# How long is too long?



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Someone asked me to tell them "how long was too long" for Kodi's "puppy cut". I said I'd report back when we got there. I can definitively tell you that 5" is too long. Up until now, I've been able to go for a week between comb-outs with only the TEENIEST number of tiny knots (not really mats to be found in his coat. I pushed it too far this time. It has been a week since I combed him and I was horrified to find real mats. That I couldn't feel patting him, but I sure was able to find with a comb!!!

After a thorough, slow de-matting session which included cutting some out, since it was TOTALLY my fault, it was time for a haircut. But as promised, I did measure him, and it was just about 5" long. 

I thought you might be interested in this progression of photos (mistakes and all)

The first one was the day I clipped him 1/9/20, the second was after he'd had a couple of weeks to grow out and I'd smoothed out some rough edges. It looked a lot better! 

Then on March 24th, I decided to just trim up his face, because his body still looked cute, and he still wasn't matting at all. The third photo was the result.

The last picture is today. Not my best job, but not my worst. I think he'd had it with all the pre-grooming to remove mats. I also had a problem because I broke the comb/guard for the length I like to cut him, so had to use the next length down. So he's shorter than I like to do him. Oh well, if there is one thing I've learned in all of this... Hair grows!

(and I STILL think he looks better than a lot of the hair cuts I've seen people pay for! LOL!)

The next Photo was yesterday, just before I clipped him again. That's 5". And he got matted at that length. But that's FOUR months! Obviously I pushed it too far, but now I know. If I put it on the calendar, and do him at 3 months, I think I can keep him looking cute, AND keep the work to a minimum for both of us.

Oh, and P.S... You can sure see his Belton markings more when his hair is this short!!!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Thanks Karen for keeping us informed on how the hair length is working for Kodi. He looks adorable in all the pictures. I have been letting Mia grow longer just to see what would happen which I usually do not do especially in peak tick season. However, I wanted to see if the longer hair would deter the ticks or at least buy me time to find them. She is starting to look like a huge puff ball and I fear she will start matting soon so I think I will take her down a bit. I started with her head today and got a little carried away so right now she looks like she has a pin head!!!! I hope to trim the body up tomorrow to go with the head! But as you say...hair grows! She always seems to be a work in progress too!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> Thanks Karen for keeping us informed on how the hair length is working for Kodi. He looks adorable in all the pictures. I have been letting Mia grow longer just to see what would happen which I usually do not do especially in peak tick season. However, I wanted to see if the longer hair would deter the ticks or at least buy me time to find them. She is starting to look like a huge puff ball and I fear she will start matting soon so I think I will take her down a bit. I started with her head today and got a little carried away so right now she looks like she has a pin head!!!! I hope to trim the body up tomorrow to go with the head! But as you say...hair grows! She always seems to be a work in progress too!


Lol! I did the opposite... I did his body the first night and his head the next day, and in between we were calling him the bobble head dog!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> Lol! I did the opposite... I did his body the first night and his head the next day, and in between we were calling him the bobble head dog!


That is hilarious!!!! I typically do the head first...maybe I should switch things up next time!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> That is hilarious!!!! I typically do the head first...maybe I should switch things up next time!


You get so much hair off and it's so much less "fussy work" to get the body done. Usually, I like to finish him in one sitting, but it wasn't happening this time! LOL!


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

He looks as handsome as ever. :smile2:


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

For Perry (and my sanity) because his hair is so kinky (and because he HATES his front legs/ feet being brushed!) I tend to do him on the shortest guide and not go more than 8 weeks max between clippings.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> For Perry (and my sanity) because his hair is so kinky (and because he HATES his front legs/ feet being brushed!) I tend to do him on the shortest guide and not go more than 8 weeks max between clippings.


I think the sanity of dog and owner are important considerations when determining what length is best for your dog. I also try to find the best length for Mia that accomplishes that! I also want to be able to groom her myself so that is very important to me.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> For Perry (and my sanity) because his hair is so kinky (and because he HATES his front legs/ feet being brushed!) I tend to do him on the shortest guide and not go more than 8 weeks max between clippings.


This was really an experiment, where I really kept track of length and dates for the first time. Up until now, his dates with the clippers have sort of been, "you look messy" or "you're getting mats", time for a trip to Mommy Cuts! But then someone asked how long his hair got before it started to mat, and I really didn't KNOW how long I could safely let it get... so I decided to experiment. The answer is, "Not this long!" LOL!

Pixel's hair is much different. No more curl, but MUCH finer, with more undercoat. So she mats faster. ...And she tolerates grooming even less, because we do it less. So to keep her looking her best, it normal times, she goes to the groomer every 6-7 weeks. Doing her at home for now, I don't think I'll be able to let her go over 8 weeks without getting into trouble.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I think the sanity of dog and owner are important considerations when determining what length is best for your dog. I also try to find the best length for Mia that accomplishes that! I also want to be able to groom her myself so that is very important to me.


Kodi is patient with me, and I don't mind doing him myself. It's kind of fun. Pixel is such a little squirrel, I'd MUCH rather have my friend, who is a professional do her! The GOOD thing is that since Diane has been doing her for a while, and has taught me a lot, AND has worked with Pixel on staying still(er) I WAS able to do a passable "Covid Cut" on her this last time. So if Diane for some reason stopped doing it, I wouldn't be in the lurch. I COULD do her myself. I just wouldn't want to!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

What I found out from the COVID shut down. For some strange reason Dog Groomers were shut down in Oklahoma, while leaving PetCo grooming open.

Anyway, Patti normally is bathed once a week and groomed every 6 weeks. She was long past her 6 weeks grooming job when the state was Shut Down. I learned with longer hair Patti didn't need to be bathed every week. As long as I combed her once a day or very other day her hair didn't mat and she looked Pretty! She went four weeks without a bath. I did use PawFume once or twice a week to keep her smelling good. It's a grooming and finishing spray.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*sanity*



krandall said:


> Kodi is patient with me, and I don't mind doing him myself. It's kind of fun. Pixel is such a little squirrel, I'd MUCH rather have my friend, who is a professional do her! The GOOD thing is that since Diane has been doing her for a while, and has taught me a lot, AND has worked with Pixel on staying still(er) I WAS able to do a passable "Covid Cut" on her this last time. So if Diane for some reason stopped doing it, I wouldn't be in the lurch. I COULD do her myself. I just wouldn't want to!


For Perry the grooming (cutting) is not stressful at all (though he does get annoyed with how long I take and doesn't really like when I do his butt so he will try to sit down) - the stress comes from brushing/ combing - so we keep the coat short and minimize the amount of combing, especially of the feet (I keep his ears and tail a bit longer because combing those don't bother him much).

I tend to do his body first too - then his head - but do them both in the same day. I can't be bothered to have to clean up the mess 2 days in a row! I do minimize the mess though by doing him out on the patio (points for wireless clippers) - that way I can just sweep the hair into the yard instead of having to try to get it out of the house


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Kodi looks really cute with his short hair cut! He looks like a puppy again. You did such a great job!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Heather's said:


> Kodi looks really cute with his short hair cut! He looks like a puppy again. You did such a great job!


Thanks! This wasn't my best, but it was WAY better than my worst! LOL!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

And lest the "Diva" feel left out... I think it's kind of funny that my dog in show coat is actually the easiest for me to groom! Miss Panda had HER bath today too!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

krandall said:


> And lest the "Diva" feel left out... I think it's kind of funny that my dog in show coat is actually the easiest for me to groom! Miss Panda had HER bath today too!


Oh I just want to pick her up and hug her! Carefully, of course - wouldn't want to mess up her fresh "blow out"


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*grooming at home*



krandall said:


> Kodi is patient with me, and I don't mind doing him myself. It's kind of fun. Pixel is such a little squirrel, I'd MUCH rather have my friend, who is a professional do her! The GOOD thing is that since Diane has been doing her for a while, and has taught me a lot, AND has worked with Pixel on staying still(er) I WAS able to do a passable "Covid Cut" on her this last time. So if Diane for some reason stopped doing it, I wouldn't be in the lurch. I COULD do her myself. I just wouldn't want to!


My Mom used to get her scotty done by a friend/ professional groomer until she (the groomer) had a stroke then Mom did him at home herself for a while. Her friend had him so well trained that Mom could call him up to the kitchen table (he'd jump on the chair then the table) and he's just stand there, without a grooming loop, leash or anything - just stand wonderfully still.

Perry's fine with the grooming loop on, but before I got that I would put him on the table and try to hold the leash still because he'd wander (not trying ot get away, but just couldn't stand still for that long)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> Oh I just want to pick her up and hug her! Carefully, of course - wouldn't want to mess up her fresh "blow out"


LOL! Actually, she doesn't "muss" easily. You put her down, she shakes it out, and looks pretty much the same!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> My Mom used to get her scotty done by a friend/ professional groomer until she (the groomer) had a stroke then Mom did him at home herself for a while. Her friend had him so well trained that Mom could call him up to the kitchen table (he'd jump on the chair then the table) and he's just stand there, without a grooming loop, leash or anything - just stand wonderfully still.
> 
> Perry's fine with the grooming loop on, but before I got that I would put him on the table and try to hold the leash still because he'd wander (not trying ot get away, but just couldn't stand still for that long)


I use the grooming loop when I'm drying Panda, but that's the only time. The rest of the time, she just is loose. She just stays where I put her. She likes being groomed. The other two put up with it, but not without some complaining! LOL!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*Perry*



krandall said:


> I use the grooming loop when I'm drying Panda, but that's the only time. The rest of the time, she just is loose. She just stays where I put her. She likes being groomed. The other two put up with it, but not without some complaining! LOL!


Perry doesn't really complain... but if he's not in his loop he will start sniffing around and wandering around the table . His only complaint, which happens even with the loop, is protesting his butt being clipped - at which point he'll just try to sit down (and I have to hold him up by his tail) - I don't have the body loop, just the neck loop.


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## Jeanniek (Mar 20, 2018)

krandall said:


> Someone asked me to tell them "how long was too long" for Kodi's "puppy cut". I said I'd report back when we got there. I can definitively tell you that 5" is too long. Up until now, I've been able to go for a week between comb-outs with only the TEENIEST number of tiny knots (not really mats to be found in his coat. I pushed it too far this time. It has been a week since I combed him and I was horrified to find real mats. That I couldn't feel patting him, but I sure was able to find with a comb!!!
> 
> After a thorough, slow de-matting session which included cutting some out, since it was TOTALLY my fault, it was time for a haircut. But as promised, I did measure him, and it was just about 5" long. /QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jeanniek said:


> krandall said:
> 
> 
> > Someone asked me to tell them "how long was too long" for Kodi's "puppy cut". I said I'd report back when we got there. I can definitively tell you that 5" is too long. Up until now, I've been able to go for a week between comb-outs with only the TEENIEST number of tiny knots (not really mats to be found in his coat. I pushed it too far this time. It has been a week since I combed him and I was horrified to find real mats. That I couldn't feel patting him, but I sure was able to find with a comb!!!
> ...


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