A Mini Hairstyle and Coat Length Guide For the Pet Owner
You walk into a pet groom salon and the groomer asks...
What are we doing for Fido today?
Let us know if we are doing a bath and tidy, a full groom with a haircut, and if a haircut, what you'd like the end result to be. A picture always helps! But, make sure it's a dog with similar coat and build, so that it can be more attainable.
The groomer will assess your pet, check for matting, ask about health, if your pet has any new hotspots or recently developed skin issue, check ears, and then go into detail on how to make your desired style a reality.
The Issue with Matting
If your dog is matted, please understand that we do not hurt animals, and dematting, especially on a large scale (ie over more than 10% of the body), or on a dog with sensitive skin, is extremely painful. It pinches at the skin and can cause irritation, rashes, sores, even infection.
Brushing it out is not always possible or the best option. In some cases, we may have the option to spot shave. This is only viable when the matting is in a small area and won't make the pet look patchy. We want your pet to look and feel good when they leave! Sometimes, leaving shaved down feels the absolute best. Note: When first shaved, dogs may seem nervous or confused, but it's because they are feeling sensations on their skin again, after having had a wool sweater duct taped on.
Matting is also very rough on our tools. For example, blades cost about $30 to $50 each on average, and resharpening is minimum $15 per blade. Each time we have to shave down a dirty dog, the blades used have to be sent out, because the dirty mats dull them. Dull blades snag and become dangerous to use.
Shaving out the mats is time consuming. We have to spend extra time shaving on a dirty coat before they are bathed, and have to go slow to reduce risks of cuts, nicks, and other injury. A matted dog can add 30 minutes to an hour and a half to the groom time, depending on dog's size.
All this to say, matting incurs extra fees.
If you can't or won't brush and comb your dog, please be willing to keep your dog short and on a good schedule. If you want your dog long, bring them in for bath and tidies and brush outs between full grooms. Long styles usually require an appointment every 2 to 3 weeks.
The Five Areas to Talk About
Face/Head
Natural
Rectangular
Top Knot
Teddy Bear - Rounded with hair cleared between the eyes.
Clean Face - Muzzle, face, and cheeks shaved short
Ears
Tipped - just the end tips of the ears shaved
Natural
Beveled
Clipped
Tasseled
Combination - ie Spaniel/Setter
Body
One length all over
Bladed with stylized legs
Outline
Terrier/Spaniel Style - with a skirt
Scissored - For long coats
Feet
Natural - like a golden or tighter like a lab
Bladed all - same length as legs
Rounded/Column
Beveled
Clipped tight/Clean
Tail
Natural
Flag
Plume
Carrot
Pom-Pom
Kennel Cut / Teddy Bear / Puppy Cut
Did you know....these are generally all the same thing? These words hold very little meaning outside of the same length all over. We still need to know what length you'd like. Teddy bear/puppy will sometimes be translated as a longer fluffier length all over, but that could mean from 1/2" or more all over.
(Anything longer than a 1" haircut is a hand-scissor job, so the price will be higher as they take longer.)
Stylized (for curly/wavy/long haired)
Stylized cuts mean the body is at least 2 lengths shorter than the legs. This is a common and adorable cut for yorkies, shih tzus, poodles, doodles, and other similar breeds.
Breed Cut
If you have a purebred, AKC has standard accepted breed cuts. If you want a breed cut on certain breeds, like a poodle, the groomer will probably show you some examples, as there are a number of options to choose from.
Doodles, contrary to popular belief, do not have a standard breed cut, as they are too varied and not recognized by the AKC.
If you want a breed style head but different on the body we can do that too. Or, if you want your schnauzer puppy to look softer, request puppy eyes for less harsh eyebrows.
Hand Scissoring
Hand scissoring is very time consuming. It limits or completely excludes use of the clipper to trim down hair length over large parts or the whole of the dog. If your dog has fur/hair longer than 1" and you want/are able to maintain the length, this would be the required haircut style.
At Faith & Fido, our groomer has limited experience with curly coated full grooms in hand scissoring as the opportunities have been limited. Practice and experience building with a pet in good condition would always be gratefully accepted.
Blade Lengths
#40 - .25mm - Mostly used for paw pads, it is also frequently used on show poodles for clean feet and clean face. Not all dogs can tolerate it for this though, so we go a few steps longer with a #10.
#10 - ~1/14" - 1.5mm - Used for sanitary trims. Also it is commonly used for clean feet and clean face on pets. It's also commonly used on schnauzer and cocker heads for that nice clean look.
7F - ~1/8" - 3mm - A default for matted dogs as it usually can get through the mats easier than other blades. It is also a great length for yorkie bodies and summer cuts. It's a safe option for those who get grooms on a 8 to 12 week schedule, with a bath and tidy scheduled between highly recommended to ensure they can stay mat free and comfortable.
5F - ~1/4" - 6.3mm - Also a great choice for summer cuts, easy to maintain and a 5F cut is a safe option for those who get full grooms on an 8 to 10 week schedule. A bath and tidy would still be recommended at the 5 week mark to maintain that clean look!
4F - ~ 3/8" 9.5mm - A slightly fluffier option for summer but also sufficient for cooler months. This length does start to require brushing if on more than a 5-6 week schedule for grooming, so we recommend that bath and tidy in between grooms if you want it to grow out to 5/8" or a bit longer with less risk of matting occurring.
Guard Combs/Clipper Combs
Red 5 - 1/8" - 3mm - If your dog in the past has had irritation from the #10 blade for their sanitary shave, we can safely give this option a try. It won't be as clean but can get them used to that area being shorter and can work down to the #10 over a few grooms.
Purple 4 - 1/4" - 6mm - similar to a 5F blade.
Dark Blue 2 - 3/8" - 10mm - similar to a 4F blade.
Peach 1 - 1/2" - 13mm - a common choice for those who want short but fluffy. It still requires brushing usually within a week of getting a groom, so make sure you have your next appointment scheduled and your brush handy if you want to maintain this length.
Yellow O - 5/8" - 16mm - A beautiful length for a fluffy pup, but the longer you go, the more brushing and combing is needed. Make sure you have your appointments scheduled at least monthly and brush handy to maintain.
Lavender A - 3/4" - 19mm - Common length for top of the head on a dog who gets a 4F or Peach 1 all over. Very complimentary and cute! Don't forget to get that next appointment scheduled and keep your brush and comb in use!
Green C - 7/8" - 22mm - You must brush! Daily! Then comb!
Light Blue E - 1" - 25mm - You no brushy brushy every groomer will say time to shavey shavey! While the 1" length can be so beautiful on a curly coated or long coated dog, this and longer especially require the pet parent to stay on top of maintenance daily, and sometimes twice daily. Schedule brush outs, schedule bath and tidies, get some good hydration spays (ask your groomer for some recommendations!) and use the time with your dog to build a stronger bond of love and trust.
Outline Trims
This haircut is a scissored cut going around the outline of the dog, and is a typical groom for such breeds as golden retrievers, pomeranians, aussies, shelties. The skirt, feathers, chest and pants/haunches are scissored to customers desired length. A light outline takes off a small amount of hair whereas a tight outline will cut the hair much tighter to the body.