In my experience as a pet groomer I have learned how to speak the language of groomers and interpret my clients needs and desires.  I sympathize with a lot of pet owners and groomers who have a hard time understanding each other because of the various terms and usage of words in the grooming world. I have defined here some of the language of the dog grooming world in order to facilitate effective communication on both sides. 

There is a big difference between dropping your dog off for a generic haircut and bath, and a beautiful, made- to- order, fancy haircut. You won’t get the haircut you want if you don’t know how to communicate that to your groomer. Sometimes there is confusion and disappointment when pet owners ask for certain types of cuts from their groomer and it comes out not looking like what they wanted. It’s a good idea to build a relationship with your dog groomer and talk and ask all your questions so you both understand what you would like your pet to look like.

Teddy Bear and Puppy cuts

Teddy Bear and Puppy cuts are essentially the same thing. It generally means one length all over the body and legs. Contrary to popular belief it does not mean any particular coat length and there may be quite a bit of variance in opinion from groomer to groomer. A Puppy or Teddy Bear cut really only implies that the pet should look cute and cuddly and should have a length of hair similar to when they were a puppy first growing out their coat. That could be anything from 1/2 inch to over 1 in. long! Puppy cut also refers to the idea that very young puppies are often taken to the groomer to have their faces, feet and sanitary done without touching the rest of the coat. Again, this means that the coat could be any length but does generally infer a longish cut. Do you see in the pictures how I labeled one a puppy cut and the other a teddy bear cut? They look the same, and are the same. In fact the difference between a 3-3/4 blade and the #A comb is less than half and inch. Only the faces are different and that is just because of their owner's preference.

The Kennel cut

The Kennel cut has its origin in the idea that when not showing or otherwise using your dog in the capacity for which he is bred, you would keep him in a very short, easy to manage hair length so that coat maintenance is greatly lessened in the "off season". Most hunting dogs are "kenneled" in the "off season". Thus the expression "kennel cut" was born and actually does not indicate a particular length except for short. In my book that is 1/16th of an inch (#10) up to about 1/3 of an inch (#5). It is a very practical way of thinking and taking care of animals that have profuse amounts of coat that they need while hunting for instance, to protect their body, but is just too much upkeep when the hair is not needed. I put up two pics so you could see that it is a short cut on the body, but you do have lots of options for the head and tail styles.

Breed cuts & Show Grooming

Breed cuts obviously vary greatly from breed to breed and most groomers can give your dog its proper breed cut if that is what you are looking for and don’t think that you can accomplish the pattern yourself. The proper breed haircut is established by the AKC (the American Kennel Club) and there are many good breed pattern books on the market. They are not hard to do if you know the correct techniques, but if you are looking for perfection you must start with an almost perfectly bred, show quality animal. As for show grooming, there are few groomers who will attempt to do show quality grooming for you. For most of us it is not cost effective to put out the time and effort. If you need a show quality groom, please seek out a groomer who advertises themselves as a show groomer and has years of experience in the show arena. They may want to keep your dog for a few days and will charge 4 to 5 times what a pet groomer will charge. But your pet will be show ring ready at the end of the process.

There is other grooming slang you should know to help you effectively communicate with your groomer, and to make it look like you know what you're talking about.

Poodle feet/Clean feet 

This means shaving between the toes and all over the entire foot so that it is bald or has barely any length of hair left. It is great for keeping the feet clean during muddy seasons, and keeps foxtails and other stickers away from the feet. It also requires a lot of patience and a willing pet to accomplish poodle feet. Not only can it be time consuming to do, if your pet is ticklish or sensitive they may not allow you to do it at all. This is one area I give pets a lot of room. If you are not doing this process gently enough, or there is a problem with the dog's feet that you are unaware of (like a foxtail in the skin between toes) the process of poodle feet can be painful. So use caution, and check the feet carefully when shaving the feet.

Poodle face/Clean face

This means shaving the face, cheeks, and muzzle nearly bald just like the feet. This is great for animals who tend to have dirty faces, drool a lot or have leaky eyes and gives a very fresh, neat appearance. In the case of poodles, it is done to show off the delicate and beautiful quality of the bones in their faces.

Sanitary area, poop shoot, and maternity cut 

This means shaving the hair away from the groin and genitals including the rectum. It is obviously done for sanitary reasons. For a maternity cut your groomer should shave the entire belly from the armpits to the groin to expose all the female dogs nipples. This makes it easy to nurse puppies and will assist the mother in keeping herself a little cleaner during the whole puppy experience.

Top Knot 

This is the hair on the top of the head. We usually only refer to it as a top knot if we are talking about a poodle's poofy top knot, or putting a bow in the hair of a long haired dog such as a Yorkie, or Shih Tzu.

To help you mentally prepare to give your pet its haircut, I want you to ask yourself the following questions.

1. Is there anything about my dog's current haircut that looks uncomfortable for him? Are there matts on its legs or behind his ears? Is the hair hanging in his eyes? Is poop stuck to his butt? 2. Is his hairstyle practical for our lifestyle, our house/yard, and what my available time commitments allow?

No matter what you want your dog to look like, his hairstyle must conform to both of your needs. Then you can worry about how appealing he is to look at. The major consideration should be how much time and effort you wish to put into maintaining the hair you allow your pet to keep. This includes winter! If winter means your pet must have more hair, then you must maintain it! If you believe that you can just let it go, and not brush or bathe him because you will be shaving off in the spring anyway, you are making a big mistake. This line of thinking will cause your pet much grief and pain in the form of possible hot spots, bad matts that pinch and pull at the skin, sores from stickers like foxtails and burrs and a myriad of skin conditions that will have gone unnoticed all winter.

In regards to the second question, check to see if the following applies.

Good reasons for giving your dog a short haircut: 1.You have less than 10 minutes per day to brush out your pets hair. Every day. 2.Your yard has many stickers, leaves, shrubs, bare dirt, or other issues. 3.Your dog has a skin condition that would benefit from getting lots of exposure to air. 4.Your dog constantly defeats your efforts at brushing by excessive rolling, digging and otherwise having a tomboy personality. 5.Its hot outside and short hair is really the only humane option. 6.If his hair hasn't been brushed well in the recent past and he's covered in matts, it may be a long and painful process if you were to try and brush them out. It would be better to just shave the matted hair off.

Good reasons for maintaining a longer haircut: 1.You have plenty of free time (at minimum 10 minutes a day) and enjoy spending time brushing your pet. 2.Your pet has healthy skin with no dandruff, hot spots, or other conditions. 3.Your yard is landscaped in a way that there are no problems with him bringing the outside in with him. 4.Its cold and you can commit the extra time for brushing a long coat. 5.Because you are willing to and do brush, you rarely find any matts on your pet. 6.Your dog is a little lady and makes an effort to avoid getting dirty.

Now, when you begin grooming, put all your answers to these questions together and you have a comprehensive picture of what you need to do. Grooming your pet is not just for a look, it is for their health and comfort too. I hope you can reach a happy medium between what is necessary and what you like!