# First groom...question about hair in mouth



## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Did she say how cooperative he was??? A lot of times a pup that age is very wiggly for paw pads and face and it is hard to do a super good job...but....if that were the case she should have told you.

When trimming around the mouth it can be especially difficult because they are working with scissors instead of a clipper blade and if the pup is fighting it, they can be easily cut. But once again, IF that were the case you should have been told. 

I would probably call and ask the groomer if your dog was difficult, and possibly take him back in so she can fix the problems.


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

She didn't really discuss anything. She seemed busy and in a hurry. She said "he's a puppy" when I asked how he did. I took that to mean he was wiggley... 

Is it bad to have hair go into the mouth?


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Just stinky. Maybe you could work with him and just take a little off each day? Or take him to a groomer who isn't so rushed and has more time to spend. I would try to take him in often till he gets used to it.


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

I do brush him daily and wipe him down, and bathe him weekly. I did trim him a little last week with ball pointed scissors but I thought the groomer would do so much better. Something about pulling ear hair and cutting nails gives me the willies. Maybe I will be able to do it someday...???

She was super nice on the phone, it's a small place I felt he would be safe there. I told her I was worried about leaving him, as the breeder and vet told me no groomer until 16 weeks , I pondered a week or two and decided it was better to get him used to it. He has had two sets of shots. She never even asked though. 

I asked her to keep him in his sleepy pod carrier and not put him down and call me as soon as it was over due to him never being left before. 

I am happy his eyes are clear and he can see, but I don't want to leave hair going Into his mouth if that's a bad thing...?


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

I appreciate your response. Did you think his paws looked too hairy? Or is it okay for a pup?


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

I trim the hair around my poodles lips really short so they always have fresh breath 

But since I groom them myself now, I don't care too much about being perfect, I do care more about them being comfortable, so the paw pads are not shaved too short because I'm afraid to cut them accidentally so I just trim the excess hair 

Here is a picture if their faces (short hair around lips)
if you'd like to show to a groomer 



























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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

Ps. I was soooo terrified about grooming the poodles, I thought I could never get over the fear, but doing a little bit every day made it so easy!  you can do it! (At least the maintenance part)

They freeze like a statute and don't move till I tell them it's ok to ( when I'm trimming eyelashes, brows, lips...) and I EVEN learned to dremel their nails!! I can't believe it sometimes, but it's not hard at all. Just do a little bit every day  the next thing you know you create a wonderful bonding moment with your pup and they love it. 




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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks! I was hoping to hear from you as the style you keep your dogs in is what I love and want for Happy. Thanks for the pics!

So for grooming yourself can you do it all with scissors with this style? 

The hair in the paws doesn't affect them walking and getting things trapped in there? 

Thanks again!!


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks! I may be expecting too much as I've only had him 13 days! He is only 11 weeks so very energetic and wiggley. I will take your advice and do a little everyday. Do you ever take them to the groomers? I'm worried about getting. A different looking dog everytime. I think she gave him a "mustache" when I just wanted the hair out if his eyes some. But maybe I'm too much of a control freak/ perfectionist??


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Groomers, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think part of the reason for shaving out their paw pads is because dogs sweat from their feet. It helps keep them cool. So it really is an important step. Keeping the hair short also helps with their traction. Hairy feet causes them to slip on slick surfaces. 

It's very hard for me to see, but I think if he was being a wiggly puppy, his pads don't look bad.


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

His pads look good to me. If you didn't go for a shaved poodle face, hair will probably get into his mouth. But for his first groom I wouldn't expect it to be perfect. The most important thing is that his first groom was a good experience for him. 


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

When a pup is that young, it's much more important to get them to feel comfortable being handled, groomed, the sound of the clippers, etc., than the actual result of the groom itself (IMO) -- I would give it a little time. You can't force a little one, and they are wiggley, so for the first time out if the groomer said he was good, I'd be Happy for Happy! He is adorable.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

Thanks!! 

Ok I took them to the groomer SEVERAL times before I attempted grooming them myself. And I'm lucky that their groomer is an extremely talented and sweet person, so she became a great friend and when I moved out of state i just couldn't trust a new groomer (nobody would come close to how great she is) so I decided to do it myself, even though I'm not good at grooming, at least I am very careful (and I have steady hands. I'm very good with my hands) so I try and hope that I won't hurt or cause any discomfort to them. Cause I love them!!! 

This friend-groomer always answered my questions even if it was the 3rd 4th ... 10th time I asked the same thing! LOL

So having a "mentor" is recommended 

If that's not possible. Just watch your puppy get groomed (if possible) many many times and start taking notes ... Ask questions and WATCH (REPUTABLE GROOMER'S) VIDEOS 

Having a groomer come to your house is also a good option to
Watch and learn  

But if you find a good loving caring groomer, that's great too!!!! :-D

Grooming is not for everyone. Just like some people are great at grooming dogs some people are great at math some people are great at cooking some people are great at skydiving! And some are not! And that's totally normal  I "can't" do several of the things I listed! ... Shhhh

We are all talented in different things... So whatever you decide. I wish you the best of luck! 


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## Aubrey (May 18, 2013)

As a groomer, this sounds like a a pretty typical first groom. We really want the pup to enjoy(or at least tolerate) the process, so we don't force perfection.
As far as the face not being exactly like you wanted- most poodle people don't get "teddybear" faces. TB faces are a doodle trademark, so she likely thought you wanted a poodle stache instead. A lot of our customers absolutely suck at explaining what they want(short but not shaved or short but not too short are staple phrases...), so sometimes we fall back on the classics.

On wiggly puppies, I do not use a very short blade on their pads. That is just asking for cuts all over. Most puppies don't even get a clipper on their pads unless they are getting clean feet, I just scissor the hair flush with the pads. After the scissoring, I turn the clipper on and rub the body of the clipper all over their feet and legs. This way, when I do start shaving their pads they aren't so freaked out.

Some groomers do not trim lip hair on "hairy face" dogs. I like to take a very short blade and shave the hair right next to the lip and on drooly dogs sometimes a bit more. On fuzzy face puppies I often use scissors to shorten it. Then I do the clipper rub on their heads. 

Most my puppy grooming time is rubbing a running clipper all over a puppy LOL.


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

That's great info! Thanks I appreciate it guys!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

For a first puppy groom I think it looks good. It is more important that Happy had a good experience than that it is neat and perfect. I would call the groomer and ask for some convenient time to go over the questions you have.


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## loves (Jul 2, 2013)

His paws look fine for a puppy's first groom. Hair was trimmed and you didn't want shaved feet. If you have a fuzzy face, there will be hair getting into the mouth. And again, a wiggly puppy's first groom. He looks fine. I would try to get him on a 4-6 week grooming schedule. That will keep all necessary areas trim and tidy.


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## Nicolen (Nov 24, 2013)

I think he looks great! I just returned from Wallace's first real grooming, which turned into a nail trim and feet trimmed. He would not let her do anything to his face or ears! He was super wiggly  But it was his first visit and we spent lots of time getting him used to the clipper sound (and feeding him treats). The groomer was so nice and much more interested in his first experience being relaxed and humane than a beautiful grooming. We will try again in a few weeks. Your groomer should have told you more, but it sounds like he was just a little wiggly too and they did what they could.


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## Marcie (Aug 2, 2011)

N2Mischief said:


> Groomers, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think part of the reason for shaving out their paw pads is because dogs sweat from their feet. It helps keep them cool. So it really is an important step. Keeping the hair short also helps with their traction. Hairy feet causes them to slip on slick surfaces.
> 
> It's very hard for me to see, but I think if he was being a wiggly puppy, his pads don't look bad.


That makes sense, I never thought of that, I learn something new every day. I do know shaving between paw pads will keep the hair from matting up and causing a matted ball of hair that hurts when they walk. Rescues see this type of matting a lot and it is painful for the dog. However, I don't believe anyone in this forum would ever experience this type of matting on their dog.


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## PoodleFoster (May 25, 2013)

Marcie said:


> I do know shaving between paw pads will keep the hair from matting up and causing a matted ball of hair that hurts when they walk. Rescues see this type of matting a lot and it is painful for the dog.
> 
> Hi
> Sadly as a rescue person I can vouch for nastiness between pads on more than one occasion! Yes it is difficult, it stinks, it's disgusting. It helps to let the dog soak in the tub with a few inches of water. It aids to soften up the crud. As far as shaving hair completely between toes, on rescue dogs that is often times not possible first time around. Many of these dogs have never been groomed or it's been sporadic grooming at best.
> ...


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## loves (Jul 2, 2013)

You would be surprised how fast that matting can occur. Clean mats out between pads quite often. Dogs with very hairy feet that go 8 or more weeks in between grooms, can and do develop mats between the pads on the bottoms of their feet.


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## Desiree (Feb 14, 2010)

Shaving the paws can help prevent hunting poodles from getting grass awns and burrs between their toes and pads. Also in highly humid environments daily wet feet can cause fungus/bacteria growth between hairy pads.


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