The Art of Trimming
Basic Trimming Ideas & Skills
Owning a breed such as
the Siberian which never is to be trimmed except for the feet
and perhaps whiskers I had not delved into the intricacies of
trimming or shaping a dog until required to assist others with
breeds that necessitate such arts.
Now, as a hairdresser with
over 30 years experience, this was relatively easy to accomplish.
Just show me the picture and I will do it for you. That's what
thousands of clients have requested over the years and it is second
nature. As long as you have the vital techniques then all can
be achieved.
It really doesn't matter
what breed of dog you are trimming or sculpting a shape into,
you just need some basic guidelines.
Firstly, the eye can deceive. Experience can make an eye but for
the novice that hardly helps. I often see steps and stairs chopped
into coats that need not have been. I often see shapes that are
not correct and shapes that do nothing for the dog but were taught
by some well meaning mentor whose dog had perhaps different requirements.
Firstly acquire a picture
of the ideal dog of your breed that makes your heart sing. Then
pin it up to wherever you are working and study the elements of
this shape and what is has done for that dog. Has it served to
shorten a back that requires shortening? Has it carved a tuck-up
when previously there wasn't enough? Has it allowed a visual line
to be given attention, to indicate elegance and flow? Has it lengthened
a neck? Has it given the illusion of hiding sickle hocks? Okay,
so you get my drift.
Now, my most important message to you all is - it is not what
you cut off but what you leave behind that is important! When
in doubt, stop! don't cut another thing - walk away from it. Come
back to it later and then re-evaluate your shape. Don't cut stuff
off because someone else does it to their dog.
Secondly, purchase a great
pair of thinning shears/scissors. These are to become your new
best friend. This way, you only to get to chop off half of the
coat instead of the whole lot in one go! You only get to make
half a mistake! Our saying in hairdressing apprenticeship days,
was little scissors, small mistakes. Thinning shears give a nice
soft line and allow you to tip toe through the tulips. You can
then go over the line or edge with regular scissors to take the
wisps off. Takes more time, but so does growing a new coat.
Now armed with a good cutting comb with all teeth intact, your
thinning shears, 6 inch scissors (because this is a manageable
size and you can upgrade to a pair of hedge clippers later), dryer,
electric clippers if necessary with attachments and styling products,
you can begin. More about electric clippers another time but I
do have the view that if it was that easy, then we could all whack
a guard on the clippers and run them evenly all over the dog.
That presumes there is a perfect shape underneath.
Let's for the purpose of
the exercise use a Terrier such as a Lakeland where the leg coat
has to fluff out and be trimmed to shape. Blow dry, working up
with the fingers or brush to stand the coat up and outwards.
Now using a SMALL amount of Plush
Puppy Sit N Stay, warm between the hands and lightly apply
by running the hands and fingers through the coat and brush again.
This helps the coat to stay where you want it. Now evaluate where
the coat has to come off. For instance, if the leg seems to be
too far forward, then cut more hair off the front and less off
the back .
Stand well back and move the thinning scissors along the visual
guideline you have estimated. I am assuming you have the dog secured
in a neck and a belly noose to prevent him jumping all over the
table whilst you do this. Now stand at the front of the dog and
if he is too wide in front, then you remove the hair closer at
the outer edges than the inner edges. Round all four sections
off into one nice shape. Take the wisps off with your scissors.
If he is out at the elbows in front view, then trim closer at
the top of the leg and leave more at the bottom.
Truly, some dogs I have
seen are great haircuts. It is up to the judges to evaluate with
their hands and watch the movement to grade the dogs. Makes you
spit doesn't it when they then change the order on the stack?
Flowing coats need to be dried straight and smooth with either
Plush Puppy Blow Dry Cream
or Plush Puppy Swishy
Coat or both. The Swishy
Coat gets rid of the wave in the coat and the
Blow Dry Cream flattens out a boofy coat
and allows the brush to glide through the tangles. If you need
to do both, then use both. Then trim.
I like the flowing lines
of elegance the pro groomer/handlers achieve with Setters. This
wonderful curving line that arcs from the chest right through
to the tip of the tail. Get a copy of a recent Canine Chronicle
(U.S.A.) and check out the beautiful color pictures of some of these
great dogs' hairdo's.
Make sure you do all this
trimming thing well before a show - like a week. Then you get
to re-evaluate the job you have done again when you bath and dry
for the big day.
Lastly, remember it our
quest to present to our very best on the day. It is not our quest
to present a poor specimen and doll him up to fool everyone, including
ourselves. Your job is made easier if you start with a good dog
but it is permissible and would be remiss if we didn't tweak him
just a little.
CHERYL LECOURT
