Many groomers cringe when an Old English Sheep Dog is on the schedule. These are big dogs with beautiful fluffy coats that can be difficult for pet owners to maintain. All too often, we go through the circle of growing the coat out long and shaving the dog naked when it comes in too matted. My hat goes off to breeders, show people and others who can maintain these dogs in their breed-standard coat. Maggie is a small Old English Sheep Dog that has been coming to us since she was a puppy. She is an active dog—swimming, hiking and playing with her children.

For this article, I have chosen Comet, a five-year-old male bichon frise. I had been using Comet’s brother in competitions, set in a traditional bichon trim. However, because these boys are tall, the traditional bichon cut is difficult. We decided a Portuguese water dog-inspired hair cut would look cute and be more appropriate.  BeforeStep 1: Trim NailsTrim the nails to the quick, and file rough edges.Step 2: Pluck & Clean EarsPluck hair from the ear canal using ear powder and your fingers or hemostats.

The Pomeranian is a cute dog with a thick, fluffy coat. Many clients choose to cut their Pomeranians’ hair to reduce brushing time or to keep the dog cooler. At our shop, we call it a teddy cut.  I prefer to scissor the dog fully, but this cut can be modified and snap-on comb guards can be used.  The teddy cut is left long enough to avoid damaging the dog’s coat, which can happen with shaving.  For this demonstration, I chose Phoebe, a client’s three-year-old Pomeranian.BeforeStep 1: Clean EarsSwab the ears out with cotton.

The Norwich terrier is a cute, compact dog. Like many terriers, the Norwich should be hand stripped.  This technique keeps the texture and brilliant color of the coat intact. In my opinion, hand stripping is largely a lost art in the world of professional grooming, so learning to perfect the technique will give groomers an edge over the competition. Hand stripping is a technique in which the outer coat is pulled out, leaving the undercoat. Hand-stripping knives are used, as well as finger plucking. The coat should always be pulled in the direction of growth.

 Many people think there isn’t much involved in grooming a Chinese crested, but that’s quite a misconception. I and Mellissa, a fellow employee, both own hairless Chinese cresteds, and I can tell you that these dogs need a lot of skin care. After doing some research, I found an excellent recipe to exfoliate blackheads, which these dogs are prone to.  I mix sugar and vegetable oil to make a scrub. I avoid using salt, because it can sting the skin. After an exfoliation and bath, they need to be moisturized regularly.  For my model, I used Mellissa’s Miagi, a two-year-old male.

A few years ago, we only offered limited haircuts for cats in our salon–basically, it was just the lion cut, which is very short all over. Then we started to experiment with snap-on combs, which can be used to trim the coat. We named the result the Teddy cut. In order to have this cut done, a cat must come in without any severe matting. I’ve found that owners come in more often for grooming because they like this option, rather than letting their cats get so knotted that they have to be shaved.

The English springer spaniel is a popular family dog, as well as a working hunting dog. When the English springer spaniel is shown, the body is groomed using carding, thinning and stripping techniques. However, pets are often clipped using blades ranging from 4, 5, 7 or 9. I’ve chosen Daisy, a three-year-old English springer spaniel who is a second-generation grooming client at our shop. This clip should appear sharp and clean when finished. The pattern lines are the same for pet and show trim.

I recently had a chance to observe Sue Pratt groom her nine-year-old miniature schnauzer, Madison. Maddie is a finished champion and is now clipped, as opposed to hand stripped, which is how this breed is shown. Sue has been grooming for over 40 years. She is an excellent groomer and instructor who is always willing to help both new and experienced groomers. She is a familiar face at grooming shows, known as the “pit boss” because she keeps order in competition grooming arenas.

 Love them or hate them, we have to groom doodles. There is much debate over these dogs. How often should they be groomed? Is there a breed profile for these dogs? There are many different opinions out there, and I’m going to give you mine.  We see more and more doodles coming into the shop every day.  These are active dogs who like to swim, hike and play. They have a variety of different coat textures. As groomers, it is our job to educate owners on proper coat maintenance.  For this article, I have chosen Fletcher, a one-year-old Labradoodle with a very thick coat.

 This is Ernie, a three-year-old English cocker spaniel. He is a finished champion who is now living in a pet home. When shown, the English cocker spaniel is never clipped; instead, the coat is mucked out and stripped. Now that Ernie’s show days are finished, he is kept in a clippered pet trim, which still keeps the style of the breed. A shorter version of the groom is easier for both owner and groomer.  The English cocker spaniel has a unique hairstyle and is a breed that rarely comes into our grooming shops.