# Alternatives to a clean face



## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

I feel like Peggy could pull off either of these looks with the amount of hair she has on her snoot right now.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Ah shoot, I've done what your describing to Basil before but never taken pics...

Sometimes guys will go to the barber and get a "line-up" when in the awkward between phase of growing your length out to clean up around the edges.

What if you just do the detailing work yourself around the lips and scissor what you can around the eyes? Then, your groomer can spend more time on other areas and ignore the face all together.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Starla said:


> I feel like Peggy could pull off either of these looks with the amount of hair she has on her snoot right now.
> View attachment 485189
> 
> View attachment 485188


That second pic just melts my heart. What a cutie. I wonder if our groomer could get that nice smooth transition between face and topknot with Peggy’s current length.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> Ah shoot, I've done what your describing to Basil before but never taken pics...
> 
> Sometimes guys will go to the barber and get a "line-up" when in the awkward between phase of growing your length out to clean up around the edges.
> 
> What if you just do the detailing work yourself around the lips and scissor what you can around the eyes? Then, your groomer can spend more time on other areas and ignore the face all together.


You may be forgetting how bad I am at grooming. 
This is probably the closest I’ve ever gotten to what I’m picturing;


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Starla said:


> I feel like Peggy could pull off either of these looks with the amount of hair she has on her snoot right now.
> View attachment 485189
> 
> View attachment 485188


The first one is the picture that I sometimes show the groomer. That's such a lovely dog.

This is Normie. His muzzle is a darker color than his face, so the groomer leaves it a bit long for emphasis.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Dianaleez said:


> The first one is the picture that I sometimes show the groomer. That's such a lovely dog.
> 
> This is Normie. His muzzle is a darker color than his face, so the groomer leaves it a bit long for emphasis.
> 
> View attachment 485194


So cute! I love how open his eyes are. I don’t want to lose Peggy’s eyes in all the fluff.


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## Misteline (Mar 10, 2019)

PeggyTheParti said:


> So cute! I love how open his eyes are. I don’t want to lose Peggy’s eyes in all the fluff.


Lol. You don't want Peggy to rock this do?:


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Misteline said:


> Lol. You don't want Peggy to rock this do?:
> 
> View attachment 485197


Somehow he pulls it off!


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## Misteline (Mar 10, 2019)

I'm going to have to enjoy the cotton candy as much as I can over the next two days. Early Saturday morning it's going away, he's booked in for a professional groom. My confidence in my skills is about on par with yours PtP. He got this way because I'm afraid of screwing up his topknot and feeling compelled to shave it all off. 😔 He doesn't have as fetching a head as the black poodle on the forum that goes without a topknot (who's name and account owner escapes me atm). His head is kind of lumpy.


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## Ren. (May 20, 2021)

Here is a picture of Ren with a short donut mustache. I don’t know if you want the face as shaved for Peggy, but I thought I would share since it looks like the fur on Ren’s muzzle/mustache is around the same length as Peggy’s.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Misteline said:


> I'm going to have to enjoy the cotton candy as much as I can over the next two days. Early Saturday morning it's going away, he's booked in for a professional groom. My confidence in my skills is about on par with yours PtP. He got this way because I'm afraid of screwing up his topknot and feeling compelled to shave it all off. 😔 He doesn't have as fetching a head as the black poodle on the forum that goes without a topknot (who's name and account owner escapes me atm). His head is kind of lumpy.


Lol! I know what you mean. At the start of covid, when we were in lockdown and I was desperate to deal with her coat-change mats, I accidentally shaved Peggy’s head into a cone. I’ve also somehow managed to make it look completely flat.

You’re probably thinking of @Raindrops and her beautiful Misha. She home grooms and does an incredible job.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Ren. said:


> Here is a picture of Ren with a short donut mustache. I don’t know if you want the face as shaved for Peggy, but I thought I would share since it looks like the fur on Ren’s muzzle/mustache is around the same length as Peggy’s.
> View attachment 485218
> View attachment 485217


Cute!


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## Misteline (Mar 10, 2019)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Lol! I know what you mean. At the start of covid, when we were in lockdown and I was desperate to deal with her coat-change mats, I accidentally shaved Peggy’s head into a cone. I’ve also somehow managed to make it look completely flat.
> 
> You’re probably thinking of @Raindrops and her beautiful Misha. She home grooms and does an incredible job.


I was thinking of Misha! I wasn't confident enough in the name. 

The back of the head really scares me the most since it takes more than just running a 10 over everything. I don't really feel confident scissoring him either so anything that requires that makes me just want to bring him to the groomer to do it. The picture of the hair cut I want doesn't show the back of the head, and groomers keep returning him to me with a weird shelf back there instead of a nice blended transition. Part of me wants to shave him down everywhere else first so they can focus on what I actually care about. I'm hopeful to get the result I want this time though so I'm resisting.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Misteline said:


> I was thinking of Misha! I wasn't confident enough in the name.
> 
> The back of the head really scares me the most since it takes more than just running a 10 over everything. I don't really feel confident scissoring him either so anything that requires that makes me just want to bring him to the groomer to do it. The picture of the hair cut I want doesn't show the back of the head, and groomers keep returning him to me with a weird shelf back there instead of a nice blended transition. Part of me wants to shave him down everywhere else first so they can focus on what I actually care about. I'm hopeful to get the result I want this time though so I'm resisting.


Have you found a groomer you really like? If not, keep searching. It’s so worth it to have someone you trust and who really loves what they do.

Also, maybe start a thread asking for back-of-the-head photos? That could be really helpful, not only for you, but also for all the rest of us who are still trying to figure out this whole grooming thing.


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## Misteline (Mar 10, 2019)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Have you found a groomer you really like? If not, keep searching. It’s so worth it to have someone you trust and who really loves what they do.
> 
> Also, maybe start a thread asking for back-of-the-head photos? That could be really helpful, not only for you, but also for all the rest of us who are still trying to figure out this whole grooming thing.


This groomer will be new. I haven't taken him to one since we moved hence the voluminous mop. I have a few on the list so I think I'll give each two tries, groomers here are so much more expensive so I don't want to put too much money into a groomer that isn't going to work out. 

Soliciting some advice from the forum is a great idea, I'll do that. Hope you settle on something for your not-so-clean face needs too. How do you feel about the current length besides the lips and eyes needing to be tidied up, because if it's good other than that you might not need a reference photo for your groomer.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

I can help with back of the head but I will agree it is one of the hardest areas to get perfectly correct. Mostly because they move their head so it always looks different as soon as they move. Poodles have skinny necks so they look best with extra hair left on the back of the neck. So I just start tapering from the head down to the withers. Here is a diagram. More of a neck ruff is more of a masculine look while less is more feminine. I tend to always leave more because Misha is a bit ewe necked so it helps his proportions.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

PtP, maybe this? I think this was grown out from a clean shave and the tk was only slightly longer. I cleaned up the lip line skimming with bravmini


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## Moni (May 8, 2018)

Louie gets what I call the Franz Josef (after Emperor Franz Josef) at times. I don't have a good pic of Louie but this is an approximation of what he looks like...


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## Moni (May 8, 2018)

I actually found a pic of Louie with the beard...and his winter outfit too!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Raindrops said:


> PtP, maybe this? I think this was grown out from a clean shave and the tk was only slightly longer. I cleaned up the lip line skimming with bravmini
> View attachment 485231


This is perfect! I’m going to text it to Peggy’s groomer. Thank you.  It’s very important to me that her eyes are clear and her hair’s not getting stuck in her mouth.

Do you think it would be weird to pair this face with shaved feet and a fluffy tail? I might be willing to part with the pompon, but shaved feet are kinda important around here in the winter.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Moni said:


> I actually found a pic of Louie with the beard...and his winter outfit too!
> View attachment 485238


Oh he looks absolutely adorable! I love how short the hair is around his eyes while keeping that cute little beard scruff.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Moni said:


> Louie gets what I call the Franz Josef (after Emperor Franz Josef) at times. I don't have a good pic of Louie but this is an approximation of what he looks like...
> View attachment 485236


This is impressive! What a look.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Misteline said:


> How do you feel about the current length besides the lips and eyes needing to be tidied up, because if it's good other than that you might not need a reference photo for your groomer.


I’d prefer not to lose any of the length, but I want to make sure her groomer understands what I want along the lips and around the eyes. Peggy’s at the point now where it’s getting harder to keep her eyes cleaned. No fun for either of us. And I don’t want her cute little white moustache getting stained.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

PeggyTheParti said:


> This is perfect! I’m going to text it to Peggy’s groomer. Thank you.  It’s very important to me that her eyes are clear and her hair’s not getting stuck in her mouth.
> 
> Do you think it would be weird to pair this face with shaved feet and a fluffy tail? I might be willing to part with the pompon, but shaved feet are kinda important around here in the winter.


I don't think it would be weird. I've definitely done shaved feet with a uniform short clip before. I think a longer tail is fine. I often see doodles with shorter face and head but longer tail.


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## Ren. (May 20, 2021)

@Raindrops
I love Misha's face! How do you accomplish such a precise clean around his eyes? I'm having trouble removing the hair near Ren's tearducts.


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

After reading through this thread and seeing all the pictures I was inspired to give Bobby a little different look today. Not sure if I will keep the face scruffy though. Will see if I can keep the eye and mouth area clean. I took a lot off the topknot snd have been growing out his ears. Looking forward to Peggy’s new hairdo whatever you decide! 😊








View attachment 485308


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Good job! Bobby looks extra lovely with snowflakes in his hair.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Ren. said:


> @Raindrops
> I love Misha's face! How do you accomplish such a precise clean around his eyes? I'm having trouble removing the hair near Ren's tearducts.


I think part of it is how his hair naturally grows. It just grows straight down away from his eye. But I do clean the corners of his eyes by shaving toward the eye with bravmini right at the corner. Further out leaves a bald patch if I'm not careful. If the hair gets too thick I'll also scoop out the corners with a bravura on the 9 setting. Either going away or toward the eye depending on the length I want.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Spottytoes said:


> After reading through this thread and seeing all the pictures I was inspired to give Bobby a little different look today. Not sure if I will keep the face scruffy though. Will see if I can keep the eye and mouth area clean. I took a lot off the topknot snd have been growing out his ears. Looking forward to Peggy’s new hairdo whatever you decide! 😊
> View attachment 485307
> 
> View attachment 485308
> View attachment 485311


He looks great!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Raindrops said:


> PtP, maybe this? I think this was grown out from a clean shave and the tk was only slightly longer. I cleaned up the lip line skimming with bravmini


This is nice ! I don’t like unshaven poodle faces but I could definitely live with that ! What length blade do you use ?


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Dechi said:


> This is nice ! I don’t like unshaven poodle faces but I could definitely live with that ! What length blade do you use ?


Thank you! I'm not sure of the length because this was just grown out from a clean shave. But I think you could achieve the same length with a bravura with a comb attachment. Probably would be between the 1/4 and 1/2 inch combs.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Do you think it would be weird to pair this face with shaved feet and a fluffy tail? I might be willing to part with the pompon, but shaved feet are kinda important around here in the winter.


I don't think it would look weird. Often times I'll just do Basils feet/hands at a bare minimum so less dirt gets tracked in & for traction purposes. Clean feet makes a poodle look put together.

For example, for guys, if your husband was growing out his hair but kept a 5-oclock-shadow and had the barber line up his beard... It would still look good.


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