..hehe!
definately bring your photos or if you have a laptop, bring that in if you have files saved....nothing is worse than a bad haircut...weve all been there, done that....the good news is, it always grows out!!! AND he'll love you no matter what.... and trust me, ive cried over the haircuts that IVE given panda... |
Welcome Melanie!!! from St. Louis!!!!! Love the picture of Tucker....(love the name!!).........BUT......you have to post MORE pictures....  |
| Tucker is a cutie! Reminds me of Oliver in his pic.
My groomer probably thinks I am a little compulsive, but: Take pictures, clear, close up ones that are easy to see detail in. Talk to the groomer, not the recepionist, and explain what you want. Show him/her the pictures, explain what you like/dislike. Physically show her how long you want Tucker's hair. You might tell her 3", but not realize how short 3" really is, so make sure you know what length you really want. Write the directions out, so if he/she forgets, they can easily find what they forgot. Call and make sure all is going well. But don't rush the groomer. And the number one important thing to remember: IF IT DOESN'T LOOK ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, IT WILL GROW OUT! So exciting, the first professional groom. Post before and after pics! You will be so suprised how fluffy he will be when you pick him up! |
| Welcome. Definetly bring pictures. I am still searching for the right groomer - most around here don't seem to know what I want.
All in all I would start slow. A trip to the groomer will be a new experience for both of you. A groomer does not always groom the way Mom does. So I would explain how you groom and what type of brushes you use and where you use them. Miley hates a slicker brush (I have tried them for legs) so we stopped going to the groomer that insisted the slicker brush was the best to use for her coat. I also have her laying on her side for her legs (I don't have a grooming table so this works for me). But the groomer complain that she did not like to stand to have her legs groomed. Also - if you want the shaggy sheepy look for your Christmas pictures you might want to consider a hair cut after Christmas. Last year Miley was groomed 12-23 so I could show her off to relatives over the holidays. When I dropped her off they had additional help over the holidays and she did ended up with feet that looked like a poodle and her hair by her eyes cut (bangs). I cried - it grew but still did not have my pictures of her from last Christmas. |
| If you have pics bring. I had Obe cut down in August and hated it. The groomer did what I wanted, he just wasn't my big shaggy dog. As mentioned in an earlier post is grows back out and fast. |
| i forgot welcome to the forum from Colorado |
| big welcome from another military family in your general area.
I'd have to agree with the bring pictures but also I've noticed that no matter how many times you tell them (some groomers not all!!) they will do whatever they want! I'll let Carl know you are here...he'll be thrilled with new sheepie parents...and military to boot!! Personally, I'd rather I gave my "kids" a bad hair cut than trust anyone else with them. I'd hate to see Tucker have a bad experience....OES Have to like grooming or life will always be a battle. Sounds like you've made and impressive start on his grooming life. Now for the dreaded Blowing of the coat. |
Tucker looks like a sweetie and welcome from another in Ontario 
good luck in finding agroomer you like, makes life so much easier Dutch loves her groomer, when I take her in she runs and jumps up onto the table |
| Welcome!
Definitely bring pics! The only time my dog was groomed and I liked it, was when I brought a picture to show exactly what I wanted. I now do it myself, a lot less aggrivating.  |
| I agree you have to take pictures!
I did the first time I took George and it was exactly how I wanted him to be! The groomer even has the photo saved on Georges file so she can use it whenever he goes in! |
| Welcome!
My "sage" advice is; hair grows. If you are not happy with the results of the cut it won't take long to grow out. When I take my Maltese in to be groomed I always take a picture of what I want. |
| Melanie and Tucker,
Welcome to the forum and as Michele (Carl's Wife) said it's great to know of another Bobtail in the Ottawa Valley. If it is just a matter of keeping the ice off Tucker's feet you don't need to give him a general trim. By clipping out the hair from between his pads and trimming the foot hair you can substantially reduce the number and size of the ice balls he gets in his feet. If you are coming down to the Ottawa area I can do this for you and teach you how to do it for when you get your own clippers. Let me know if this is of interest. Anyway, great to have you here. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
| Welcome from Denver. Good luck on the grooming, but like others have said the difference between a good hair cut and a bad one is about three weeks maybe a bit more. |
| So I trimmed his face myself b/c I'm afraid that the groomer will shave his face. But with my first time doing it, I'm afraid I got a little scissor happy. I think next time I will leave more on top...
What do you think?  |
| Awww, he looks cute. You did a great job, especially for it being your first time!
Hard to concentrate on the hair though, he's got a huge tongue on him! |
| Whoa. |
| Whoa what? |
| Whoa what a tongue. |
| Ok, Phew, I thought it was, "whoa, what did you do to his hair?" |
You did a great job!  |
| He looks nice!
So, are you going to take him in to the groomers - or keep going by yourself?? |
| Thanks for all the compliments - I feel better now!
I am still going to take him to the groomer to get a trim all over his body so there is less hair for the ice to cling to outside. I still want him fluffy and a little shaggy, just tidied up a little bit. Any idea how much that will cost me here in Ontario? I do want to learn to do it on my own for the next time, though. What tools do I use to just trim his puppy fur?? |
| It depends how long you want it. A clippers with a guard will give a shorter fuzzy look. It will need to be scissored for a longer cut. The scissoring is harder and much more time consuming, so will cost more.
I have no idea on cost in your neck of the woods! And I have a groomer friend and we work together on Chewie - so cost is less. My daughter just got her Clay in a longer clipper cut - I will ask her tomorrow what it cost. And I will dig up the pictures I took of him too. |
| I think you did a fine job first time out. He looks clean and spiffy. Yeah and about that tongue......is he part frog? Just kidding, it's normal size. |
Is there a dog behind that tongue?  |
Well, I am nervous for you, about going for the 1st cut! I have had Allie cut down 2 times, cried my eyes out the 1st time! She was 1 yr when I had it done for the 1st time, I was told from my groomer she could not leave it 3 inches long, she used clippers that left her about 1 inch long. (I did go to a different groomer the next time, a little bit better) And Allie was MATT FREE! I have always brushed her once a day, if not more.....So I have slowly been training myself to groom her at home. I still need to figure out the plucking of the ear hairs 
But as others have mentioned, it does grow back fast! Welcome to the forum, your pup is a cutie pie! |
| Thanks! I am going to tell her not to use clippers, and if she says that's all she can do, I'm walking out WITH Tucker. Today it is -27, not including the windchill out side. If his fur is only one inch long he sure won't enjoy being outdoors very much!
As for the ear hairs - just grab and yank. Tucker doesn't even react when we do it. I don't know if maybe there are no nerve endings in there or what, but he couldn't care less! There are these forcep things you can use, too, but I just use my fingers and pull - they come out very easily. |
Thanks for the advice, I have been told it is very easy to pluck them with fingers...But Allie seems to be tramatized by the last groomer she saw. They used those forceps on her and pulled to much at a time! I had just gotten there to pick her up, could see thru the window and heard her crying  Broke my heart, I told myself then if she does ever go back to a groomer (This one did a great job on her, other then the ear hairs) I will not let them do her ears,. So I need to do it, because I do realize it needs to be done. Lately I play around with her ears, so when the day comes for plucking, hopefully she will hold still and let me! |
I think you did a fine job on his face!! and i had to laugh at Tuckers tounge...i think he is a long lost relative of Pandas...see...
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Just a thought, here, but if your only concern is the amount of time it takes to get the ice off Tucker after he's been outside, have you considered just putting a coat & boots on him when he goes out?  Unless you just want to get his hair cut, of course. |
| Hmmmmmm....
I am still wondering about this! Now you have me thinking about just getting him a coat. My hesitations are: 1. That he will look icky, and 2. that I will spend money on a coat and then he will outgrow it Tucker is now almost 9 months old and is 60 or so lbs. Will he continue to grow so much that he would need another size? I know of course he'll get bigger, but do you think a coat would last the winter this year? As for the boots, I bought a product called "Invisible Boot" which is a waxy cream ( completely natural and edible if he chooses) to wipe on his paws and it prevents water collecting and ice forming. It also moisturizes the pads and protects him from salt and sand on the roads, so I'm happy with that for now. What are your thoughts about the coat? It seems weird to buy him one given that his fur is so thick and he seems so warm, but when there is fresh snow, man or man wouldn't I just love to wrap him in a bag head to toe before he goes out there!!! |
| Darcy - good to know he's not the only zany one! (Aren't they all?)That is a great picture of you and Panda! |
| Well how long would you say his hair is right now? Did I see you post only 1 inch? It looks in the last pics to be a couple inches. I would not want anyone to trim, cut or shave Allie when she was at that length. And honestly, a trim would probably not make much a difference. Plus the price of a groomer, may be even more then the price of a coat to put on him If he is anything like Allie, he would probably not want a coat on! So I say you grin & bear the snowy weather, just give a good 20 minute brush job after he dries. That is what I do with Allie several times a day, after she plays with the neighbor Boxer and gets snow, drool and rain all over her!!! |
| No, I was thinking of just getting one inch trimmied. Now I'd say it's 4-5 inches long.
Hm...I'm really re-considering this appointment. Perhaps I will cancel after all and just get a t-shirt or something to put on him when the snow is really fluffy.... |
| I think if you bought him a coat now it would last you through this winter season. There are lots of snow suit options, too. I'll do a quick search and give you some links in a minute. |
| He's such a small dog, you should have no problem finding him a coat, too. Run to Old Navy and pick him up a doggy waterproof vest. That's what I put on my old lady when she goes out in the inclement weather. |
| That's true, Jill. I was thinking something like this from ShaggyLambs (by sheepie people for sheepies!) http://www.shaggylamb.com/snowsuit.html but he's small enough that you should be able to find something to work at a local store. |
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