Grooming the schnauzer head and legs p3

[Tulip]

I consider that grooming? Learning about new techniques is all helpful, in my opinion, but sure thing if you just want it to be a Q&A for you.

[Sianny]

Jo, how do you trim the hair around the ears? As in outside edges.

I'm not qualified enough to do the feel and see with the tips of the scissors that the ledgendery Lynda Forsyth does!
What I do right now is clip as close as possible and that leaves a fringe of hair around the ear. Then I snip flat against the ear-flap trying to lift up some hair and snip it so that it leaves a fringe with gaps in instead? If you get me? I've done a diagram, it sort of looks like a hill on fire and like it's been drawn by a 6 year old [laughing] but have a look


Y is what I do
X is what I achieve and I do this on both sides.
and then I can see some ear edge then and I follow the line around.

What do you do? This approach takes me ages, this can't be what they teach in college!

I'm sure this is a problem all us home groomers come across so I look forward to your advice, I will print it off for my grooming tips folder (read)

[stacyr]

Ive just realised Ive got a 7fc for the body - but ive heard people just say 7f whats the difference with the "c".

(I still need to upload the pics of ozzie's underneath - still looking for the wire to connect to the camera - its gone walkabout!)

[Sianny]

Jo, how do you trim the hair around the ears? As in outside edges.

I'm not qualified enough to do the feel and see with the tips of the scissors that the ledgendery Lynda Forsyth does!
What I do right now is clip as close as possible and that leaves a fringe of hair around the ear. Then I snip flat against the ear-flap trying to lift up some hair and snip it so that it leaves a fringe with gaps in instead? If you get me? I've done a diagram, it sort of looks like a hill on fire and like it's been drawn by a 6 year old [laughing] but have a look


Y is what I do
X is what I achieve and I do this on both sides.
and then I can see some ear edge then and I follow the line around.

What do you do? This approach takes me ages, this can't be what they teach in college!

I'm sure this is a problem all us home groomers come across so I look forward to your advice, I will print it off for my grooming tips folder (read)

Jo, Dannie, Elaine, Beth, fellow homegroomers? Your advice is needed because I want to do a maintainence trim on Ralphy soon x

[Tulip]

I hold the ear flat and clip all the way down to the tip on both sides, and then hold the ear from behind and forward and trim along the edge, with my thumb along the rim of the ear to make sure I'm not grazing it with my scissors.

It looks from your piccie like you're not clipping enough off if you trim the ear that's on top of the ear, just make sure you're clipping all the way to the tip, or as close as you can go, and then trim it and neaten along the edge, I wouldn't trim like in your demo as it can leave quite obvious sharp scissor lines. If you feel you can take it off, clip it, and then just neaten along the edges. Worst comes to worst you just have a thicker tip than normal, but at least you don't have ruffly bits on top of the ear. The sides are a knack, I feel, it took me ages to clip that awkward clip perfectly, but now I'm more confident and can do it up to the flap and then I scissor.

Hope that helps my lovely! I'm sure someone with more experience who can explain it better will be along soon, lol!

[Sianny]

Thank you Beth Yes I would definitely appreciate a variety of answers because I'd like to find a way that works but also that I feel comfortable with you know?

[Tulip]

Of course, it takes a long time to become in a comfortable routine of doing your own dogs, it took me forever and a lot of guidance. You're much better than I was at that stage, it took me far longer to 'get it'!

[Caramomo]

First I clip off as much as I possibly can running the clippers over the ear a couple of times and taking it off the edge which removes some of the longer legs. Then I use my thumbnails to find the edge of the leather and cut just shy of that all the way around. I tend to do several smaller cuts rather than one long one and I am of the view of taking a little off at a time until I'm happy I'm as close as I want or can get. I also go with the opinion that so long as the cut is reasonably close but neat and following the ear line I'll leave it like that rather than trying to get it any closer and mucking it up. I am now starting to do it by feel like Linda does and I have found that slow, gentle cuts with well oiled (easy moving), very sharp scissors is essential for this and I only do this on the straight edges, I need a bit more confidence before trying this on the tip!

[dannie_kl]

@stacyr a 7f or 7fc is fine, they are both "finished blades" if you just get a 7 (no f or fc) this is a skip tooth blade and i HATE them!

@sianny sorry i do as linda says! lol its not that hard, just pull all the loose hair out so its sticking out from the ear and if if you do tiny snips hold the ear with a finger one saide and thumb the other so the ear is between the two but up to the edges and trim the hair sticking out. with your thumb and finger placed where I say there shouldnt be any chance of you cutting the ear, maybe your fingers if you are quite unfortjnate but your thumb and finger will act sort of like a guard.

[Caramomo]

And if you angle your fingers so the nails face the scissors, so they look like the nails are pinching the edge of the ear, less chance of cutting fingers too then!

[dannie_kl]

yes that too elaine!

[Sianny]

Thank you guys, is this how they train at college then?

Any input from you Jo? This is your thread after all and you've groomed more schnauzers than I've had hot dinners

[dannie_kl]

yes thats how they taught me at college

[Sianny]

how long was the course?

[dannie_kl]

i went 1 day a week for 2 years but i am no longer a fan of college based learning. If you seriously want some tution on trimming your mini or actually training as a groomer my best advice is save up the pennies and your holiday pay, take 4 weeks off togeter, do a course in a salon (a good one) and go from ther. Of course of its just 1 breeds trimming, ie how to groom your mini still go to a good salon and do a day course or whatever they offer because it is far better than the college course I paid £3000 for the priviledge of!