Harsh Groom - please help!

[Lou38]

Hi All,

Hope everyone is well - been a while since I've been on.

Fudge and I have been doing really well - she is 13 months old now.

Yesterday I took her for a groom - it was a new groomers as she kept getting problems with her skin with the last one. Generally I like the scruffy look so she's been having puppy cuts so her hair is kept quite long. This time I asked the groomer to give her a bit more shape - make her look more traditional but not too harsh. Anyway I picked her up and I was in shock. They have shaved the hair on her head so short you can see her skin through it. They've cut the hair leading up to her eyes on her nose short when I'd been trying to grow it so the weight of it holds it down. She looks so different and I'm devastated. She is still my cute girl underneath but I'm so upset. I know there are worse things in life but its reduced me to tears - ridiculous I know!!

Can someone please reassure me I can grow this out again and have the original look back? How long will this take? Some people say up to 6 months but I really hope not.

I love her and its the dog underneath that counts but I really dislike what they've done. I have complained but its not exactly going to help get her fur back.

xxx

[Robin black mini]

I'm sorry for you and your dog..a bad groom is like a bad haircut..we know it will regrow but in the meantime you have to live with the look and its personal.
I think your dog will look back to normal in around three months,( body) nd up to six for the beard.
In the meantime ,you say the dog has had skin issues...why not think about coming over the the stripping side?
A stripped coat is a healthier option and if you do it at home you can choose how short you go and how long you want to let the dog grow out between strips.

[Lou38]

Thankyou Jo! Didn't know it would make me feel this awful to be honest - she's my pride and joy!

Its the hair on the outside of the ears I'm worried about - just because her ears stick up without the weight of it - does that take as long as the beard to grow do you know?

Her beard is left long but they've shaved it all around the sides of her face and very short all over her neck.

Although it will take 6 months I'm hoping it can only start to look better week by week.

x

[Robin black mini]

Pride and joy..I understand completely,no one has ever touched my dogs since a groomer shaved my Australian sylkie terrier,s ears( a no ,no ) the day before a show..I was gutted and swore I would learn to do the groom myself.That was 45 years ago!
The head and throat will be looking more covered within three weeks...I say this as I do shave these areas (2mm length) and even a week or two later you won't see the skin beneath..it sounds like the groomer has used a 1 mm cut which would account for the bald appearance..lim so glad she has her left beard intact..)you will soon be back to the look you prefer don't worry..
Re the ear covering..I honestly don't support the theory that hair holds the ears down..they either lay flatter or fly a tad..your dog will still look beautiful,just a little different for now.
I strip body and but I do shave ears throat and butt weekly and can assure you the shaved zones really do grow back very fast,so you will soon have your girl back.

[Lou38]

Thanks Jo - you have honestly made me feel so much better! What a disappointment re your dogs ears before a show - so disappointing!

I took her to work on the train today and she had so much attention - people were all over her giving her love, asking what breed she was etc. So it does seem I'm in the minority for prefering the au naturel look!

To be honest I do think I will keep more shape to her - I just don't like the real close shave bits and prefer a bit more fluff without skin showing through!

Makes me feel better it will start to improve within a week or two.

I've booked myself onto a dog grooming course in February. Not taking any more chances. I'm going to get all the kit and do this myself so I will get it exactly how I like it (with practice!). I'll also look into stripping!

Thanks for all the help x

[nickynoo]

My friend had her cocker spaniel groomed recently and was shocked when she picked him up, as he was bald in some areas and untouched in others. Ive pursuaded her to give grooming a try. Our pup is now 7 months old and i have groomed him myself from the start. When he was 10 weeks i took him to a groomer that demonstrated how to strip. She said "you will soon get fed up with it and end up getti g him clipped". Well im not fed up yet. I have watched all the you tube videos and read all i can. Our pup is not yet in a perfect schnauzer trim lol. But its work in progress. I am learning on the job. I do a little at a time, slowly learning the techniques. I was terrified when i got the clippers and started with his butt. I have now done his ears too. I am slowly shaping his eyebrows, a snip here and there. Thats the beauty of home grooming, you can do little and often. It does grow back too thanfully. My current bug bear is mats on the leg hair and armpits (if thats what theyre called). Any tips anyone? His hair seems so soft and wispy on his legs that it taffles do easily. Brushing does not get them out, nor prevent them. Also his beard went brown as he hit his teenage time. I have grown to accept this as i dont think much can be done.

[Robin black mini]

HI nickynoo
I love your post as its so encouraging to the new comers to schnauzer stripping..hair grows back and we were all new to the breed at one time..sharing info helps us all to improve. Ido wonder where the schnauzer show people here are..they could give such wonderful tips.!!
Groomers aren't all breed experienced...the cocker should have its saddle stripped and furnishings trimmed...never clipped.your friend should definitely find a cocker groomer.
As to your questions..
re matting...I've decided to trim the leg furnishings fairly short as we are country based.My dog goes into fields daily and when we get home ,gets slicker brushed to remove the seeds and burrs we collect...if she is damp,she gets a fast Hair dry,then I spray a detangling spray,and the dry is faster and she lives a country life.

The leg furnishings....I bath weekly and use Pantene conditioner every week on the furnishings to keep the skirt and leggings less prone to matting.
I spray a detangling spray when we come in from a walk and take off the harness...especially under the armpits( zones prone to matting) and brush with a slicker..
I cut a false skirt along the underbelly of the dog( pass with a 12mm length clipper)down the midline of the dog...leaving a side skirt to keep the look.

The legs...I use a softer cat slicker to brush on the legs..it is well tolerated and gets the legs mat free..I use it each and every time we come in..minimum twice a day..use the detangling spray under arms at this time..I keep leg hair trimmed shorter..and after the first gulp and "what did I do?" ..guess what ...she still looks great!!


Re The brown leg and beard hair...once a week I run a fine stripping knife through he legs and beard to remove the browned out..old dead hair....from my black dog.....it really helps to keep her colour.prior to this regime ,I had a shiney black,stripped, dog with dull brown legs and beard...

My friend had her cocker spaniel groomed recently and was shocked when she picked him up, as he was bald in some areas and untouched in others. Ive pursuaded her to give grooming a try. Our pup is now 7 months old and i have groomed him myself from the start. When he was 10 weeks i took him to a groomer that demonstrated how to strip. She said "you will soon get fed up with it and end up getti g him clipped". Well im not fed up yet. I have watched all the you tube videos and read all i can. Our pup is not yet in a perfect schnauzer trim lol. But its work in progress. I am learning on the job. I do a little at a time, slowly learning the techniques. I was terrified when i got the clippers and started with his butt. I have now done his ears too. I am slowly shaping his eyebrows, a snip here and there. Thats the beauty of home grooming, you can do little and often. It does grow back too thanfully. My current bug bear is mats on the leg hair and armpits (if thats what theyre called). Any tips anyone? His hair seems so soft and wispy on his legs that it taffles do easily. Brushing does not get them out, nor prevent them. Also his beard went brown as he hit his teenage time. I have grown to accept this as i dont think much can be done.

[Robin black mini]

For anyone following this post,especially newbies..
I strip my dog ( ten to twenty minutes each week)..just the body..

Next day I wash ,dry dog. Then trim eyebrows,leggings,shave head,ears,butt and belly strip.)...takes one hour..
That's my routine...easily doable and you have a stripped dog,always in coat .
For more details..all info on grooming board and Do read the past posts.

[nickynoo]

Thank you Jo. Very helpful as usual. I will follow those tips for sure. Do you mean regular human pantene conditioner and detangling spray? So far ive used just a gentle puppy shampoo. Not sure how effective it is. I am very pleased with the wire on his back, as i never thought it would come as he seemed to have a very soft wavy coat as a pup. From his withers to tail he has lovely thick wiry coat now but not so much on the sides.i do a little every couple of days. I am probably a little too tentative with it still, but hes happy. One day i will post a picture! Herbie still has long tail hair though. It reminds me of a black feather quill, and we are not ready to say goodbye yet, so it gets a little trim.

[Robin black mini]

The shampoo I use is Pantene silk ,but your shampoo ,specifically for pups is fine too..
The conditioner I use is Pantene silk..which really does a good job for the legs and beard...I don't put any on the wire coat.
I use this' spray link below,for detangling..its horse spray for mane and tail..really cheap compared to dog sprays..as with any spray of this type it does contain silicone so should not be used excessively,and a light spray is sufficient.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/mane-coat-s ... 99262.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The wire will come in first on the spine and shoulders,and later on the sides..all coats differ and even the furnishings will be full or sparse depending on the pedigree...my girl from German ,Russian lines has good wire but really sparse leg hair .....Very different to the USA dogs who have masses of leg hair..looks great but definitely less of a wash and wear hair coat.

[Lou38]

Hi Nickynoo,

Well as per my post Fudge is usually quite long haired and the only way I can keep her matt free is by combing through literally every day.

I do it in the evening after her dinner. I use one of those combs with both wide and fine spacing. It seems to keep the tangles at bay!

Back in Summer we went away for 10 days and I left my parents in charge of the dog - I came back and she was a bit of a mess as they hadn't combed her everyday. The matts were terrible - it took me hours to comb through and I had to cut big chunks out. So it does make a difference if you comb every day. Even if I skip one day I notice!

Obviously at the moment being so short haired she is very low maintenance! I think going forward I'm going to aim for something in between the two styles as a middle ground. I'm growing quite fond of her new look now - haha!!

xx

[lj_thorne]

It sounds like you already have such a good relationship with your dog grooming them everyday that I bet you will love learning to groom her !!!! I got so fed up with my groomers clips in the end it pushed me over to grooming my dogs ! Especially as you are paying for a service you should really get what you pay for and she can’t have been matted so no excuse for the groomer there.

I am glad you are getting used to her new look! Perhaps it is just her winter fashion cut ! [emoji6]

[Coz50]

I got fed up of always being disappointed with my schnauzers hair cut. One supposedly excellent groomer who bred and showed schnauzers not only made my dogs paws bleed but she had 2 razor burns on her! I came away thinking 'I can hurt her myself!'
In the end I found a day grooming course and went and trained myself, it probably cost me around £300 for the course and then to buy the clippers, grooming table etc, but I've easily saved that now over three years of grooming 2 schnauzers myself. I may not always give a perfect 'show' cut, but I do get the cuter look I'm after.
It will grow back though, one of mine was really poorly earlier this year and because she kept being sick the vets chopped her beard very short and wonky. She also had lots of shaved patches from drips and scans. Fortunately she made a full recovery and it wasn't too long before her hair grew back to normal again.
It's not that hard to do though so I'd definitely advise grooming yourself.