# Luna’s journey to a bedlington trim



## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

As most of you know, I am having a lot of fun with Luna’s grooming now that she is finished showing and has been shaved down. Now that I can just have fun with her grooming I have decided that the first fun groom I want to attempt is a bedlington aka a “poodlington” trim. I don’t think I will shave her tail down completely as I am not a fan of a completely naked tail. But here are some pictures to show her journey. It will take several months to get to our goal. Will see if I can handle the fluffy face for long enough to grow it out to where it needs to be. Pics in order from before first shave down to current and I will update this thread each time I adjust the groom.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

That’s the fun part of having a poodle to groom. You can do whatever you want including a faux bedlington clip which is going to look stunning on Luna. I can’t wait to see the finished groom.


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

Skylar said:


> That’s the fun part of having a poodle to groom. You can do whatever you want including a faux bedlington clip which is going to look stunning on Luna. I can’t wait to see the finished groom.


:yes: word for word, she is gorgeous!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you so much Skylar and asuk!


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

You can't do a poodlington without the shaved tail! Coward!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Mysticrealm said:


> You can't do a poodlington without the shaved tail! Coward!


 Haha, you've been challenged. It's only hair and it grows back.

I do understand how you feel - I love the German but will never groom Babykins in that clip because I don't want to clip her ears and would hate to have to wait for them to grow back.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Mysticrealm said:


> You can't do a poodlington without the shaved tail! Coward!


Hahaha I *might* get brave enough to do it but I’m not 100% sure yet. Poodles hold their tails so different than bedlingtons do. And with a docked tail they are quite a bit shorter. I don’t think a shaved rat tail looks good carried up. However I will have to just wait and see as she grows into the trim.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Before I decided on a Spoo, I was all in on a Bedlington. I ran into my groomer before this happy occasion that never occurred, and he said he didn’t do Bedlingtons. Whaa? He finally relented, but said he was never satisfied with his Bed groom on the one retired show dog he had done. If you do poodles, you can do a Bedlington was my winning argument. Wish I had had you and Luna for “Exhibit A”!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Skylar said:


> Mysticrealm said:
> 
> 
> > You can't do a poodlington without the shaved tail! Coward!
> ...


Yes even I am a bit nervous to shave her ears off as I am really liking them this length. But I like the look of shaved ears more than shaved tail. I feel like the German would be a natural progression for when I get tired of the bedlington trim on Luna.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Mfmst said:


> Before I decided on a Spoo, I was all in on a Bedlington. I ran into my groomer before this happy occasion that never occurred, and he said he didn’t do Bedlingtons. Whaa? He finally relented, but said he was never satisfied with his Bed groom on the one retired show dog he had done. If you do poodles, you can do a Bedlington was my winning argument. Wish I had had you and Luna for “Exhibit A”!


Lol honestly I think the bedlington trim is considered to be a pretty difficult trim - especially for someone like me who is not goodness’s at scissor work but the beauty of being able to be creative with Luna now is that hopefully my scissoring can improve with practice. I hope that I can do the trim “justice” on Luna and that it actually does resemble a bedlington trim!


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

She is such a pretty girl, I love all her grooms. You are very good t it!


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## Moni (May 8, 2018)

Love love love Bedlingtons! They were on my short list before we settled on Poodle Kid. Two things I couldn't overcome - first my husband never liked the actual Bedlington Show Groom and no matter how much I tried to convince him that you don't have to groom that way - it was a no go. Second the temperament of the BT was a big question mark - somehow I know better than getting a terrier..... Now I am playing with Louie as a Schnauzer - but Louie as BT has potential too! Watching where this goes for you - fingers crossed!


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Moni, that was another reason I didn’t consider waiting for the next litter of Bedlingtons, DH thought they looked too weird. He would not have had any problem with the faux Bed, Luna


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you Mufar and Moni! Moni, the reason why I prefer a bedlington over a schnauzer or trim with a beard is that I hate wet beard hair when they eat or drink. I am loving the bedlington so far because the bottom jaw is completely shaved and I keep the top lip clean so no hair is long enough to get into her mouth.

I groomed her again today! (She is groomed every two weeks) I had extra time today so I did more than I normally would. I ended up taking off her bracelets most of the way (I hand scissored them.) And I shaved off her red heart rosettes with a 1 blade because the dyed hair had grown out too much to really continue trimming them (there would have been white patches in the hearts if I had just trimmed them). It was really a shock to see her without bracelets, as she has had fur there for her entire life. But it is growing on me. I love how it lengthens her legs and you can see that she is more square now. 

I estimate that her next groom I will take off a lot of tail hair and possibly do the tassel ears. Enjoy the progression of pics from before to after.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Yay, the dye is fading so nicely! LOVING the Bedlington. Can't wait to see the tail and ears.


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## Moni (May 8, 2018)

Looking good - so far! SO wonderful that you have so much healthy hair to play with!


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## JenandSage (Mar 9, 2018)

I like her long legs!!! Will be fun to see the final. She is so pretty. I wasn’t sure about white poodles when I first started looking for a dog but I love her.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you so much guys!!

Jenandsage I also did not want a white poodle initially but am glad to have her. They are a bit more to maintain, especially because whites tend to have softer coats than other colors so coat change is much worse. I also hate that so many whites have bad pigment. Luna is no exception to this which is why she will be bred to black to improve coat and pigment. However I have seen a lot of whites lately that actually do have good pigment so they do exist out there. Other than those two reasons whites are great. I love that you can read their expressions so easily and I love that I can see her easily in the dark - I would trip over a black dog so much! Haha.

Yesterday while decluttering I found some bows and had to take a quick break to pop them into Luna’s hair. They are very subtle, light gray. But cute. Enjoy!


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Looking more Bedlington every time! And so darn precious in those bows


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you zooeysmom!

Today Luna was groomed again. I shaved her paw pads, bum, and bottom of her face and neck, then bathed her. After drying, I took a #3 blade and shaved her sides. I scissored her feet and legs and scissored a dip near her shoulders to start the illusion of a bedlingtons heavily roached back. I trimmed her head and neck a bit but didn’t touch her ears today. I want more head hair to give balance before I shave them. I took an inch off of her tail, but yeah I am not so sure still about doing a rat tail. I think it would look much better on a natural tailed poodle. 

Enjoy the pics of her groom from before to after. I have really been enjoying scissoring on her with no consequences if I mess up. I hope I am learning how to scissor better through practicing on her. PS she mostly held her tail down today for pics because she is in heat now.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Aww, my Luna lamb :love2: Maizie and I look forward to attempting to copy your look. Wish I had your mama's grooming skills, though! You are sooo pretty (like your mama).


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you so much zm!!! I can’t wait to see Maizie in this trim too! She will be adorable!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Today was the most recent installment on Luna’s bedlington trim. I shaved her ears (leaving the tassels) and shaved her tail with a 1 blade. I have entered luna in obedience and rally for an upcoming A match and had to get the red dye off of her tail for that. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have shaved her tail this week. She still needs an inch of hair on her head and on her faux roach back.so it is still very much a work in progress. And I didn’t trim on her legs or body today. I think I left the tassels too long/big but I can always make them smaller in the future. I had no clue what I was doing and it shows. Pictures progress from before to after.

Before








Shaved sides of face








Rough shave in of ear before bath








Ear fixed up after bath








Finished ears and tail








Face








All finished


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

She is really getting there! You're doing an amazing job.


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Haha so cute! Is the hair around her eyes annoying her?


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thanks guys! The hair around her eyes doesn’t seem to bother her but she has been notably worse at catching her ball over the last couple of weeks haha. As it gets a bit longer I will probably start banding it out of her eyes.


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## Cute Sandy (Jul 24, 2018)

I love her furry white oversleeves :aetsch:


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Cute Sandy said:


> I love her furry white oversleeves


Hahaha thank you! They are STILL growing out funny from being shaved for shows.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Luna was groomed today and thanks to some help from a few pro groomers on Instagram, she is looking more bedlington than ever (though we still have aways to go!)

Today I bathed and fluffed her, did nails and shaved her face, pads, and sanitary. Then I hand scissored everywhere. It took all day but it’s worth it for the end result! I will post a before picture and then during and after pics. Enjoy!

Before








During




































After


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

So adorable! Love her happy face [emoji3059]


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Oh Dear! Are you sure Luna won't have an 'Identity Crisis'? As long as you don't give her the 'roached back' or the 'rat tail' it's all well and good! LOL!:five:


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Luna looks amazing, that is one happy dog


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

She does look amazing but how does she see haha.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Well it is an amazingly good groom, but I'm sorry I just don't like it very well. I want to see our pretty poodle girl again soon. But of course the great things about poodles is that their hair grows super fast and we can change things up when we want.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thanks guys. She is a very happy girl. For those wondering how she can see, if you look at her from the side you can see her eyes. So she only can’t see something that is dead straight in front of her (she has a hard time catching her ball for example) but it is very nearly long enough that I can start banding it between her eyes so she can see. I will attach 2 pics - the first is one I just took to show her eye from the side, and the second is one from this past week where I attempted a bow to hold that hair back.

I do realize that not everyone likes this trim. I am enjoying it so far and trying to improve my scissor work and grooming in general so it is a fun trim for that. I think once the head looks more correct (in a month or so when she has the right amount of hair) it will be really cute.


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

i totally adore her! i wasnt a fan of the bedlington terriers or trim but the more i see Luna's transformation, the more i am beginning to like this trim a lot! it will take me many many months to learn to scissor like you do.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Well I’m enjoying it, I think it’s a fun look. I didn’t realize that you band the hair when it’s long enough, makes sense though.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I think she looks fabulous  Your grooming skills are seriously top notch.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

chinchilla I hope I didn't offend. I do really think it shows your excellent grooming skills. And Luna certainly looks super happy.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

No offense taken Catherine. I do understand that it’s not a look that everyone is fond of. One reason I wanted to do another breed trim is to show off to people the versatility in poodles. So many misinformed people out there think that there is one trim for a poodle - the conti. Or they think that poodles are naturally naked on the face and feet (wouldn’t that be nice!) By showing others that poodles can really look differently depending on how they are groomed I would hope that they will be more accepting of poodles. 

I also adore this trim for the practicality of it. The naked lower jaw allows for a very clean face while still looking fuzzy and the tassel ears allow for great ear flow in and out of the ears so would be great for a dog prone to infections.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Well that all makes tons of sense! I could surely love it if their feet were naturally naked at least. Both of mine have a distinct distaste for feet grooming and I think I am just not very good at it.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Luna looks great in any cut, but I don't blame you for hesitating to shave her tail. I'd be very happy if I didn't have to shave feet too, they tolerate it but it's not fun for any of us.


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## Moni (May 8, 2018)

Really like how this looks on her! I love the texture of her hair - as you can make out from the pictures. I think she wears it really well! Are you scissoring her body and feet or clipping it?


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thanks guys!

This week Luna was trimmed again. To answer Monis question, this week, I used a 3 blade on her sides and scissored to blend it. I then went over her legs, took the tail a bit shorter, and I also too her tassels smaller this week. I originally had read that they were supposed to be 1/3 of the ears leather. But I kept seeing pics of actual bedlingtons where they were much lower. And Luna’s were so fluffy you could hardly tell they were tasseled. When I was shaving her sides I freaked out a bit, wondering if I could salvage it. But it turned out okay. Not perfect, but okay. Here are some pics.

Before








Ear tassel before








Ear tassel after








Force dried








Brushed out, before trimming








After using a 3 blade on her side. You can see why I was horrified haha.








One leg and tail done








All finished


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

She’s just gorgeous. I wish I had the skill and the guts to try this but I know my limitations so I’m enjoying watching Luna’s transformation.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

She is just so beautiful, and I can't help it but I love the Bedlington clip. (I just love Bedlingtons). Her white coat pulls it off beautifully. I was curious how the tail would look but it doesn't actually look so bad even with it being docked!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you Skylar and Ghost. I agree about the tail not looking completely awful but I also think it is the most “incorrect” part of a poodle in a bedlington trim. Even with an undocked tail, poodles hold their tails up most of the time (or at least they should!!) so it’s a different look. I’m not sure how long I will keep her in this trim. Just have the goal of “perfecting” it when it has grown in everywhere that it needs to. But when it’s perfect will I continue to keep it? I’m not sure yet haha. I already have my next trim in mind. But I am thinking at this point that Luna will probably enjoy about 2-3 more months as a bedlington. Here are a few pics I took this weekend.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

With your grooming skills and a wonderful dog like Luna you should have fun trying different styles. It’s only hair.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

With your grooming skills and a wonderful dog like Luna you should have fun trying different styles. It’s only hair.

Sorry for weird double post. I only clicked once to submit.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I can't believe how quickly you transformed her into a Bedlington! :adore: Can't wait to see what you do next (as long as it's not color! :lol: ).


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

She looks stunning, and I also can’t believe how quick it happened. I actually think a bit of color would look mighty fine on her!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you Skylar, zm and carolinek. I would love to add some color to her again but there is a possibility that we will be competing in rally and obedience and it isn’t allowed. And as I found out the last time it takes quite awhile for the colored hair to grow out. Next time I color her it will have to be some sort of teal blue. It may not be for quite awhile though.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

Her happy smile ? I am going to say she looks mighty pleased with that trim!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Ghost said:


> Her happy smile ? I am going to say she looks mighty pleased with that trim!


Thank you Ghost - her smile is her signature lol!


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Luna is so beautiful and looks so very happy


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## Moni (May 8, 2018)

She looks absolutely beautiful! Truly like a giant Bedlington! This reminds me of a line in the standard of the English Pointer regarding color, where it says "A good Pointer cannot be a bad color" In other words all colors are allowed as long as the dog is sound. Translated to the Poodle I would have to say: A good Poodle cannot have a bad hair cut - they will look stunning regardless. Any cut will look great as long as the Poodle has the right structure and good hair. Kudos on your grooming skills too!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I just now went through this thread, front to back. I'm sorry I didn't pop on earlier. But I must say, you're freakin' *AMAZING!!!* Holy smokes! You're such a good groomer.:adore: What an interesting transformation. I must agree with Catherine that I prefer the traditional poodle clips and in fact, the poodle breed over the Bedlington. But what fun you had and she is gorgeous! 

I had a 2nd cousin, once removed (I think?) who raised Bedlingtons. This, of course was years ago. And the groomer who groomed Matisse when he was showing and did such a marvelous job on him also raised, showed and groomed Bedlingtons also. Coincidence, huh? Anyhow, you had fun. Luna had lot of attention and that's the most cool thing ever. Where did you learn to groom so well? Oh, and I so enjoyed all your pictures. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this whole journey. 

Now, what do you want to do with her next? I vote a German clip now that she already has a start with the tail and ears. I usually shave my boys' ears but not exactly shave them right down. I use the red attachment comb. I think it's the shortest one. So there's a little wave there but they're short. And I love it. No mess, no infections, cute as little buttons they are. :love2:

Good luck with whatever you do.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you so much Twyla, moni, and PB for your very kind words. I love the “a good poodle can’t have a bad trim” translation. So cute. And I enjoyed hearing about the bedlington history you have PB. I have personally never put my hands (never mind a comb or clipper) on a bedlington. So this trim is 100% new for me.

I don’t have an accomplished grooming background. In high school I began working at a grooming shop part time as a bather. I bathed for about 2 years and then my boss slowly taught me how to do the hair cuts. I groomed very slowly. I still groom very slowly. While other groomers in the shop were doing 12-18 dogs per day, I was doing 4-5 if I was lucky. I realized I could never make a living as a groomer and found a new job. This was about a year after I began doing haircuts. 

Fast forward 10 years to when I got baby Luna. I didn’t do any grooming during that time. It was like starting over again. I am still not accomplished at the scissor work (remember, at the salon I worked at it was all pet trims). Thankfully my breeder/mentor lives nearby and helped me with most of Luna’s show scissoring. I now go to shows and assist a poodle handler there from time to time, so I have become pretty proficient at fluffing show poodles yet still can’t hand scissor very well (the handler scissors after I fluff them.) So the goal is now to improve my scissor work with Luna, now that she is not showing and I don’t have to worry about messing up.

As for her next trim, she will probably resemble a German as we work into it, but the goal is to do a pony with “wings” on her sides. I saw a picture of the trim on fb and loved it so I think it will be a fun goal for our next trim.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

It is sooooo nice that you're enjoying this so much. I think you're very good at scissoring. You should see the mess I make on my poodles. Good thing I don't let them see a mirror. They'd fire me. I enjoyed reading about your background with this. Oh and my history with Bedlingtons is zilch. I think I might not have been born yet when my relative was breeding them. Or I was back in NJ as a very young kid. Who knows? I just heard about it from my mom. lol. Your next project will be interesting. I hope you show us lots of photos.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Luna was groomed again this week. At this point I think her transformation is complete except for her head... it has been growing soooo slowly - especially her muzzle area. And I don’t think I am willing to wait around until it grows in (at the rate it’s growing it could easily be another month or two before it looks balanced and full.) 

She isn’t able to see very much when she doesn’t have bands in. And with the bands in I think she looks so ugly and doodlish. Soooo this might have been her very last groom as a bedlington. I think in two weeks when I groom her again I will do something else. I love the look of it, when the bands aren’t on her head... but with them in I don’t enjoy how she looks. Really the whole point of creative grooming for me is that I should like it haha, since we aren’t competing or anything else. 

This week I shaved her neck and chin and ears and then hand scissored everywhere else. It took me probably 4.5 hours including the bath and dry. Almost 3 hours was spent on the scissoring. But it is enjoyable to me so I don’t mind. And I’m also really trying to improve my scissoring skills. This week I took her chest shorter as bedlingtons have almost no forechest. I also took more off of her neck, sides, roach, and legs. I didn’t shave her tail again as it’s pretty short already and I want it to grow out for her next trim.

Anyways, here are some pictures, including the pictures with her bands in so you can see why I am ready for a change haha. Poor baby - I can’t stand for her to look so ridiculous!


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

She is such a gorgeous girl but hahah you’re right about the bands! Looking forward to whatever you do with her next!


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

She is simply magnificent  Can't wait to see what you do with her next!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Well that was quite a bit of work to make that happen. You are very talented and patient. I will be interested to see what is next too.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I like to follow your grooming story a lot ! 

I can appreciate the skills needed for the bedlington but I can’t wait to see what’s next !


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

I still think she looks adorable, and like I said, poodles don't need to see!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you so much everyone!!! A couple of days ago I bathed Luna but didn’t trim anything and didn’t shave her face or her ears. I was planning to change her trim that very day but I ran out of time. Now I am loving how cute she looks. I feel like we made it past the really ugly awkward grow in stage and besides having to band her hair to keep it out of her eyes, I love the look of the groom on her now and will be kind of sad to see it go. I plan to carve wings into her sides on her next grooming day. A few pics of her final (most likely) groom as a poodlington.


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## MaizieFrosty (Apr 12, 2019)

So beautiful :love2:


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

She really looks more like a bedlington now ! I have to admit I was very sceptical but you did it !


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I was at a trial recently where I saw two Bedlington terriers........ Luna is a million times more gorgeous in her poodlington than the real thing.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Awww thank you so much guys! I forgot to mention that since I ran short on time on the day that I groomed her, I also didn’t have enough time to get really good pics of her - and since I didn’t shave face or tip the trim (scissor off the scraggly hairs) it doesn’t look great in these pics. I think it looks a bit better in real life. You’re all very sweet though! I may transition to the new trim gradually - I might even keep the bedlington face for a while longer with the wings - we shall see what I feel like doing when the day comes lol!


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

I will be sad to see the poodle bedlington cut go - I just adore it.


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## Smile Time Betty (Apr 14, 2019)

You did such a great job on her! Would be a great cut for the winter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Luna's journey to a Bedlington has ended and she is now working towards pegasus. Here is the link to her new grooming thread. 
https://www.poodleforum.com/9-poodl...us-poodle-new-post.html#/topics/269003?page=1


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