We frequently get asked the questions "Whats a teddy cut? Whats a traditional cut? and What would best suit my dog" so this section is dedicated to answering those questions!
The Teddy Cut
The teddy cut is often used on westies, shih tzu's, lhasas, yorkies and cocker spaniels and basically means that all the fur is cut to the same shortish length with the head being hand styled. The teddy cut is also used on poodles and bichons whose owners do not want them looking too fluffy or "poodley"
The Traditional Cut
The traditional cut is when the dog is trimmed to look like its breed standard (although usually more of a pet version) so for dogs such as westies, cocker's and yorkies the back is clipped and the back legs, front feathers, skirts, chest and bum fluff is all scissored into style, again the head is hand styled.
Variations
As all dogs and all owners are different there are many variations of each cut. Many owners like a complete teddy where all the face and often the tail fur is clipped to the same length of the body, we do a few traditional cuts where the skirt is be removed or the bum fluff taken very short. Cavaliers tend to be the worse having many different styles ranging from just a bath and feet trim to full teddy with pretty much everything in between!
Which Style for My Dog
Before we can decide what style will best suit your dog you need to ask yourself some questions.
How much time a day can you dedicate to grooming your dog?
If you can spare up to an hour a day then any style will be OK but if you cannot groom your dog in between his visits to us then he may be better with the teddy style.
Whats your dogs lifestyle?
If you have a dog that likes nothing better than rolling in fox poo or walking for miles in mud and rain than a traditional style might not be the best choice, but if you have a couch potato for a dog then this is not usually a problem.
What is your dogs fur like?
Like humans all dogs have different types of hair, even two dogs from the same breed can have completely different fur. If your dog has very thick fur a teddy cut will probably be best as it is easier to manage and less likely to tatt, if your dog has very thin fur a teddy is not usually a good idea as even with the longest blade the dog can sometimes end up looking like a pink pig!
If you are unsure what style would best suit your dog we are more that happy to discuss the options at the beginning of your appointment.
