Prep for Success & Fancy Finishes

This month I wanted to focus on everything that happens before a great haircut begins, as well as the fancy finishing techniques used to set you apart from the pack. That means, the haircut is up to you, but let’s focus on a finish!

Fig 1) The two things needed to get curly hair to straighten out is to apply heat with tension. I personally get more bang for my buck with a handheld hair dryer, but for those of you who prefer stand dryers, that’ll work too. 

Fig 2) Once you have straightened every hair, you should be able to drag a comb through the hair to the skin at a 90-degree angle with no resistance. 

Fig 3) Because this dog gets a short ear style, I will clip everything on the inside of the leather with a #15. I use my hand to create a safe, flat surface to support the ear. 

Fig 4) The anal sanitary is best done with a #10 or #15 blade, working from the outside and away from the sphincter but never crossing over it. 

Fig 5) I am always very fastidious when doing the paw pads, so to make sure that I have them as neat as possible, I use a #10 or #15 blade. 

Fig 6) On larger dogs, I do the belly sanitary by lifting one rear leg at a time and doing one side and then the other.  This makes it easier to scissor in your tuck-up when that time comes. 

Fig 7) Every face that I prep gets a quick zap of the flews. This cuts down on staining, smell and even scissor-finish time while trimming the face. 

Fig 8) I pick the dog’s foot up to trim, but always return it to the table with their weight on it in order to check my work. 

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Fig 9) Many groomers would call this “done” and it is not bad, but let me show you how I comb up some areas very specifically to be trimmed to a flashy finish. 

Fig 10) I comb everything straight down to trim the underline and set the line. 

Fig 11) Next, I drag the underline straight back and re-trim the line. Then I repeat this step, but drag all the hair forward on the underline. 

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Fig 12) Then I comb the muzzle hair straight up with the comb running the length of the muzzle and the tines at a 90-degree angle. 

Fig 13) I comb and scissor upwards on the legs for a plushier finish. 

Fig 14) I then retrieve all my set lines after these extreme ways of fluffing and exposing missed hairs. 

Fig 15) Gently, I hold the tip of the ear and fluff every last hair on the outside of the leather to better trim a structured finish over the ear set. 

Fig 16) For doodles, I like to mist their body coat with a conditioning spray and brush their waves back in. 

All done!