# Still working on the CC...



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

A lot of you know that Lucy got her first real, honest to goodness professional groom last month. I've been attempting to keep the clean parts clean and let the rosettes grow... I try to be careful not to clip too far into the rosettes or up or down too far on her legs/tail... Here are a few candid/motion shots after my last clean-up attempt. I will encourage and accept all compliments or suggestions. I'm planning on getting her into the real honest to goodness professional groomer again just before we go to visit Arreau in June so hopefully she'll be able to fix anything I've wrecked...

Here's my sweet baby Lucybug (7 months old...)

















I banded her topknot before we took off for obedience class last night! LOL!










She looks so tiny in this pic - she really isn't - I think it's just perspective...










Tell me what you think!


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Well I cannot offer any pro advice but Lucy looks like a doll!! 

And that it is about time you shared some pics!!!  You have been holding out!


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## Locket (Jun 21, 2009)

She DOES look tiny in the last pic, hahah how strange. 

GREAT clip! You're doing a great upkeep job. She looks WAY older than 7 months, she's so gorgeous!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

I am tickled with how she is coming along!! YOU have been holding out, you little stinker!!! Her rosettes are going to be fabulous when the groomer gets at them again. They are huge and lovely. Lucy appears to be darkening a little at a time now, so it will be fun to see how she ends up at about fifteen months of age. She is a pretty young lady, and you should be very proud of the way you maintain her and keep up witrh her coat and her clip. I know I am proud of you!!

Do you mind if I post these on my Arreau page on Facebook, and on my own page???


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

BTW... her head??? WOW!! DUGAN!!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Very nice! She does look on the small side in the last photo, funny!


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

I think I'd like to see the rosettes come forward and be a made a bit smaller. They look a little low on the flank in some of the pictures.

I think the jacket needs to angle up more from the elbow towards the sternum. The sternum is your mid point so the line of the front of the jacket should curve up from the front of the elbow to the sternum and then keep the same angle as it curves up into the neck.

I think the jacket should be a bit higher above the front elbow.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Plum...I agree with Cbrand, but maybe print that off when you take her to the groomer. These are not things you should attempt at home. LOL!! Seriously, good points, but I am not even sure I would do this until someone else put everything in order, then I would keep it up. I have not done a continental in eons (like 20 years or more) so though I can see what needs to be corrected would not try it myself.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

cbrand said:


> I think I'd like to see the rosettes come forward and be a made a bit smaller. They look a little low on the flank in some of the pictures.


Yup!! That's because I'm trying not to take too much off so when the real groomer gets her again, she can take off what she needs to make it look right - it'll be easier for her to make the rosettes smaller (and higher on the flank) than to make them bigger if I take too much off... Also, when you say they need to come "forward", do the whole rosettes need to migrate toward her head, or if some comes off the back edge will that give the look you're describing? If I need to actually MOVE them forward, I will stop clipping on that edge to let the hair grow back... When I posted the first pictures of her new groom, I was advised that her jacket needed to come back a bit... if the jacket comes back and the rosettes move forward, there won't be much of a delineation there. I HAVE been allowing her jacket to come back a little (trying not to clip it right up to Christine's line, and allowing the hair at the back edge of the jacket to grow back)



cbrand said:


> I think the jacket needs to angle up more from the elbow towards the sternum. The sternum is your mid point so the line of the front of the jacket should curve up from the front of the elbow to the sternum and then keep the same angle as it curves up into the neck.


Huh???? :lol: Is this "scissoring" talk?? Because, if so - I haven't touched her with a shear yet... what you see is how she's grown out from her original groom-job... I've only been working with the clippers to keep her face, feet and fanny done (and trying not to butcher her pattern!) I'll let my groomer decipher the above... 



cbrand said:


> I think the jacket should be a bit higher above the front elbow.


Yup!!! Same as the rosette explanation above - I'm trying to err on the side of doing "too little" rather than "too much"... My daughter told me the same thing - it's like she has little sleeves on her jacket! I could probably clip that part up a little bit higher without having too much of a heart attack - She's been really good for me as I experiment with her... I know she'll be patient as I do a little more. Katy also admonished me for "crooked" lines in the pattern, but I figure that because I'm being so conservative with clipping, that Christine should be able to even everything out without too much problem.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions! There aren't too many standard poodles (or the smaller varieties either, for that matter) in this clip in my little podunk town - she really DOES turn heads! LOL!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> Do you mind if I post these on my Arreau page on Facebook, and on my own page???


Thank you my friend... As always, you have my permanent permission to post any pictures of Lucybug anywhere you'd like to post them!  She's your girl too, after all! :hug:


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

Your husband is huge.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Marian said:


> Your husband is huge.


ound: ound: :lol: YEAH!!! THAT'S IT!!!!  He's a giant in his own mind... HAAAA!


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> Also, when you say they need to come "forward", do the whole rosettes need to migrate toward her head, or if some comes off the back edge will that give the look you're describing? If I need to actually MOVE them forward, I will stop clipping on that edge to let the hair grow back...


Yes. I think the whole thing needs to migrate forward. Let the front of that rosette grow out in the front. Technically the rosette should be centered over the hip bone. However, in practicality, every dog is different and their continental needs to be assessed and changed on an individual basis.



> When I posted the first pictures of her new groom, I was advised that her jacket needed to come back a bit... if the jacket comes back and the rosettes move forward, there won't be much of a delineation there.


That's OK. Particularly on a small bitch, it is common to have the rosettes and jacket practically touch with just a hair's breath between. Again, technically the back of the jacket should come 1/2 way between the last rib and the hip bone. With Delilah, I have the back of her jacket sitting on the last rib because she has such a long rib cage.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks cbrand - I'm starting to visualize now. Is there a special type of clipper that would be used to get the line between the rosette and jacket then... or would you just use a tweezer? :lol: I have to say that I'll need a lot more practice with my current clippers to be able to cleanly clip a line that fine - I do have some "trimmers" that have a narrower blade, but they're still wider than the line you're describing. I know I'm going to have to learn to be much more precise than I've been...

My other concern (although it's really not a big deal since Lucy's not a show dog and we're just doing this haircut for fun!) is that she's scheduled to be spayed on April 7th. I know another forum member (maybe Bella's Mom) was disappointed when their vet shaved a huge ring around her front leg for the IV... I'm planning to ask my vet to be gentle with any clipper jobs they do - I want them to do what they need to do for her health and comfort, but I don't want them to go hog-wild with the blade!


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## Rockporters (Jan 14, 2010)

That girl has great hair! She looks so good in that trim, and you're doing a good job maintaining it.


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## Trillium (Sep 1, 2009)

Lucy looks lovely and you are doing a wonderful job on maintaining her.


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## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

Lucybug looks fabulous. It's no wonder you catch everyone's attention. That would happen here in Dallas too. She is very pretty.

Concerning her spay... Since you already have the her leg shaved, I don't think they will need to shave any extra.

My vet asked me if they could shave Zulee. I don't have her in any particular clip and told them they could do whatever they needed to find the vein. I think it's harder on smaller dogs. They ended up shaving the front only of her left leg right above the elbow.

1.5 months later, it's still growing out. The hair on her legs grows super slow. I've tinkered with the idea of putting her into a Miami clip, but I don't think her bracelets would be full enough.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> Thank you my friend... As always, you have my permanent permission to post any pictures of Lucybug anywhere you'd like to post them!  She's your girl too, after all! :hug:


Thank you Cutie!!

Even if you clip her front legs up higher toward the elbows, it won't look quite right because it will need to be scissored off round at the front up higher, so best to do what you have been doing, erring on the side of leaving extra coat for Christina to work with when she does her again imo...

I don't think the vet will need to clip off any more than what is already clipped off. The area that is clipped for her continental is the area they normally clip for the IV. Just ask the vet to use the part that is already shaved. If they have to shave it with a closer blade, that is okay because you can match it up later.


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## frostfirestandards (Jun 18, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> Thanks cbrand - I'm starting to visualize now. Is there a special type of clipper that would be used to get the line between the rosette and jacket then... or would you just use a tweezer? :lol: I have to say that I'll need a lot more practice with my current clippers to be able to cleanly clip a line that fine - I do have some "trimmers" that have a narrower blade, but they're still wider than the line you're describing. I know I'm going to have to learn to be much more precise than I've been...
> 
> My other concern (although it's really not a big deal since Lucy's not a show dog and we're just doing this haircut for fun!) is that she's scheduled to be spayed on April 7th. I know another forum member (maybe Bella's Mom) was disappointed when their vet shaved a huge ring around her front leg for the IV... I'm planning to ask my vet to be gentle with any clipper jobs they do - I want them to do what they need to do for her health and comfort, but I don't want them to go hog-wild with the blade!


Lucy looks great, and dont worry about the vet shaving too much, they should be able to get a vein on her "nekkid parts" 
just let them know that they are under no circumstances allowed to mess up her hair. LOL 

Are you getting her tacked as well?


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## jak (Aug 15, 2009)

Lucy is coming along great!
I won't give any advice on any tweaks, but I can't wait to see her after she goes back to the groomers again! 
Well done on her coat care  and good luck for her speying.


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## amerique2 (Jun 21, 2009)

I know Lucy does turn heads wherever she goes. She has such a beautiful face and expression. How are the Obedience classes going?


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

frostfirestandards said:


> Lucy looks great, and dont worry about the vet shaving too much, they should be able to get a vein on her "nekkid parts"
> just let them know that they are under no circumstances allowed to mess up her hair. LOL
> 
> Are you getting her tacked as well?


Yes, Lucy is on the surgery schedule for a spay and gastropexy. I'll make sure they put on her orders to "Not mess with the 'do!!" HAAAA!




jak said:


> Lucy is coming along great!
> I won't give any advice on any tweaks, but I can't wait to see her after she goes back to the groomers again!
> Well done on her coat care  and good luck for her speying.


Thanks Jak! Don't worry - after she visits the groomer again, I'll have more pictures to share!  



amerique2 said:


> I know Lucy does turn heads wherever she goes. She has such a beautiful face and expression. How are the Obedience classes going?


Thank you for the compliments! Lucy and Meau are doing well at obedience classes (we've only had one class so far, but it was fun!) We're looking forward to next week already! There are quite a few more dogs in this class than there were in our rally classes, but the girls are handling the increased canine numbers very well. I have to admit they're the most BEAUTIFUL dogs in the class! :lol:

Thanks everyone who commented on this thread! I'm taking the constructive criticism to heart and I'm swelling with pride because of all the compliments! It's not hard to do an OK grooming job on a dog who I believe is so beautiful to begin with! I LOVE LUCY!


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## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

She looks great! Good job on the upkeep.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

BTW...Plumcrazy measured her Princess last night and she is 21 3/4" at the withers, so in spite of the odd photo where she looks like a teeny little peanut, she is right about where she should be! Way to go Lucybug!!!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks Arreau! Yep - It's official... David is a giant!  When I saw that picture, I was really surprised at how the perspective influenced the illusion of her being a mini! Our yard slopes there and I think she was a bit down the hill and just turned out a freaky picture!  She has a good 3 inches on Meau and Meau was always the biggest furkid in our house!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

That is perfect for her age. I would imagine when she is done growing, she will be taller than her Daddy.


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## apoodleaday (Feb 22, 2010)

If its any help, Lacey was just spayed, she is in a continental, and the vet didn't mess up her haircut at all


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

apoodleaday said:


> If its any help, Lacey was just spayed, she is in a continental, and the vet didn't mess up her haircut at all


Great news!!  I'll tell my vet that if OTHER vets can do it, so can SHE!! :lol:


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

apoodleaday said:


> If its any help, Lacey was just spayed, she is in a continental, and the vet didn't mess up her haircut at all


Well that is awesome news!! I thought it would be okay, but this will make Plumcrazy feel a lot better I am sure!!!


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