# Bella



## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

She is one year, eleven months and two weeks old.  

I had promised to share a photo of her groom that I was happy with. It was actually 2 weeks ago, but today was a home bath day so I thought I would snap a few. Or a lot. 

Her color has changed a lot in the last few months:









Note the 2x4 against the fence in the background. This is where she loves to run up and stand up against it to bark at the world. I was worried it was getting wobbly (it's ANCIENT and rotting or termit-infested) so we put that up. I could just see coming home some day with it down and her gone or worse. We have the worst property managers ever (our rear fence had so many holes in it she was getting into the neighbors' yards) so I will just wait until we move and then they can fix it.



























Notice she was in the front yard, and I had dropped the leash. That is huge for us. LOL. Of course I was ready to dive on it should a dog walk by. She was on high alert b/c the neighbors across the street were in their driveway. The audacity!!


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

She is VERY pretty! I love the collar - it goes so nicely with her coloring!!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I am so happy you shared some photos of her! She looks so soft and fluffy after her fresh groom. I just love her color, too. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks - is she Cafe or Silver Beige? Looking at these photos I think she very well may be SB, especially if she is still clearing. Maybe one of our brown experts will jump in because I am pretty sure I am worthless at recognizing cafe vs. sb, ha ha!

Carole? Are you here?

I also agree that her collar is very pretty! Where is it from?


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## Ms Stella (Aug 16, 2010)

Very pretty..such a nice head and great ears!


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

She is looking good. 2 wks later & you did a really nice fluff job. I love the collar. Where did you get it from? I found some like that from a breeder in Virginia & email but never got an email back. I guess I have to try the email again because the collars were just gorgeous like yours. I really want a soft one for Leifs neck esp. after doing a short shave on the throat area.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

She looks fabulous! What a pretty girl!


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## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

She looks gorgeous! She is a very beautiful poodle. I love her collar, too.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Thank you. Yes, I would also love to hear what people think of her coloring, for fun.

And her Collar (and leash) is from Carole/Dogsinstyle. She usually sports a plain hemp one with tags on it, but since it was for pictures...


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

ChocolateMillie said:


> I'd love to hear what everyone thinks - is she Cafe or Silver Beige?


I read on this forum once that cafe au lait usually will have liver pigment (since this color is in the brown spectrum), while a silver beige should have black (since it's a silver variation, and silvers have black pigment)

I'm sure that's not necessarily written in stone - but that's my first clue when trying to decide between cafe and sb...

She's gorgeous, btw!! 

Barb


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

3dogs said:


> She is looking good. 2 wks later & you did a really nice fluff job.


I shouldn't take credit, my husband and 9 yo do her fluff job. But it's my hairdryer. LOL. I gave her my old one and upgraded to a new one, then the old one broke and I'm back to sharing with the dog. One of these days we'll get her a proper dog-dryer.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

plumcrazy said:


> I read on this forum once that cafe au lait usually will have liver pigment (since this color is in the brown spectrum), while a silver beige should have black (since it's a silver variation, and silvers have black pigment)
> 
> I'm sure that's not necessarily written in stone - but that's my first clue when trying to decide between cafe and sb...
> 
> ...


No, the breed standard says SB should have liver pigment because it is also in the brown spectrum. Not sure where you heard that SB should have black pigment...


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

ChocolateMillie said:


> No, the breed standard says SB should have liver pigment because it is also in the brown spectrum. Not sure where you heard that SB should have black pigment...


It was here, on this forum.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

plumcrazy said:


> It was here, on this forum.


I am not sure who would have said that, but it is not correct. I can confidently say that Silver Beiges are supposed to have liver pigment. Just look at Shane, http://www.alegriapoodles.com/html/mini-boys.html Kai (on this forum) http://www.poodleforum.com/3-poodle...-silver-beige-52-weeks-wantabee-question.html and check out the article on Silver, Silver Beige and Cafe in the Silver edition of Poodle Variety.


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## Puppyquicker (Jan 10, 2011)

I think this is a very, very nice grooming job. The only things I can see, and it might be just the angle or something, is it looks like between her eyes might be shaved up too high a little bit. As a groomer this is a pet peeve of mine because it messes with the expression. Is her throat shaved? I can't imagine it not being shaved, but can't see it in the picture. She is a beautiful dog - so glad you found a groomer to work with. And, from a groomer's point of view - glad that the groomer found someone who wants more than a 5f on body and legs. If ONLY I could get more clients who appreciated balance and beauty.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Puppyquicker said:


> I think this is a very, very nice grooming job. The only things I can see, and it might be just the angle or something, is it looks like between her eyes might be shaved up too high a little bit. As a groomer this is a pet peeve of mine because it messes with the expression. Is her throat shaved? I can't imagine it not being shaved, but can't see it in the picture. She is a beautiful dog - so glad you found a groomer to work with. And, from a groomer's point of view - glad that the groomer found someone who wants more than a 5f on body and legs. If ONLY I could get more clients who appreciated balance and beauty.


Thank you!
Her throat is shaved, I think it's just wavy since it's getting longer and was in a shadow. You can better see it here, in the picture from before her bath:









What do you mean by 5F? And can you show me a photo of eyes done differently so I can better understand what you mean? Should it come down between the eyes?


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

And folks, you know what happens when you wash your dog, right? Yep...it started raining within an hour of the dryer shutting off yesterday. LOL. Muddy paws all over today!! It's not pouring so her body hasn't gotten much wet. She's only been out between cloud bursts, but the paws...


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Technically the hair should not be shaved any higher than the inside corner of the eyes. You might want to ask the groomer to shave a little less high above the eyes next time. But the look doesn't bother me on Bella, so it's not a big deal. I do see some poodles who are shaved like an inch or two above their eyes and that looks so silly to me.

Sometimes hair will get in their eyes if you only shave at the inside corner, so my groomer often will shave to the top of the eye, but I don't like her to go any higher.


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## Puppyquicker (Jan 10, 2011)

The Shirlee Kalstone book says to shave in an inverted V between the eyes with the point of the V about even with the top of each eye. Bella doesn't look bad with it shaved this high, but I think she would look nicer with it a little lower. I also like to take the throat down to just before it starts to turn in - roughly three fingers below the adam's apple? Not trying to be a nitpick, but since you asked...  Can some others chime in here - I think her throat is not shaved quite enough, maybe it's just me?


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Maybe FD will pipe in, but I do see that her neck is shaved it just isn't as low as what you are talking about, Puppyquicker. I think one of the groomers on the forum, Amy maybe? or was it Renee? said that they shave the neck to the length of the muzzle, if the dog was to look down with its face against its neck. If that makes any sense?

This is all in a thread on here somewhere, sorry I am no help! I also know that in that same thread there was a discussion about some people preferring the higher shaved neck and others preferring the neck to be shaved down low, like you are talking about.


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## pudlemom (Apr 16, 2010)

Bella looks great she is a beautiful girl !


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

I am having trouble picturing an 'inverted v,' you mean as in an upside down V, right? That's hard for me to picture...


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

http://www.poodleforum.com/9-poodle-grooming/8860-face-shaved-too-high.html The wonderful groomers on this forum drew the lines for shaving in between the eyes AND for the neck.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

That is an AWESOME Thread! Thanks.

Now about the inverted V....doesn't that make it more apt to get into their eyes and irritate them? Or no? As it is she often gets her hair in her eyes as it grows out and it causes awful gunk, etc. Perhaps it's just her particular hair above curls down...but I was thinking the more in the area the worse it could be....

Off to look at poodle grooming photos!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Bella's Momma said:


> That is an AWESOME Thread! Thanks.
> 
> Now about the inverted V....doesn't that make it more apt to get into their eyes and irritate them? Or no? As it is she often gets her hair in her eyes as it grows out and it causes awful gunk, etc. Perhaps it's just her particular hair above curls down...but I was thinking the more in the area the worse it could be....


It can. My groomer likes to shave just a tad higher for that reason. I do like the expression that shaving only to the corner of the eyes creates, though.


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

The inverted V is only a preference thing. Some prefer a straight line. There is no "correct" way to do it as both as as correct as the next. I personally prefer an inverted V (so the point of the V points back over the head, not forwards towards the nose) but it really is totally personal what you want to do. It is best to not go too far up between the eyes though, as the moment you go too high they take on a permanent 'shocked' expression! You can take out a *little* right in between the eyes if you're doing a straight line, but be careful to not go above the top most level of the eyes is all.

And yup, I like to take the throat down as far as the nose-is-long. Or around 2 fingers width below the "adams apple".


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