# Lucy's first "big girl" haircut (aka CC)



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Some of you were participating in my other thread "My growing girl" and y'all gave me a germ of an idea to get Lucy into a professional groomer for her first real haircut. I've been having fun keeping up with her FFT since she came to me as an 8 week old bundle of puppy breath, but it was getting to be time for something more...

Bismarck doesn't have a ton of great groomers. We have some good ones and some not-so-good ones, but few GREAT ones (and especially great ones who know how to do POODLES!!) I chose a groomer whose shop is called The Pawfect Poodle because her claims were that she has done professional grooming for over 35 years and poodles are her specialty. I've also spoken with other groomers in town who have told me that "no one in town can do a poodle like Christine!" So - just remember, this is a work in progress and I can only see it getting better with time. 

Christine was VERY complimentary about Lucy - she loved her coat (said I have done a GREAT job keeping it mat-free and clean) , she loved Lucy's attitude and demeanor and she even offered babysitting services if we ever go on vacation, because she said she "LOVES THIS DOG!!" She also confided that she does NOT offer sitting services to just anyone!! 

So.... here is my sweet baby Lucybug in all her big girl glory!!! (I love the one where she's playing "Pat the Cat"!!)

Edited to add - I asked the groomer to keep Lucy's shaved parts a little longer because of our continuing winter season - as we progress with her cut, it will all start coming together better!!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

I for one am thrilled and more than impressed!!! Doing a CC from full puppy coat is a challenge the first go round. It WILL only get better and better, and your wonderful groomer makes some small corrections, and Lucybug's coat gets longer and coarser. 

Her jacket is a bit too far forward, and when that is corrected her rosettes will look better placed. 

Her ears are remarkable. It is hard to believe she is only five and a half months old. How can such a baby look so regal and elegant?? 

I am proud of you for taking the plunge and proud of her for impressing the groomer so much. Way to go ladies!!!


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## Locket (Jun 21, 2009)

She's only 5 and half months???
Wow, what a mature looking girl!!! She looks amazing Plumcrazy! I hope your husband has fun showing her off around town


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## bigredpoodle (Sep 13, 2009)

She is very pretty Barb Keep up the good work !


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Locket said:


> I hope your husband has fun showing her off around town


We took Lucy and Meau to Rally class last night and hubby was as proud as a peacock to be strutting around with Lucy!! He really does love his girl!  

Thanks for all your kind comments! We really are blessed to have her in our lives!


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## Trillium (Sep 1, 2009)

I am so impressed at how pretty Betty Jo and Jenny's little sister is. She looks wonderful its hard to believe that only that old. She's growing so fast. Mind you part of the reason that the groomer could do such a lovely job on her must be all the care you give her and how wonderfully you keep her. Great job


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## calidani (Nov 22, 2009)

She looks so pretty!!

Ivy will be getting her 1st CC either this weekend or next and I can't wait!! Hopefully she looks 1/2 as good as Lucy.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Isn't she hot? Trillium, Holly and Dugan do awesome work don't they?? We already knew that because of your girls, but confirmation never hurts!!


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## Rockporters (Jan 14, 2010)

She looks great!


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## Sparkle&Spunk (Jan 26, 2010)

She does look wonderful! great photos and thanks for sharing


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Sparkle&Spunk said:


> She does look wonderful! great photos and thanks for sharing


If Plumcrazy is able to keep up with this, I cannot wait to see what she looks like at about 15 months old if Lucy looks this good at less than six.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> If Plumcrazy is able to keep up with this...


What the heck do you mean by THAT??? :lol: Oh ye of little faith!! 

You just wait and see... Mwahahahahaha!


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

She looks awesome!!!!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Looks great! She looks very grown up.


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

Are you going to show her? She looks ready to prance in front of a judge. Gorgeous.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Wow! Look at those ears! Is she a coat factory or what? Her groom looks fabulous, and she is a gorgeous girl herself. ^^


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> What the heck do you mean by THAT??? :lol: Oh ye of little faith!!
> 
> You just wait and see... Mwahahahahaha!


I have nothing BUT faith in your abiilities!! While a lot of folks would just get tired of the maintenance, I think YOU are going to wallow in the challenge!!!


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## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

She is gorgeous. Look at ALL that hair! That's a lot of hair. She is a very impressive girl. Congratulations on finding a groomer you can trust. She sounds fantastic.


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

........there she is! I guess I missed this today. I had a feeling you were going to do it. And I think Christine did a great job. I love it.


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## KalaMama (Nov 20, 2009)

Wow. She looks great. She has almost as much hair as my 9 month old. She is very pretty. It should be easy to maintain this between pro grooms. She did take off a little too much on the back of the jacket which is exactly what I did(but mines worse) so I just created a new line and let the hair grow in, but I guess that only matters if you were going to show. She is fantastic and a beautiful color!!!!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

partial2poodles said:


> Are you going to show her? She looks ready to prance in front of a judge. Gorgeous.


Thanks p2p... I am not going to show her in conformation but we may see what a stir we can make in the rally trials! :lol:




Fluffyspoos said:


> Wow! Look at those ears! Is she a coat factory or what? Her groom looks fabulous, and she is a gorgeous girl herself. ^^


Maybe we should've named her Burlington (coat factory...) Ok... Not as funny as it sounded in my head  She had TONS more coat before Christine scissored her down - but I am pleased with her ability to grow that beautiful coat! Thanks for the compliments!



Olie said:


> ........there she is! I guess I missed this today. I had a feeling you were going to do it. And I think Christine did a great job. I love it.


Thanks Olie! Yeah, once I get an idea in my head I obsess until I git'r'done!! I'm happy with this as her first groom, and I can't wait to see how it develops!



KalaMama said:


> Wow. She looks great. She has almost as much hair as my 9 month old. She is very pretty. It should be easy to maintain this between pro grooms. She did take off a little too much on the back of the jacket which is exactly what I did(but mines worse) so I just created a new line and let the hair grow in, but I guess that only matters if you were going to show.


As I keep this maintained between grooms, I'm going to move the line on her jacket back a bit - I'll have to count on Arreau to help me with how much to let grow back - and I'm not showing her; so you're right It doesn't REALLY matter!



KalaMama said:


> She is fantastic and a beautiful color!!!!


Thanks everyone, so much, for your compliments!!!

(OK, Arreau - I'm just showing off with the quote feature!!!) HAAAAAA!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> Thanks p2p... I am not going to show her in conformation but we may see what a stir we can make in the rally trials! :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I noticed that you were rubbing my nose in it a bit, you brat!!!

BTW...yes it does matter that her clip be the best it can be. The better it looks, the prouder you will be. It won't take much to perfect this, and it won't take long either, the way she grows coat!!!


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

My she looks like a grown poodle now! Its amazing how fast it truely goes and you only really realize it when you start to look at pictures. The groomer really did do a fantastic job! Dont you love it when people offer to babysit your dog?  We get that often and it makes me feel really good that people love my dog as much as i do and it shows what a good boy he is (and that ALL that hard work did infact pay off)!


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

She looks amazing! I wasn't expecting a full CC at all, I thought it was just a consult. I can't get over how beautiful and grown up she looks, she was a cute fuzzy puppy last week. Be honest were you even the tiniest bit upset over how much she "aged" at the groomers?


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Harley_chik said:


> She looks amazing! I wasn't expecting a full CC at all, I thought it was just a consult.


ME TOO!!!! Or at the very most, I thought Christine would just "clean up" her puppy cut; but once she had Lucy on her table and got her hands on her... Well... you can see the results!! Christine told me that she would never do a CC on any of her other client's poodles if they asked because none of their coats are remotely in good enough condition to start a pattern like that - she was sooo complimentary about how well Lucy was combed out and I think that may be one of the reasons she decided to take the plunge. That, and the fact that Lucy was great for her on the table and didn't argue with her about anything!



Harley_chik said:


> I can't get over how beautiful and grown up she looks, she was a cute fuzzy puppy last week. Be honest were you even the tiniest bit upset over how much she "aged" at the groomers?


Oh geeeez, that's a hard question... When I left the groomers to go back to work on Thursday afternoon, I knew she was going to set the pattern and Lucy's beautiful full coat would be gone (as a matter of fact, Christine started clipping her before I even left the salon so I could see about how much she was going to be taking off) :scared: When I got back to work, I told my co-worker that I felt just like I did when I dropped Katy off at kindergarten the first time... We were crossing a line that we couldn't uncross, but it wasn't a BAD line - just a new one!! 

I don't think I ever felt "upset" but maybe a little "anxious" and the more I see her in her new 'do; the more I'm liking it!! The other thing that I count on is the fact that poodle hair grows (and grows, and grows) and I can change it up in the future whenever I want to...

I want to keep Lucy's topknot growing out so I can put it up in bands, but the groomer was sort of trying to talk me out of it. She was telling me how much work it was to do that and she could scissor the topknot so it would look really nice - and I'm sure she CAN, but right now I want a banded topknot!! I explained that I'm planning on Lucy being with me for the next 15 years and we'll be going through all kinds of transformations and maybe, someday, if I get tired of "all the work" of a banded topknot, I can have it trimmed up - but not yet... 

The best thing is that I think LUCY likes the new clip! She's a lot more comfortable inside the house (she used to get hot at night and we'd have to turn the ceiling fan on in the bedroom) and she still seems fine outside - she's never in a hurry to rush back into the house after going potty; so all in all - WE'RE HAPPY!!


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

Ohhhh, she looks GREAT!!!! 

Definitely go with a banded topknot for now; it's a WHOLE lot easier to change you mind from banded to scissored, than from scissored to banded!!! lol!


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## jak (Aug 15, 2009)

I simply cannot believe how fantastic she looks!!!!!!!!!
At 5 1/2 months old, she looks better than some of these fully grown ones I've been seeing!
Christina did a wonderful job on her, and it will be so exciting growing and tweaking over the next couple of months to get it absolutely perfect!
She'll be the star at her Rally O class! and around town and everywhere she goes.
She is just breathtaking!!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks so much, you guys!! She's everything I've dreamed of!! :beauty:


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

flyingduster said:


> Ohhhh, she looks GREAT!!!!
> 
> Definitely go with a banded topknot for now; it's a WHOLE lot easier to change you mind from banded to scissored, than from scissored to banded!!! lol!


I agree entirely. The scissored head on a CC takes a lot of the elegance out of it too.

When my adoptive families call me with grooming questions, the first thing I tell them is don't be in a rush to clip the puppy down. Once the back is clipped off and the top knot is scissored, they don't look like babies anymore. They are only puppies once, so if they can tolerate the extra brushing, try and hang onto it for as ong as possible because your baby won't be your baby anymore once clipped off into a lamb, town and country or bikini. I think the big reason is the head. So while Lucy looks hot in this (and the maintenance has been cut in half) her head looks the same and she is still PC's Princess Lucybug Fancy Pants.


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## frostfirestandards (Jun 18, 2009)

Maybe we should've named her Burlington (coat factory...) Ok... Not as funny as it sounded in my head  



Well, *I* thought it was hillarious 
:fish: but i'm Odd LOL


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## Ladybug (Jan 2, 2010)

Oh WOW! She is GORGEOUS! I'm very impressed. And she looks like she is more than thrilled with herself, as she should be!!


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

You said your groomers name is Christine? Is it Christine Pawlawski (sp?) or Christine DeFillipo? very well known poodle groomers.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Ladybug said:


> Oh WOW! She is GORGEOUS! I'm very impressed. And she looks like she is more than thrilled with herself, as she should be!!


Isn't she a purdy little Princess???


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## *heather* (Jul 30, 2009)

OMG I can't believe you cut off all that fluffy puppy fur!! She looks gorgeous though!! thanks for sharing!


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

Ayayayayyaaaaaaaaa- WHAT A MAGNIFICENT SITE !!!! She is just splendidly elegant and delicately refined in every way !!!!! The only other name for her wold be J' adore LOL !!!!! 

She is unbelievably pretty and feminine :dancing2: - and isn't that fantastic that you found such a great groomer :first: ??? What a relief !!!!! She came out as a true princess as she is - like young extraordinary beautiful debutante ready for the first ball !!! 

I do not know to whom to congratulate more LOL - to super-Mom Plum or to Lady Arreau for producing such fantastic dogs ?????? :star::humble:


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

OK.....I didn't know if someone has asked this or not but is that cat real? It blends into the snow - so hey you never know


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

wishpoo said:


> Ayayayayyaaaaaaaaa- WHAT A MAGNIFICENT SITE !!!! She is just splendidly elegant and delicately refined in every way !!!!! The only other name for her wold be J' adore LOL !!!!!
> 
> She is unbelievably pretty and feminine :dancing2: - and isn't that fantastic that you found such a great groomer :first: ??? What a relief !!!!! She came out as a true princess as she is - like young extraordinary beautiful debutante ready for the first ball !!!
> 
> I do not know to whom to congratulate more LOL - to super-Mom Plum or to Lady Arreau for producing such fantastic dogs ?????? :star::humble:


You are way too sweet. We are both proud for our own reasons, but also for common reasons. As the breeder, I cannot believe, honestly, that one of my five and a half month old babies can be this elegant ALREADY!!! I am blessed that Mom Plum shares so much with me so I can be a part of this and watch another Arreeau girl growing up to be beautiful. (I have the same kind of relationship with Trillium too). How lucky can a breeder. beautiful kids with beautiful families!!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

I'm going to see if I can answer the questions above... Christine's last name is Becker, I believe - I'm pretty sure she's not "famous" anywhere but here! 

Olie - the cat is real and he is SUCH a sweetheart! She has another little long haired tabby who's sort of a crab - but the white guy was an angel! 

Yeah, heather... I know, I know!! Her puppy fur was SOOOOOO great! She was easy to comb and she was so fluffy and beautiful... I'm not sorry I did it, but I loved her in the puppy clip too!!

Awwwww, wishpoo! :hug: thank you so much for your wonderful words!! We are really pleased with what we found under her big coat! I'm really excited to watch how her "look" comes together - I'll make sure I share with the forum as it progresses!

Thanks everyone!


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## Buck (Oct 22, 2009)

She is stunning and to be only 5 and half months old.


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## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

She's beautiful and I love her conti.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Where DOES the time go??? She is growing up soooo fast. The only good thing about that is, the clock is ticking towards the next litter!!!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

I can't stop thinking about planning a trip up to see you with Lucy sometime soon (soon meaning in the next year or two!)  I would love you to see how well she's doing and what a beautiful girl she's growing to be!! Whenever I mention visiting the Toronto area when I'm around my family, they're just sooo excited that I may be going there- my brother told me not to miss the hockey hall of fame :wacko: and something about a building with a glass floor (?) 

I brought it up yesterday at lunch again and Katy chimed in that she'd want to come, too - but I was counting on her to be the caretaker for the rest of the dogs! :doh: Oh well... we'll work something out!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> I can't stop thinking about planning a trip up to see you with Lucy sometime soon (soon meaning in the next year or two!)  I would love you to see how well she's doing and what a beautiful girl she's growing to be!! Whenever I mention visiting the Toronto area when I'm around my family, they're just sooo excited that I may be going there- my brother told me not to miss the hockey hall of fame :wacko: and something about a building with a glass floor (?)
> 
> I brought it up yesterday at lunch again and Katy chimed in that she'd want to come, too - but I was counting on her to be the caretaker for the rest of the dogs! :doh: Oh well... we'll work something out!


You are getting me all excited!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> I can't stop thinking about planning a trip up to see you with Lucy sometime soon (soon meaning in the next year or two!)  I would love you to see how well she's doing and what a beautiful girl she's growing to be!! Whenever I mention visiting the Toronto area when I'm around my family, they're just sooo excited that I may be going there- my brother told me not to miss the hockey hall of fame :wacko: and something about a building with a glass floor (?)
> 
> I brought it up yesterday at lunch again and Katy chimed in that she'd want to come, too - but I was counting on her to be the caretaker for the rest of the dogs! :doh: Oh well... we'll work something out!


Do you have any idea how the prospect of this makes me feel???? SOOOOOO excited!! I could get my hands on your girl again. We could finally hug. You could meet our mutual Toronto FB friends. You could meet Holly, Trillum and Lucy's older two sisters. You could meet my daughter Amanda. We could take you to Toronto and see The Rogers Center where the BlueJays play baseball, the Hockey Hall of Fame, The Toronto Airport, The Royal Ontario Museum, The CN tower, Ontario's west coast on Lake Huron, The University of Guelph, there is a very posh shopping district called the Distillery District, I could make you more cookies...omg...you would go home entirely exhausted. I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!! I want to finally meet my Barbie in person!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> my brother told me not to miss the hockey hall of fame :wacko: and something about a building with a glass floor (?)


That's the CN Tower. You can stand on the glass floor and look down. It freaks me out! The other cool thing at the CN Tower is the revolving restaurant. It's not good to eat there if you get motion sickness though, as my mom found out. :wacko:

http://www.cntower.ca/plan_your_visit/attractions/glass_floor/


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks, Cdnjennja!! I see that the CN Tower is on Arreau's agenda list! WoooHooo! I believe that it would cause some "high anxiety" though!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> Thanks, Cdnjennja!! I see that the CN Tower is on Arreau's agenda list! WoooHooo! I believe that it would cause some "high anxiety" though!


Ummmmm, I won't be going up there with you. Bruce would be delighted to accompany you. I have been up there about twelve times, and since my anxiety disorder decided to be part of my life, it is absolutely out of the question. But it is something that SHOULD NOT be missed. I'll stay downstairs with Lucy!!!


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## jester's mom (Nov 25, 2008)

Awww, she is sooo pretty in her new Conti! I agree with Areau, hard to believe she is only 5 1/2 months old.. wow, she looks older. Love her color.  Look forward to seeing her as she gets older and her Conti gets longer.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

jester's mom said:


> Awww, she is sooo pretty in her new Conti! I agree with Areau, hard to believe she is only 5 1/2 months old.. wow, she looks older. Love her color.  Look forward to seeing her as she gets older and her Conti gets longer.


Isn't it unbelievable how much she has changed in such a short time? I am looking forward to everything falling into place with her haircut. She is a pretty girl, that's for sure!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

OK... speaking of Lucy's haircut all coming together... what (if any) new equipment might I need to keep her looking spiffy?? I have several clippers and several trimmers and several really nice shears (straight and curved), but until now, I've only ever needed to keep her FFT clean - now I gotta follow LINES!!!! :scared: :lol:

I've seen people on this forum discuss 5/8 toe blades - is this something I should get to keep her narrow lines sharp? Is there an equivalent blade that shaves like a 5/8 blade (i.e., length of clip) For example... I have a couple of small trimmers that I cannot change the blade length on. I think they shave to about the equivalent of a #30 blade (or maybe even #40?) If I'd get a 5/8 blade for between her rosettes and such, will it shave her really, really close; or will it be similar to say a #10 or #15, or what??? 

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I want to be sure I have the correct equipment I'll need to do the maintenance correctly and keep her looking her best!

Anyone have any suggestions???? TIA!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

I have never used any of the narrow blades, and neither did my Mom. We just used our regular Oster clippers and blades, and when first starting out with a CC, we used a #15 WITH the hair, especially on a white Poo whose skin may be more sensitive. (unless we were going to a show right away, then it was a 15 against the hair). As time went on and their skin toughened up a bit, we would use a 15 against, and eventually a 30 against. Where the rosettes are separated by the jacket, you just hold that that hair well out of your way when working around the rosettes. And if you are working toward the rosettes, make sure your hands are steady and the dog doesn't move. An oops when you are heading into the rosette would not be a good thing...lol!!! Like when I am clipping Bruce's beard and forget to put the guard on. Uh,uh, baaaaaddddd scene.

If you have your usual assortment of blades and scissors and a good quality pin brush, and some elastics, you should be good to go. I use a thirty on Holly and Thinker's FFT area but worked up to that, a 10 on their tummy and sanitary areas, and if they were in a CC, I would use a 30 but not until they had been done a few times. I used straight scissors (I am not fussy about curved). A slicker brush is not good for keeping coat looking good because they break the hair off. And maybe a nice conditioning spray with lanolin or something similar in it. This will keep a nice healthy sheen to her coat.


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