Let's start with today and go backwards in time.
This dog was a new client, listed in the computer as a "Doodle Mix." I had no idea what to expect based on that description, but I certainly wasn't expecting this dog:
Call me crazy, but he looks to me like a Wheaten with Dumbo ears. I suppose he could be mixed with some sort of Poodle or Doodle, but he is clearly mostly a Wheaten. Anyway, I was prepared for up to 100 pounds of Doodle, so this smallish dog was a welcome surprise.
They wanted about half the length taken off all over the body, and trim the head but leave the eyelashes. He was a little bit matted, but not too bad, so I brushed what I could and just went shorter where I had to. Here's the result:
Doesn't he look so happy to be done?
Aside from his ears, his personality would indicate being mixed with another breed. Please don't kill me Wheaten owners, but as a general rule, Wheatens tend to be difficult to groom. They have crappy hair and crappy attitudes to match. They might make amazing family pets, but I've groomed more naughty Wheatens than good ones. This guy was really good, though, even for the dematting.
Anyway, I left 5/8" of hair on his body and 7/8" on his head. I had to go down to 1/4" on his butt and throat and 1/8" on his belly, but all in all I think he turned out good.
I did this next dog a few days ago. He was also a new client and slightly matted. The owners knew he was a little matted and they were just hoping I wouldn't have to shave him to the skin.
After using a silkening shampoo, lots of The Stuff, and the velocity dryer, I was able to get my 1/2" blade under the mats. They wanted a short teddy bear face (side note: it's very strange writing that out all the way instead of saying "tbf") and trim the ears slightly. He was very fussy for his feet (which is pretty typical for a Wheaten) so they don't look as good as I would like, but they look pretty decent, all things considered.
Now we go back to last Saturday, when I did 3 Wheatens in one day.
This first one is a regular of mine, I do her about every 6 weeks. She used to have really really bad skin problems, so bad that she had bald spots as a result of licking and chewing her hair out. Now her hair has grown back magnificently and they keep her hair on the longer side.
Her hair is a lot finer than most Wheatens, and also lighter in color, which leads me to wonder if she's mixed with something. In any case, she's incredibly well-behaved and one of my favorite regulars (certainly my favorite Wheaten). Here is a side view to you can see the length left on her body better.
OK, never mind, my computer refuses to upload that picture. Yay technology.
Anyway, if it allows me... Here is the first of two Wheatens I did from the same family that day. These were also new clients. Both dogs were also a little matted, so it came down to "leave them as long as you can, but shave any mats, don't bother brushing them."
Apparently my computer has no issues with this picture. Very strange. Anyway, I was trying to do a Wheaten pattern, and I left 1/4" on his back and about 1/2" on his legs. I tried to flay his leg feathers a little and scissor his skirt to try to make it look like these areas were longer, but I didn't like how it turned out. Also he wouldn't hold still, so the cut on his body is uneven, which bothers me.
Anyway, this dog's head is obviously different from the other three dogs I've pictured so far. This is the Wheaten breed cut head (sort of). Since his body is so short, his head looks disproportionately large, but it wouldn't look right if I took his head too short. You can't really tell, but his ears are shaved with a short blade. There is also the characteristic fall which goes to his nose. The hair from his fall was growing into his nostrils, so I did him a favor and trimmed it back a bit. The sides of the face are short, the beard is fuller, and there is sort of a hole cut around each eye so he can see. You'll just have to take my word for it that it looks better on a dog with a longer haircut on the body.
Next comes his brother. Not only was his body matted, but his beard was, too. :-( I considered trying to brush his beard out, but it was REALLY matted and the owner had SPECIFICALLY said "Don't brush mats, just shave." So I reluctantly shaved his face and tried desperately to leave any hair there if I could. I couldn't, really.
I made the creative decision to cut his fall back a little bit but not take it off completely. I still don't know if I made the right decision or not. I couldn't be there when the owner picked up, but it sounds like the reaction was something like "Well, you look ridiculous, but you were matted." Maybe I should've taken the fall off entirely? I was worried about him looking too poodle-y. Maybe I should've left the fall longer. I don't know, there really isn't a winning scenario when you have to shave a Wheaten's face. At least this is a good view of his shaved ears.
Anyway, this was a brief glimpse of why groomers cringe when an owner (of any dog breed) says, "Just do what you normally do with this breed." Pet grooming is all about doing what you want, and there is no normal.
And after re-reading this, it amuses me how many of the dogs were matted. That's pretty typical for Wheatens; they have terrible hair that is difficult to maintain, and people tend to wait too long in between grooms.
So this was my Wheaten slide show. I'm working on a blog piece about Doodles for the near future, I'm just stockpiling pictures. As always, thanks for reading and feel free to comment!
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