Something Special Award November 2009 Winner

Melissa

I asked my groomer for a puppy cut, but what I got wasn’t what I expected.  Can you tell me what a puppy cut is supposed to look like?

A puppy cut is how show poodles under one year of age are groomed.  The face and feet are shaved close and the rest is hand-scissored.  The top knot and neck are left very long, and only scissored enough to produce the correct outline.

If your dog isn’t a poodle, there is no standard “puppy cut,” so everyone has a different idea about how it’s supposed to look.  For some, it’s fairly short all over, like a newborn puppy.  For others, it’s long and fluffy, like a four- or five-month-old puppy, or it might be anywhere in between.

My advice is to just tell your groomer what you want your “puppy” to look like.  Be specific about the length you want, how you’d like the ears and tail trimmed, and what shape you’d like the face – round or broad like a terrier.  A picture may help, but remember that your dog’s coat texture will affect the final outcome.  Your groomer can’t make a Maltese look like an Airedale, after all!