[MustLoveDogs]

Hi there,

Now that I've tried the FFT, I'm ready to try and trim Cleo's body and legs. She's almost 16 weeks. Her hair is getting very long, and it's hot here!

I have curved scissors, and I have the Wahl Bravura with metal comb attachments. The breeder had advised not to trim a puppy coat less than a 1/2". I think i saw that the beige comb is a 1/2"? But what do I set the trimmer on? If it helps, I used 10 for face and feet, and 9 for under tail (I was nervous about that part!).

I read that I'm supposed to trim vertically, so do i start from the top of her back down, or from her belly up? Is it important to always trim in the same direction? And then with legs, do i start at the ankles and go up? I watched the breeder do the backs of her legs with curved scissors and no trimmer, so i have a sense of how to do that--she started from the top and went down.

I also don't know how much patience Cleo will have for all this! I may have to bathe and clip her one day and then scissor the next, not sure. In some ways i wonder if scissoring all of it will be easier. She's pretty good for brushing, b/c i feed her intermittently and give her things to chew on (she loves a good brush handle...). I don't have a real groom table, but i do have a high enough table, and sometimes i tie her leash to something to keep her from turning around.

All advice welcome! A video would really help, if anyone can point me to something. Most of the ones I've found show a fancy adult clip rather than a straightforward puppy clip.

TIA!

 

[fjm]

I have found the easiest way is to start with the longest comb and go down one comb at a time till you like the length of the coat - less chance of cutting too much off that way. I would look at the manual for your clipper for advice on the best blade setting to use with the combs. I usually start by clipping front to back and top to bottom, taking a curving line around the shoulders and thighs if you plan on keeping the legs rather longer than the body - the Shirlee Kalstone book explains it well.

 

[Asta's Mom]

I do Asta in short sessions over a couple of days. For summer I use a 7 blade on his body. FFT I use the 10 blade. I tried doing him all over the Arco SE (essentially the same as a Bravura) and found the metal combs to be a pain in the butt. The highest setting on the Arco is a 10 and not really appropriate for his body - too short) and I found with my A5 refurbished I had a much wider choice of blades and so much better than the Arco/comb combinations. He really does not trust me with scissors (I cut him once) so I do everything with clippers. It is important to brush before clipping. I brush the hair backwards so it stands up more straight and it is easier to get a uniform cut. Kalstone is a good reference tho some of it seems dated, like how to do the tail properly. You can get the Kalstone book cheap if you buy it used (try Amazon and Ebay)

Others may point you in the right direction for videos. Some of our members have shared their videos and hopefully will answer on this thread.

 

[chinchillafuzzy]

You will have to play around a little to see what works best for you. I think next time I trim Luna I will do a video or at least a time lapse video of it. However that might not be for a month, and adult hair is different than puppy coat.

I would start by using your 1/2” comb (if that is the length you want) and go with the direction of the hair (starting at the back of the head, go down the back towards the tail and down the legs.) You can set your bravura blade to 30 or 40 for this.if it’s not cutting very well, comb the hair in the opposite direction of the way you are clipping then clip over the area again. Then to finish, back comb and use your shears to even it up. The topknot and tail should be handscissored. Good luck! Post pics!

 

[Raindrops]

I used the "start long and go shorter" approach to select the metal comb I wanted. I've been using the purple (3rd longest) comb for the body, and then I just use the longest comb to go over the topknot and ears. I know you're supposed to scissor the tk but I find it is easier and faster to go through it with the trimmer and it looks fine. As he grows I'll no doubt start scissoring more. I've only done two trims, but I haven't tried any fancy shaping. I just do one length over body and legs, and it looks acceptable. My pup is fidgety with the legs, so it's easier to do this for now. I'm more particular with FFT trimming. I'm going to do another trim soon, and I might try shaping the legs a bit more. It's kinda tough with the puppy fur though.

 

[Viking Queen]

Sue Zecco has some very nice poodle grooming videos.

I have done Poppy with the 1/2" comb attachment. I usually use this length in the winter. I set the clipper on the 30 setting and attach the comb. NEVER use a comb over the 40 setting as this will break the blade. Wahl advises not to do this.

In the summer I use the dark purple comb which is the 1/4" length. She plays in the sprinkler, in the mud, anything to get dirty. It's easy to hose her off and let air dry!


On the legs I fluff up the hair by brushing it up then I run the clipper through the hair going down. I follow by fluffing it up again and this time I run the clippers up the leg towards the body. It gets a lot of stragglers this way, especially near elbows and ankles. I fluff leg hair again and scissor all the "stickie outies"

I pretty much do the same thing on the body. Clip from front to tail, then clip down the rib cage to under carriage. Fluff the hair with the brush and clip in the reverse direction. Scissor any "stickie outies".

You get a pretty even cut doing it this way. My groomer says that on a thick coated poodle she usually goes over them 3 times with the clippers, in various directions. She's been grooming for 40 yrs and been doing my kiddos for 26 yrs. This year I started doing Poppy myself.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Raindrops]

Sue Zecco has some very nice poodle grooming videos.

I have done Poppy with the 1/2" comb attachment. I usually use this length in the winter. I set the clipper on the 30 setting and attach the comb. NEVER use a comb over the 40 setting as this will break the blade. Wahl advises not to do this.

In the summer I use the dark purple comb which is the 1/4" length. She plays in the sprinkler, in the mud, anything to get dirty. It's easy to hose her off and let air dry!


On the legs I fluff up the hair by brushing it up then I run the clipper through the hair going down. I follow by fluffing it up again and this time I run the clippers up the leg towards the body. It gets a lot of stragglers this way, especially near elbows and ankles. I fluff leg hair again and scissor all the "stickie outies"

I pretty much do the same thing on the body. Clip from front to tail, then clip down the rib cage to under carriage. Fluff the hair with the brush and clip in the reverse direction. Scissor any "stickie outies".

You get a pretty even cut doing it this way. My groomer says that on a thick coated poodle she usually goes over them 3 times with the clippers, in various directions. She's been grooming for 40 yrs and been doing my kiddos for 26 yrs. This year I started doing Poppy myself.

Good luck and have fun!

From what I've heard the combs for the 5-in-1 blades (that slide on rather than snapping) are fine to use at the 40 setting. The other combs are never supposed to be used on a 40 blade though.

 

[MustLoveDogs]

Thank you all! This is so helpful. I ordered the book many of you mention, too.
I will start with something a little longer than I think I want to end up with, probably the 3/4". I have the 5 in 1, and it does say to set it on the 40 blade when using combs. Some of those combs look like medieval torture devices! It's a little hard to tell in videos, but am I right in thinking I should run the comb parallel to the dog's skin (along the skin, but not touching)? I tried it on my arm, but my arm is not furry, so...hmm.

Also, last time I forgot to brush her out before i bathed her (oops!). I'm a little fuzzy on the order of things, but i assume i should do a full brushing (slicker, pin, comb), then bathe her, then dry with dryer, then brush out again (pin brush and comb, or just comb?), then trim--is that correct?

Thank you!

 

[MustLoveDogs]

Well, I did it! Will post pics in 52 weeks thread. Thank you for all the advice!