# I really messed up my puppy's hair. SMH!



## Spicoli's Mom (Jan 25, 2014)

Ok so not really but yeah I kind of did. It's hair it will grow back but...

I feel so naive right now. So I used to be a dog groomer. It sounds so weird to even say that. I had my own grooming shop. It was successful. I groomed for nearly 15 years total. I have groomed my share of poodles and everything in between. 

So when we got Spicoli there was no doubt in my mind that I would handle his grooming and he would always look fabulous. It has been about 3 years since I last groomed a dog. I still have most my tools. I was excited to groom just for the fun of grooming. Grooming my own spoo was a dream come true. I couldn't wait to get started. LOL!

My hubby set up my table in the garage under good light. He made me a really nice little work area. I ordered some new supplies to replace some of my old. I just couldn't wait to give Spicoli his first hair cut. 

So I had been working with him. Brushing him out everyday on the table. Filing his nails, playing with his feet and ears. He is a very good student. The day came I decided it was time to trim down those poodle feet and retrim his face and maybe take a little length. My first mistake was not really thinking thru what I wanted to do. I thought I would give him kind of a kennel clip with a little Bedlington influence. In my mind this was going to look so good. My poor puppy.

So I started grooming his feet and he did great. He had four beautiful poodle feet. Not perfect but pretty darn good. I should have stopped right there but no. I decided we were going to take care of that face. That did not go well. I was able to calm him and trim part of his face but I neglected to pay attention to my lines cause I was really just trying to win him over and get him used to the idea. When I stepped back I realized I had gone too far. Luckily I did stop on his face. Leaving a couple of very weird looking clipper lines. I decided to go ahead and take some length. 

I couldn't find any of my preferred guards or blades so I settle for the longest guard I could find, a 4. That was going pretty well till I removed it and accidently put a 3 on. Ops! Switched back to the 4. I thought well maybe I can blend that. Lets go ahead and shape your top knot. This is when I realized my shears are dull. I totally screwed up his top knot. Okay that looks bad lets finish your body and call it a day. Nope I dropped the clipper and broke the guard I was using. 

To make a even longer story a little shorter. My sweet pup now has a pretty uneven cut with choppy legs and the ugliest mohawk I have ever seen. Bless his heart. He is still cute to me but this does not say much for my current grooming ability. His feet do look nice though. I know it will grow back and I will do much better next time. I just got too excited to groom again. Which is funny cause I was burnt out on grooming when I sold my shop. I don't want to ever groom for others again but I do think I will enjoy keeping my own dog in a stylish cut. 

Anyways, I hope his hair grows back soon. I promise not to get so scissor happy next time. Until then I will just blame it on someone else when out in public. LOL!

The good thing is I can really see his body structure now. I had no idea how long his legs were. Holy cow. I should have named him Leggs!

I really don't want to but I will attach a picture that I took with my phone. Please, please don't laugh too hard. I know he looks goofy but I am not going to let him know that. He still thinks he is beautiful and he is. But maybe this image will make others feel better about their dog's last bad hair day. LOL! Seriously this is embarrassing. I keep wanting to fix it but I know the best thing I can do right now is just let it grow out.


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Lol, I think he looks cute! Like you said its hair and it grows back. And heck messing up a hair cut is better than accidentally cutting him right? I cut one of my own poodles for the first time in 5 years of grooming and I felt so horrible! He didn't even realize what I had done but I sure felt bad. 


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## Spicoli's Mom (Jan 25, 2014)

Yes I would much rather have a messed up hair do than to have cut him. That is kind of what happen with the top knot. He was moving around and my shears were dull so I just had to stop and work with what was left. A mohawk seemed like a viable option at the moment. LOL! Knock on wood I have never had a serious injury to a dog while grooming but I have nicked one here and there with clippers on accident and nothing feels worse. It can happen so quick.

Part of my problem here was my nerves. I was even more nervous about hurting him than I ever was before. I don't know why. I think it is kind of like being a doctor and working on your own kid or something. You just get a little more cautious. Not that my clients dogs weren't important to me, I cared about them all tremendously but most of them weren't puppies. They had learned how to stand and be groomed. I was grooming everyday so the fear of nicking just wasn't as strong as it was this go around. I am sure that I will do much better next time. As my husband put it. I know this is just one of the many hair styles he is going to have so who cares. It will be like the weather in Texas, if you don't like it wait, it will change. LOL!


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

I rather like his look. THe mohawk is fun and he looks adorable. I love his serious fave with the fun hairstyle. It's a neat look, maybe it'll spark a new trend and then you both can be famous. 

Seriously, he looks adorable. (now just watch his little human sister doesn't try to trim her hair to match. My kids did that once. *sigh*)


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

I love it!! Think he looks great! And talk about messing up? You should see some of the messes I've made of Pippin in the last year... poor thing, she generally looks like she has been mugged by a lawnmower...

Poodle hair is great! It grows back, you can have another play, it grows back... and so on and so on LOL!

I'm not trained, just been muddling through the best I can, but improving! You've got the skills, will get your confidence back, then Spicoli will be showing off all his new styles here for years


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

I like your attitude, your spirit and your commitment to just put the scissors down for another day!:becky: I'm just a home groomer and let me tell, the things I've botched on Chagall make for a very long list. Most notably was the "palm tree" tail I once gave him. Then there were bracelets cut so unevenly even strangers pointed it out to me. Oh, and the total lack of symmetry to his grooms, he's looked at times like two different poodles depending on if you saw him from the left or the right side! It's wonderful how much you're enjoying Spicoli and he is an adorable fellow with a style all his own. There's everything to like about that!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Hey, why not? You see people with hair like that all the time on Capitol Hill in Seattle. It's a funky neighborhood where you see all kinds of do's....Mohawks that are purple, things you never thought of. Hey, you could die it purple. He'd fit right in. And like you say, it will grow back and you can try another hair style. Matisse looks funny all the time. He has to wear pony tails, one behind the other so it looks like a Mohawk too, just separated with bands. Sometimes they're sticking up and sometimes I plaster them flat on his head with more rubber bands. And little hairs pop out of the bands and fall over his eyes. At least Spicoli looks tidy and nice all over his body from what I can see. You are brave and all your skills will come right back to you next time I bet. I wouldn't dare show a picture of my other Poodle, Maurice. That's a real hack job for sure. lol. Anyhow, Spicoli looks cute.


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

I think it is very cute! I can see where you were going with the bedlington influence.

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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Love the Mohawk!!!!


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## all that jazz (Feb 6, 2011)

He looks adorable!


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

He looks cute to me. If the mohawk is bothering you take it off and start fresh. Within a couple months he will need another trim and the hair should be thicker then, too.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

LOL, but he is still cute. It will grow out, no harm was done. I took Carley to a groomer for the first time EVER, she is 9 years old ! And she looks about as funny... It has been so cold and I do all my grooming outside, so that is what happened... anyway, we just laugh and know it is no big deal.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

It's cute.....and goes with his namesake LOL! 
But you are right, it's only hair and it'll grow back and soon you'll be wondering what 'DO' you wanna try next!


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## schpeckie (Jun 29, 2010)

Oh, that poor baby! But Spicoli still looks cute! BTW, I am terrified of grooming the girls! I took a class years ago on a Saturday where they had us practicing on a stuffed dog with glued fur on it. I literally scalped that poor thing - I'm sure there would be blood everywhere if it wasn't fake! Also, don't let your husband do it - I look after my groomers appointment book when they go on vacation, and I laughed so hard at a client! They didn't realize that Bev was away, so her husband purchased a dog grooming kit. Well, he scalped the poor dog, biting him and hid under the couch. It took over a month for the fur to grow out decently so Bev could give the poor soul a nicer haircut!So, good on you and all those Groomers - you are truly blessed!
Sylvia & the Girls!


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## Spicoli's Mom (Jan 25, 2014)

schpeckie said:


> Oh, that poor baby! But Spicoli still looks cute! BTW, I am terrified of grooming the girls! I took a class years ago on a Saturday where they had us practicing on a stuffed dog with glued fur on it. I literally scalped that poor thing - I'm sure there would be blood everywhere if it wasn't fake! Also, don't let your husband do it - I look after my groomers appointment book when they go on vacation, and I laughed so hard at a client! They didn't realize that Bev was away, so her husband purchased a dog grooming kit. Well, he scalped the poor dog, biting him and hid under the couch. It took over a month for the fur to grow out decently so Bev could give the poor soul a nicer haircut!So, good on you and all those Groomers - you are truly blessed!
> Sylvia & the Girls!


Oh my. That is horrible. I don't think my husband would have ever attempted that especially with one of my clients. LOL! 

Your comment about the stuffed dog with glue on it made me littlerally spit my coke out. I have never worked on one but I have seen those models that you are talking about. I actually learned to groom working under another groomer when I was a teenager. One time she told me she could never own a standard cause she would be chasing him around with shears all the time. LOL! Anyways, the first few dogs I ever groomed were not pretty that's for sure. No blood though. LOL! 

I knew when I got a Standard that there would be times I would get crazy with my clippers. I was just being too ambitious with my rusty skills and his young age.

It's kind of like falling on roller skates. It happens sometimes, you just have to get back up and know there will be a span of time you can skate before you fall again. If you haven't skated for a while then you will probably fall pretty quick, maybe several times. I guess that is kind of a weird parallel to grooming or anything in life. Not sure exactly where it came from. I don't do a lot of rollerskating.


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