# Critiques? At Home Pet Trim



## jeffrow (Jul 19, 2010)

Looks great....... I'd be too embarrassed to show you one of my hack jobs. I get my standard groomed every 3 months or so, in between i ruin what the groomer did.


----------



## Reesmom (Feb 4, 2010)

Wow...that's way better than what my clients bring in when they try at home. I do my best to help teach them, but it does take practice. 

Your scissoring looks great. I like a fuller top knot, but that is a personal preference. 

Great job. Kudos for learning to do it your self.


----------



## Rayah-QualitySPs (Aug 31, 2010)

PhaedraAllen said:


> So I have to ask...what do ya think?


I think absolutely fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!:alberteinstein:

I adore the topknot. 
What I suggest you do is look at pictures from websites that you like and put him on the table once a week and fix what doesn't match your picture. It is really helpful to groom in front of a mirror.

I think you have done a wonderful job. Grooming your own really increases the bond between you both,


----------



## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

I think you have done an outstanding job. The ONLY thing I would change if he were mine would be to make his topknot larger because he appears to be a big boy. Other than that, and that is just personal preference, a wonderful job!


----------



## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

I'm impressed!!! 

The only thing I would change is to get you a shorter grooming table :biggrin:


----------



## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

i think it looks great. 

if it was me i'd give a bit more tk and transition in the neck/wither area a bit smoother. 

i tend to lean towards the modern/german side of this style of trim personally though so take that with a grain of salt, i think our scissoring on the front of the TK is very good


----------



## Purley (May 21, 2010)

Talking about the topknot -- someone told me that you start about two inches below the occiput (which I gather is that bone you can feel at the back of the head) and then if you are clipping the body with a 7 - you start there and clip from there. But the dog in the picture looks like the hair continues down the back of the neck as long as the topknot - or at least blended into the topknot. Can anyone tell me if my information is correct? The dog in the picture looks better to me than Lucy does.


----------



## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Purley said:


> Talking about the topknot -- someone told me that you start about two inches below the occiput (which I gather is that bone you can feel at the back of the head) and then if you are clipping the body with a 7 - you start there and clip from there. But the dog in the picture looks like the hair continues down the back of the neck as long as the topknot - or at least blended into the topknot. Can anyone tell me if my information is correct? The dog in the picture looks better to me than Lucy does.


Just an entirely different style of top knot. Some are rounded at the back (which is my style) and some are more blended into the neck like this. It is just personal preference.


----------



## sandooch (Jan 20, 2011)

You did a fantastic job! I'd take Gigi to you for grooming if you lived closer.


----------



## PhaedraAllen (Feb 22, 2011)

Reesmom - thanks for the kudo's!! That helps to bolster my confidence. He has this curly little cowlick in the front of his topknot and that's what I try to cut out and wind up with that height.

Aayah-QualitySPs - the mirror idea is great! I plan on re-arranging my grooming room and will put that into play. Thanks!

ArreauStandardPoodle - that for the critique! Do you think the shorter topknot makes him look like a little guy (i.e. younger, kiddish)?

AgilityIG - thanks! Definitely a shorter grooming table is in the near future plans. Kinda funny to see how tall he is compared to me...hehehe. It does make it nice when having to do the feet though, so I may keep it handy.

neVar - thanks! I agree with the transition in the neck area. I accidently cut a bit of a divet in there. Thanks so much for noticing the front of the TK. I finally got it down to where he doesn't always look like he ran into a wall or is suprised. ;o)

Purley - I've had him in both types of TK and I like this one. It makes his neck and back look different for some reason, don't know what it is though.

sandooch - thanks! I would love to have more poos to practice on. I only do Jasper every 3-4 weeks and each time I gain a bit more confidence (practice makes perfect), so doing it more often would be nice.

Thanks for the critiques everyone! I truly appreciate it!


----------



## PoodlePowerBC (Feb 25, 2011)

Great job. I envy people that can groom their own dogs! I also believe it strengthens the bond. I brush and bathe my boys, but leave the grooming to a professional. Maybe one day.


----------



## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

1st I think you did a great job for working on him by yourself the past year. Pictures tell us the whole story. I know because I am growing my Spoo out in a German for competition & when I look at his pictures I notice some of the same things as on your poo. So, please don't take my advice as a Pro Groomer & starting to compete in the Poodle classes as anything but advice.

1. As another poster commented on the transition from the Crest to the withers there is a fairly good divet there & the neck needs to be angled a bit more.

2. There is a fairly good hump going in smack in the middle of the topline. Now, if your dog has a naturally slight roach in his back then you need to grow out more hair from the withers to the front of the roach, and then a slight amount of hair from the backside of the roach to the hip bones. On the other hand it might just be a bit too much hair not leveled off that just needs to be scissored tighter.

3. You Spoo's tail as does my Spoo's tail drops off from the hip bone fairly steep so if you leave a little fill in front of the tail to the hip bones it will hid that BUT being a pet owner & a non competitor it really doesn't matter.

4. Your Spoo could use a little bit more hair on the belly so it gives the illusion of a fuller/ deeper chested dog. but again a Pet so I think any length that let's you keep your Spoo comfortable is the best way to go.

5. I am not sure what you are going to do with the legs but so far so good. Since your boy has some legs there I like the illusion you did right now of bringing the leg hair into the body some. Once blended in I think they will look good.

6. I personally like the short TK but maybe that is because my boy currently has a short TK & I find it very boyish & handsome.

Great job & keep going at it. Our dogs are a learning experience for life & the great thing is hair grows.


----------



## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

PhaedraAllen said:


> AgilityIG - thanks! Definitely a shorter grooming table is in the near future plans. Kinda funny to see how tall he is compared to me...hehehe. It does make it nice when having to do the feet though, so I may keep it handy.


LOL - I have the opposite problem. I am 5'9" and raised my grooming table up about six inches. Much easier on the back!!


----------



## PhaedraAllen (Feb 22, 2011)

3 dogs - thank you sooo much for the tips. I get it completely.

I wondered about leaving more hair from his slight roach to his tail. I think that will look much nicer. Yeah, the divet was my fault completely. I left a lot of hair from his neck to withers before and he looked strange and his leash created this line in all the hair, so I tried for shorter but I got too short.

I like the idea of more hair on the belly to give the fuller chest look but have always been unsure about how to accomplish that and exactly where and how to blend it into the flap of skin on his upper leg. I will have to experiment with that one a bit. 

The legs are going to be a continuously changing project. We had him groomed once and he came back looking like he had baseball bats for legs. Like he was wearing high water spandex. So, we grew them out and are taking them down little at a time to figure out our perfect length. My DH likes him to look like he has leg muscles. I don't know what he's gonna do when I take him down to a miami clip. Scary though as I had a groomer tell me that he would look like a spider. heheh.

Thanks so much for the great critiques.


----------

