By Dawn Omboy
Over the years I have always done modified grooming. It conforms to the dog and comes from my heart, head and hands.
There is no right or wrong way to these styles as it is the job of the groomer to bring out the best in every pet and make the owner smile with delight when they see what we have been able to create with their beloved pet. A style should be created that is not only a joy to behold but also one that is easy for the owner to maintain. Modified Grooming is a combination of retro and modern styles from around the world, with or without the addition of color products which can enhance any groom.
The groom today started as a trim I learned from Riza Wisnom, author of Asian Freestyle Dog Grooming, with my own twist to it. This is yet another version of the Diaper trim, but this time we are keeping the pants up with the addition of crossed suspenders carved from the dog’s own hair.
I began by using my airbrush machine and temporary ink to draw a big X on the dog’s back from the shoulders to the point where his shorts will begin to give me a guideline where to make my cuts.
Fig 1) Use a 7f blade to remove the hair on either side of the lines, leaving the suspender straps about an inch or so wide. You can adjust this depending on the size of the dog. Clip out the neck area into a V and continue it around to the front of the dog’s chest, leaving a band that looks like the suspenders straps are joined together.
Fig 2) Trim the area under the strap line close and continue the close clip between the front legs and about an inch or so on the top of the legs. From there you will be able to gradually make the legs fuller the lower you go towards the foot, leaving a nice teddy bear style leg.
Fig 3) For the pants, use your scissors to make a cut above the knee where you want the pants to stop and the legs to start. To make them even on both sides, hold your shear from the point of your first cut over to the other leg, this way you can see a straight line and know where you’ll need to cut on the other leg.
Fig 4) Next, measure the back of the front legs to make sure that your pants are the same length at the front and back of the legs.
Fig 5) Clean up your Lines by using your clipper on the 40 setting and place it flat against the skin and pull it slightly towards you. This will give you nice clean lines, really defining the work.
Fig 6) To make the suspenders look like they are crossed in the center, use your scissors make one line shorter at the center so that it appears to be going under the other one.
Fig 7) Trim and scissor to neaten the trim with Asian Teddy legs. Don’t leave the shorts too fluffy or your dog may look like he needs a diaper change.
An adorable way to finish this up is to use buttons that are on rubber bands like bows, and place them on the pants where they join the suspenders.
My client absolutely loved this design and Kovu wears it well. ✂
Making the World more Colorful, one dog at a time… Queen of Color.
Go to www.queenofcolor.com or visit me on Facebook.