[chickennugget]

Hi all! New to this community but very excited to be here.

I have a 5-month old toy poodle and am pretty committed to home-grooming, and I'd love to hear some perspectives from you all! I want her to look somewhat like this, but with slightly shorter hair on body/legs:

At this point I've gotten some basics down but the area I'm most unsure of is the technique around the face:

What do you recommend for getting such a clean, open look around the eyes while keeping the rest of the face floofy? I have heard of scooping before is that what I should be doing?

The mouth area of the poodle pictured looks like it's trimmed to where the lip is and kind of looks cute and smile-y and clean (lol sorry I don't know how else to describe it). How is this done? My girl's hair around the lips seems to bend with the curve of the lips, almost like it's combed back towards her head if that makes sense.

Also, is the dog pictured here a puppy? The hairs on the legs look so straight/wavy.

I'm open to any additional tips + recommendations you all have for how to achieve this type of look!! Thanks in advance

 

[Raindrops]

I'm not an expert at this look because my dog has always had a clean face, but my guess is that the dog is a puppy because of the coat. I believe you are right about the scooping of the eyes. You want to take the clipper in at the corner of the eye and scoop outwards to clear the area of vision. For the muzzle, I think everything has just been scissored neat around the lip line. It probably looks clean because the groom was just done. It's quite hard to keep a furry face truly clean in between grooms because they tend to get wet when the dog drinks. So that would be my words of caution if you're looking for this look. It probably requires daily maintenance to keep it looking fresh and clean. In regard to how the fur grows, dogs are individuals and it's hard to say without seeing a photo of your dog. When dogs are groomed the coats are typically blown straight so they may settle differently if allowed to dry more naturally.

 

[chickennugget]

I'm not an expert at this look because my dog has always had a clean face, but my guess is that the dog is a puppy because of the coat. I believe you are right about the scooping of the eyes. You want to take the clipper in at the corner of the eye and scoop outwards to clear the area of vision. For the muzzle, I think everything has just been scissored neat around the lip line. It probably looks clean because the groom was just done. It's quite hard to keep a furry face truly clean in between grooms because they tend to get wet when the dog drinks. So that would be my words of caution if you're looking for this look. It probably requires daily maintenance to keep it looking fresh and clean. In regard to how the fur grows, dogs are individuals and it's hard to say without seeing a photo of your dog. When dogs are groomed the coats are typically blown straight so they may settle differently if allowed to dry more naturally.

Thanks so much for the info and how-to on scooping. Do you have any recommendations for doing this with smaller pups? I currently have a Wahl Bravura and I'm a little intimidated since it's so big and clunky compared to the size of her face haha.

Good to know about the muzzle. My girl is a total dunker with the water so she probably wouldn't maintain the fresh-groomed straight look around the mouth for very long.

 

[twyla]

You need a smaller trimmer I have a an Aesculap Exacta, I love it it seems pricey but I went through more than a few peanut trimmers so totally worth the price, I have a goatee on my boy Leonard

This go around I have gone with a Colonel Sander's goatee

 

[chickennugget]

You need a smaller trimmer I have a an Aesculap Exacta, I love it it seems pricey but I went through more than a few peanut trimmers so totally worth the price, I have a goatee on my boy Leonard
This go around I have gone with a Colonel Sander's goatee

Omg this is so fun!! Haha I love it "Colonel Sanders goatee". Thank you, I'll look into that trimmer I always think it's worth paying more for good quality products. Does it come with or have attachable combs (I hope that's the right term) to increase the length by any chance?

 

[twyla]

It has two attachment combs, I never use them so I couldn't tell you lengths unless I dug them out.
Leonard is my first boy and first poodle I have maintained facial hair on for a long period of time, I normally like a clean face, but that little goatee makes me smile.

 

[curlflooffan]

You need a smaller trimmer I have a an Aesculap Exacta, I love it it seems pricey but I went through more than a few peanut trimmers so totally worth the price, I have a goatee on my boy Leonard View attachment 470378
This go around I have gone with a Colonel Sander's goatee

How do you like the AESCULAP? In american forums I always see andis and wahl recommended but here in Europe the AESCULAP is also popular. Im trying to choose between the three brands.

 

[twyla]

How do you like the AESCULAP? In american forums I always see andis and wahl recommended but here in Europe the AESCULAP is also popular. Im trying to choose between the three brands.

It was recommended to me on a grooming forum, it is absolutely lovely. I have an Andis AGC2 full sized corded clipper that was just too big for my little guy I can get those tiny toes and little face trimmed nicely