“I’d like a puppy cut please,” says Bella’s mom, owner of an adorable Maltese. Quick: look at the shrunken shape along the hairdressers face as they think, “What does that mean???” There is no “standard term” in the grooming industry for a puppy cut. Every hairdresser interprets it differently and this is where the confusion lies. To Bella’s mom, it sounds simple enough, but to the hairdresser this can lead to a bad haircut, an unhappy customer, and a misunderstanding that can make the hairdresser appear incompetent. So now the series of questions begins:
What length do you want?
Do you want the legs longer than the body?
Do you want round or square face and head?
Do you like long ears or short ears?
Do you like tight snout?
And 15 other questions spawned from that simple statement… “I want a puppy cut.”
I lie upstairs. There is a puppy cut for poodles. The definition of this clip is shaving the face, shaving the feet (poodle legs), and creating a tail. A true puppy cut does not eliminate any body length. But based on the description above, it seems highly unlikely to me that this is what Bella’s mother wants.
At some point, Bella’s mom heard the term and thought… “Gee, I want my pet to look like a puppy all the time!” That makes sense, and a hairdresser can still achieve that look, but a lot of other questions need to be addressed to achieve the look she wants.
“But my previous barber used to say Puppy Cut. Why is it wrong then?”
Chances are your groomer is simply going along with what you say, rather than educating you, the pet owner. I personally know that I have spoken to thousands of clients about the puppy cut debacle! Sometimes it’s laziness, and sometimes, well, the hairdresser just doesn’t have time to educate the owner. But I guess they went through the series of questions to find out exactly what you wanted.
How your groomer looks at your dog.
When a groomer checks your pet, they divide your pet’s body into categories to determine the haircut you want. Think of it like a big jigsaw puzzle and little by little we are putting the pieces together to achieve the desired look. This is how his groomer looks at his dog:
The body
Body is defined as your dog’s trunk, excluding legs and feet. This is where groomers want to know how much fur you want your pet to have left. Break those rules because it’s time to learn what an inch is! A running joke in every salon is when a pet owner says, “I want about 2 inches left on the body” when their pet only has a quarter inch of hair. To avoid being the butt of groomers’ jokes, it’s much better to use your fingers as an indicator of how much coat you want your pet to have. A barber will then translate that into the proper blade to use.
There is no standard puppy length or puppy cut. Speaking to barbers across the country, their definition of the length of a puppy cut ranges from a quarter inch to 2 inches. That is a huge range. Stick to your fingers and show how much coat you have left.
Legs and feet.
The next area of the body that a hairdresser examines is the legs and feet. Owners may decide to leave the Legacy a little longer than the body trunk. This creates a kind of “teddy bear look”. Some homeowners just prefer to have the same length everywhere, so please indicate which one you prefer during the inquiry period. It is important to note that longer legs can mean a higher chance of tangles.
Recognize your pet’s lifestyle and how often he brushes between grooming appointments. If home maintenance isn’t an issue, consider this adorable look. The same with the feet. Some customers prefer round, thick feet, while others don’t want their pet dragging around in the mud. Let your hairdresser know your concerns and they will make it happen.
tail and rear
Does your dog make masses on himself when he uses the bathroom? Does he drag his tail through all the leaves in your garden? These are concerns that should be addressed with your groomer. We can create a tighter touch to keep your pet’s butt tidier. Or do you prefer the fluffier butt and long tail? Let your barber know what you like here too.
The headdress
Excluding the ears, a hairdresser wants to know the general shape he wants the head to be. How much hair do you prefer on top of your head? (Want enough hair to make a bun?) What about bangs (aka visor)? Do you prefer longer, shorter, rounder or squarer muzzle hair? This is a good talking point to indicate if your pet’s facial hair becomes matted or dirty while eating and drinking. If this is the case, such as in the rear, a conditioner can shorten this area to keep it clean longer.
ears and eyelashes
The final piece of the puzzle is your preference for ears and eyelashes. Indicate if you want short or long ears, rounded, cropped or completely shaved. The same with the tabs. If you don’t want them cut off, say so! A hairdresser will normally remove lashes unless instructed otherwise.
Just like barbers, barbers have to identify many things to get the right haircut. While your hairdresser wants to know where you part your hair, how much length to remove, and what to do for the bangs and around the ears, a hairdresser has to figure out what you want for your baby’s entire body. Like barbers, there are no universal haircut names that spell out exactly what you want.
Now you know
Understanding how your groomer looks at your pet and interprets what he wants is a great way to bridge the communication gap that so often occurs when describing the haircut you want. If you could divide your beloved dog into sections and convey what he wants for each one, he is well on his way to a successful haircut! So when the barber says, “Oh, you want a puppy cut…”
You can laugh and say, “There is no such thing as a Puppy Cut!”