I Want My Dog to Look Just Like J.R.

Posted on Nov 10 in Small Dog Groomingby Jeff K.Print

The other day a woman walked into our grooming shop with her dog and said “You know that cute little dog that won Westminster a few years ago—the one that waved his paws in victory? I want my dog to look just like him.”
I looked at her dog and did see evidence of a Bichon Frise. Apparently a Dachshund and perhaps a little Pug had also moved in on the family lineage. There were balding spots on his left and right rear haunches where he had chewed away the fur. His muzzle was stained reddish-brown from enjoying many meals of moist food. His coarse coat was, at best, about an inch long in most places and a quarter inch in others.

Nothing short of a miracle would work to turn this dog into J.R., a Bichon Frise that won Best in Show, to which my customer was referring. As it was, we were fresh out of miracles, having used the last one to survive a drive through Atlanta traffic. Miracles not withstanding, our customer’s dog did emerge from our shop looking a whole lot better, and I will tell you how we did it at the end of this story. For now, let’s look at your dog.

What makes your dog look good? Anything you think makes your dog look good, makes your dog look good. Here is a secret: your dog could not care less about looks. If dogs had a sense of the aesthetic, my own would have rejected me at first sight. The harsh reality is, your dog would prefer nothing more than to run outside and roll in stinky stuff until he/she looks like the Swamp Thing. It is not that your dog wants to look organic, he or she just wants to smell organic—to blend in with nature. Your dog knows that if he smells like Chanel No. 5, he has zero chance of surprising a squirrel during a hunt.

“Hey Ralph. Here comes that stupid dog again.”

“I don’t see anything. How can you tell?”

“I can smell his cologne from half a mile away. Let’s head up this oak.”

Your dog, being the savage lap warmer he is, would sacrifice good looks for a natural aroma any day. A good looking dog, therefore, is in the eye of the human beholder.

Working together, we can bring out the best in your dog’s appearance. The key word in that last sentence is “together.” We believe a good groomer should listen carefully to her customer. We insist that our groomers follow your directions carefully. When hiring new people, we have taken a pass on very technically skilled groomers who did not appear to listen, or who could not translate our directions into the desired results. Which is not to say a groomer should blindly agree with everything you say under all circumstances. For example, if you ask one of our groomers to trim your Dalmation so it looks like a Old English Sheepdog, that groomer will politely offer an alternative—such as: “I know a breeder in town who is offering pre-owned Sheepdogs at a deep discount, and you might get an extra good deal if you offer that Dalmation in trade. Now come over here and lie down. I’ll get a cool washcloth for your forehead.” Your groomer does not necessarily need to be a “yes-man,” but if your current groomer stubbornly does what she wants to do, not what you want her to do, you are not working with a good groomer. (There is more silliness on this subject in an article titled “The Care and Feeding of Groomers in the Wild.”)

That is the communication piece of the equation. Now, what to do with the dog’s coat? First, follow the Hippocratic Oath and do no harm. Dogs that are miserable in the heat due to a coat that is kept very full, or dogs that are miserable in the cold due to a coat that is cut too short, are both examples of dogs suffering for good taste. Let’s adjust that coat length for your dog’s comfort. Even here we need to be careful. When shortening a dog’s coat it pays to remember that fur is a dog’s protection against the sun’s harmful rays.

Next, try to preserve your dog’s best features. That job may be fairly easy if your dog is a purebred and you want us to groom according to the breed standard. Bear in mind that some breeds standards include a range of coat styles; and, since it’s your dog, you are not obligated to the breed standard. Our own Kelsey is a mixed breed, so there is no standard style for her. She is not a show dog but she will stop traffic, which I am assuming is a good thing. (Lady Chablis also stops traffic, so, you be the judge.) When we put trimming razor to Kelsey, our first priority is to not remove anything that makes her look good, which, of course is whatever we think looks good. For example, we like to frame Kelsey’s almond eyes by carefully trimming the fur around them. The whole time we are making these choices, we keep in mind the difference between what we want and what we have to work with in terms of coat length and texture. Grooming will also not change your dog’s weight, height, or overall body shape. As the Rolling Stones say: “You can’t always get what you want.”

Purebred or mixed breed, a dog’s coat condition will usually influence the style. Let’s say your dog has a naturally full coat that you want to preserve. A little off here, little off there, and bada-bing, it’s time to put little Phoo Phoo on the cover of Dog Fancy Magazine. Oh, that four by eight inch mat of fur on his left leg with the mud and twigs sticking out of it? That little thing? Can’t we just comb that out and keep the full coat? Maybe in Wonderland, but not here. Sometimes the world just ain’t fair. There are going to be times when your dog’s desire to roll in mud trumps your desire for grooming perfection. Fear not. There is a lot we can do to remove mats and other nasty areas of your dog’s fur while still leaving a smooth and finished coat.

Speaking of which, let’s get back to the customer and her dog at the beginning of this story. Once we got past the whole Westminster thing, we agreed that the best approach for her dog would be to essentially reset his coat. We did that by giving him a short kennel cut, bringing the fuller portions of his coat even with the low spots in his coat. We removed those stains on his muzzle. Our long-term plan was to let his coat lengthen, gently trimming it over the coming months to keep it even, until it was long enough to shape. Our customer’s job over that period was to keep the coat well combed between appointments, and work with her veterinarian to address the itchy spots where her dog had been chewing. The ultimate goal was not to build the American Kennel Club’s definition of a champion. The goal was to help her dog feel better and shine brightly in his owner’s eyes.

To summarize, when deciding how you want your dog groomed, please be realistic. Look carefully at your dog—without the rose colored glasses—and work with what is there. Whether purebred or mixed breed, you always have a range of choices, so take the time to pick one that pleases you, while keeping your dog’s comfort in mind. If you also take the time to communicate carefully with your groomer, being very specific, while remaining open to suggestions, you should leave the grooming shop with a happy, comfortable dog sporting a haircut that looks great.

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