My Grooming Blueprint
by Jess Rona
Tips and tricks to make every dog gorgeous
After 20 (ish) years of grooming dogs, dozens of seminars, and a lot of standing awkwardly close to groomers during competition, I finally have a grasp on what I feel will bring out the glory in each dog.
*Before you barge into my DMs, I want to mention that my blueprint may not work for every dog.
This is meant for your everyday low-maintenance pet trims. We all know that big poodle with a tiny head, or that roach-backed Havanese with three legs, or that Bichon shaped like a grain of rice (my dog). So take this blueprint as more of a guide but also listen to everything I say and let me tell you how to live your life.
It’s also suuuper hard to explain this stuff in a written blog post. It’s much easier to show, but since you’re there, and I’m here, we gotta just work with what we’ve got.
Before we start, here’s a photo of me and my dads:
K here we go:
Have a level top line.
This means when you’re looking at the dog’s profile (from the side), the dog’s back should be level and straight. This sometimes means that if you’ve done a #0 on the back, you may have to do a #2 above the hips to level it out. Also the tail is an extension of the top line, so keep that shit level. Here’s a photo of a gorgeous dog with a level top line groomed by Irina Pinkusevich (Pina) one of my favorite groomers:
Note: the further back the back of the neck goes, the shorter the top line. Keep this in mind when you have a dog that has a really long back.
Things to keep in mind when deciding on how much neck/coat to leave:
How often does the owner come in? Does this dog have a super soft coat that gets matted easily? Will the owner brush their dog? When is Jess Rona’s birthday cause I want to send her something?
Chest Hits the Elbow
This is a rule I follow with my pet trims to not only to keep the dogs tidy, but if the chest is too low, the dog looks like me in high school: short legged and frumpy. This is really important for Shih Tzus or dogs who are low to the ground. So many cute haircuts are ruined by dumpy or choppy chests. *There is a cowlick on every dog that swirls on their chest, when you’re trimming a drop coat, point your clippers in the direction of the cowlick (inward from the front arms) so it’s smooth, and tidy with thinning shears.
Note:while you’re working on the face, have your dog sit so you can tidy up the chest with thinning shears and don’t be like your friend’s mom Patty and forget those armpit hairs.
Parallel lines straight down from the shoulders/hips
When you’re looking at the dog from the front or the back, there should be straight lines down to the floor from the shoulders and the hips. Skim down with your clippers, fluff up the coat, do it again and then tidy.
Cylindrical Front Legs
When doing a pet trim on curly coated dogs, I hold the dog’s paw, comb everything up with the wide side of my Utsumi 1/2 moon comb, spray a mist of scissoring spray, shake it out, tidy with my chunkers, kiss them, tell them they’re pretty, ask their opinion on my outfit of the day.
For drop coats, I usually just comb down to tidy and use thinning shears.
*I’ve learned that every groomer uses different tools and techniques, but as long as the goal of cylindrical front legs is met, DO YOU, baby.
Tidy Round Feet with Bevels
A good bevel makes me feel feelings I didn’t know I had. I explain a bevel by comparing it to the letter “U”. No one wants heavy fluffy feet that drag on the ground. Bevel that shit. I’m not saying go tight on the feet, I am saying get the floof off the floor.
Rear Angulation
Rear angulation not only shortens the body on dogs to balance them, but it also gives the dog shape, elegance and a cute booty. Learn about it, study the angles and play with it. Owners mostly notice the face and the rear, so make them cute. Also learn how to properly stack a dog so you can get a proper finish. I learned by competing, and asking competition groomers.
Round, blended face with ears and tail to match
- Going with the grain blends
- Going against the grain creates shape
- for Asian Fusion styles, use a comb and brush to fluff up hair on top of the muzzle away from the nose when you do your stretch dry — your finish will be crisper. Use thinning shears or curves to shape the top of the muzzle.
- Almost always leave the front of the ears to give a softer look around the face. And if you do take off this hair, go with the grain and use thinners.
- I always take my thinning shears and go with the grain under the jawline and blend into the cheeks for a round face.
- The nose is the center of an oval/circle or heart shape. Play with this and train your eye to view faces this way.
- Imagine you can take the ears completely off the dog. fluff everything up and have clean round lines.
- Taking off the hair on the outer sides of the eyes (like a Bichon) on all breeds (while saving the lashes for fun) opens the expression and owners love it.
- Be aware of cowlicks: chest/rear/sides of neck/behind front arms, and try to go with the grain of the hair whenever you can.
- Have a light hand and be tidy with the sanitary. I use a #15 on my cordless (dogs lay on their back when they’re at home, so you want it to be pretty and blended — not bald)
- Trim the hair that hangs over the lips under the nose (I use thinning shears or my mini Bravura)
- Unless you’re doing a shave-down, stop at the last rib and blend the tuck up (I use chunkers or thinning shears for this). And even if you’re doing a shave down, make sure your clipper work is on point, and the tuck up and feet are tidy.
- Learn to train your eye to see the profile of what you’re grooming, and learn about balance and structure. There are great references in the IPG book and online on structure and balance, and Irina Pinkusevich (Pina) teaches an amazing structure class at trade shows. Take that shit.
- Watch the open level competitors (pay attention to their dog handling, products/tools, and body positions when they groom)
- Picture a bright light behind your dog backlighting it so you just see a silhouette/outline of what you’re doing. This will help you see the lines and shapes you’re creating.
Save that high pitched talk for your baby daddy.
Dogs are energy readers. They need you to be confident, chill, & respectful. How many times do you get irritated when a dog doesn’t do what you want? Take a deep breath and find a way to communicate with this beast that they are seen, you are grateful to them for letting you groom them, you know they hate this process and you are going to to everything you can to make it as painless of a process as possible.
References
