Advice needed for grooming Standard Schnauzer

Graco22 · 05-08-2008, 10:09 PM

The Andis 2 speeds are great clippers. They will work just great for you.

I can't wait to see how you do on the next groom. You will get better and better each time. You did a great job for the first time though. You should be proud.

crazydays · 05-09-2008, 06:43 AM

Thanks for all your support! In theory I agree that striping is the way to go-especially for show dogs. I made the decision years ago that we would have her clipped because- she is so active..like it short..easier to manage..she isn't a show dog. I do love the striped coat. It makes the Standard Schnauzer look rugged and confident and strong. My wiggles is just wiggles( Cags)-sweet, sensitive and very active!! She keeps up no problem with my Eng Springer. At the dog park she chases and herds all the larger breed dogs. She needs a manageable coat. Graco- I am considering the eyebrow suggestion. They do look intriguing and "sexy" with long eyebrows. I have always seen Cags beautiful eyes-love her expression...not sure I want to hide them.

Once again-thanks! You guys have helped immensely!

Graco22 · 05-10-2008, 05:51 PM

I understand your thoughts on her eyebrows.

If done correctly, you can still see the eyes very well even with eyebrows. I am not a fan of hugely long brows like we are seeing in the show ring now though...its just too much. lol They are dogs...lol

crazydays · 05-11-2008, 07:14 PM

Hey Graco. Thought you might like to see Cagneys littermate "Sydney". My best friend owns her so they are good friends. From early on Syd was groomed with the long eyebrows and she is gorgeous. We always kept Cags with the shorter ones. I love Syd...it seems to be her style. She is a no nonsense dog!!! I think she has the eyebrows you talked about.

The photo doesn't do Cags justice. My Springer pup was playing with the Girlz!!

Thanks for everything.

Graco22 · 05-11-2008, 07:48 PM

Aww, she's cute. Those are some serious eyebrows though..that is not "correct" though and I can see why you don't want that look..you can't see her eyes at all. The eyebrows should be trimmed at an angle from the nose to the outside corner of the eye, very short at the outside corner. It looks like they were having a blast playing! Here is a good website that shows good pics of nice eyebrows, where you can still see the eyes. I take most of my pet schn. a bit shorter than these pics, especially the outside corners. I am posted a pic of some sch. I found online (I didn't groom those dogs) where they are in pet cuts with schn. brows. Hopefully I can post a pic..never done it here before.

crazydays · 05-12-2008, 08:35 AM

Syd has always been a bit outrageous but she is so darn cute!
I am going to start grooming Cagneys eyebrows to be like the photos you have. Her eyelashes are very long. From the photo it looks as though the eyebrows are about the same length as the eyelashes.
She has always had the same look so something new might be really fun! Good thing about hair is it grows back!!!

Graco22 · 05-12-2008, 05:46 PM

I love to do new things too. LOL My poor standard poodle will have had every poodle trim on him by the time he is old. He is in continental right now, and that is TONS of hair..I am going to do a German trim next I think..but its going to take awhile to grow that in. Like you said, its only hair, and it grows back pretty fast..Sometimes faster than we want it to! LOL

crazydays · 05-19-2008, 06:57 PM

Hey Graco!! I got bold and tried to cut Cags eyebrows. She actually got comments on her eyebrows!! I love her new look but, I need pointers. They look like a "ledge" abover her eyes. Do you use thinning shears to take away the thickness??? The second shot tells me when I get the clippers out I need to blend better. Would the thinning shears be better to use?

Graco22 · 05-19-2008, 11:30 PM

Awesome job on her brows!!! They aren't too thick, but you need to take them tighter at the outside corner of the eye. They should be very tight there, and you can shorten them some more if you want them shorter/tighter. It looks like you have a good angle on them. It would be easier to tell if you have a straight on shot of her head also. If you want them thinner, use the thinning shears, but keep in mind that if you thin them out, they may stick up, etc. because its the weight of the hair that helps them hold the shape. You definitly can go tighter on the outside corners, and I think that may help "soften" the look for you too, and expose more of her eye too, without losing the eyebrow effect. And for blending, its always easier to use thinners rather than clippers. I can see in the close up pic too, that you can tidy the beard line also. Outside corner of eye to the mole with the whiskers poking out of it on the cheek. I am sure it has an actual name..lol but I don't know it, sorry. The beard is too far back on the lower jaw/lower cheek area. You can move that up to that mole. It takes practice, but if you use your 7F in reverse on the cheeks, you can tidy all that very well. Also, you can slide the 7F in reverse UNDER the beard hair just a tiny tad, and that will tidy that line for you, and you won't need to use thinners to blend in, you will have a nice defined line there for the beard. I tried to draw the lines on your photo, but I am not good at straight lines with a mouse..lol But maybe you can get the idea of what I am saying. The pic was taken at a bit of an angle, so the beard line looks a little off but you can see what I mean about taking more off the lower cheek/jaw there. The lines where the beard meets the cheeks should be super short/tight, like a reverse 7F or a #10 (though I prefer the reverse 7F cause you don't get the clipper lines and irritation either). Does that help any? You did do a great job getting the shape of those brows though! Great job. She looks just fabulous!

crazydays · 05-20-2008, 06:19 AM

Thanks Graco. I will definitely work on her beard too. I think I get what you were saying. I have the 7F blade so I will give it a try. I attached a photo that was more head on. The photo head on didn't really show her eyebrows well but you can see her eys..love seeing her eyes! Thanx again for all your suggestions.

Graco22 · 05-20-2008, 08:33 AM

Aww..she is darn cute! Looks really good from the front view too. Like I said before, I would just tighten the outside corners, and keep the shape you have, you did a great job on the shape. I can see from this angle too that you can clean up the inside of the ears alot too. I usually use a #40 blade, but a #30 will work too, or a #10 if you don't have the 30 or 40. Its a cleaner look with the shorter blades. You can shave the entire inside of the ear out, and a tiny bit at the base of the ear too, and that will clean those lines up. Just take the blade and start in the middle of the ear, and go straight out over the edges in a perpendicular angle. You don't want to take the blade up the ear leather, but instead across it. That also helps you not have to scissor up so much on the edge afterwards. I am not good at explaining, its so much easier to show someone..lol I hope you get what I am saying? You are doing a great job on her though. Keep up the good work.