Where a haircut goes wrong on a thick coat
Clipper lines, uneven length and a matted undercoat that was cut over instead of worked out: these are how a haircut goes wrong on a thick coat. They are rarely a blade problem. They start before the blade, with a coat that was never opened up. At our Francis Street studio in Longmont, the haircut is the last part of the appointment, not the first.
That is why a Full Groom starts in the tub. Your dog gets a bubble bath and a hand dry, with spray conditioner worked in, then 10 to 15 minutes of brushing before any blade comes out. Heavy matting and extra brushing are charged on top of the starting price, as the studio menu states, because opening a tangled coat takes real time.
Doodles, poodles, collies and anything else with a coat that keeps growing are the dogs this appointment was made for. If your dog has a short coat that needs no haircut, the Full-Service Bath is usually the better fit, and the front desk at 303-776-0332 will tell you which one your dog needs.
The bath, the brush-out and the cut, in that order
After the bath and brush-out comes the part you came for: an all-over body haircut in the length of your choice. Tell the groomer what you picture, a short summer cut or a longer teddy shape, and they cut to that length rather than guessing. Nails are then trimmed and filed and the ears are cleaned, so the dog leaves finished rather than just clipped.
The studio is led by Jane Corbin, NCMG, ICMG, a Nationally Certified Master Groomer who loves to travel to trade shows and compete in grooming competitions all over the country. The Certified Groomers on her floor have passed the practical and written exams of the National Dog Groomers Association of America or International Professional Groomers, Inc.
Allow up to 4 hours. Appointments start as early as 7:15 am and the last pick-up is 5:30 pm. Studio hours are Monday to Friday, 7:15 AM to 5:30 PM, closed Saturday and Sunday. If you want your dog with one groomer from start to finish, ask for an EXPRESS groom, a $25 fee that must be arranged ahead.
Holding the cut between visits
Most dogs hold a cut for 4 to 8 weeks, depending on breed, hair type and length. Dogs that go past 8 weeks between grooms carry an extra charge, because the coat takes longer to work through and the haircut starts from a tougher place. Rebooking before the 8-week mark keeps the price where the menu puts it.
Between full grooms, a Bath Plus+ is a good touch-up for a hairy or double-coated dog. Hand Scissoring is +$45.00 per 30 minutes and DeMatting is +$20.00 per 20 minutes, and a Shed Control or Healthy Skin & Coat treatment adds +$20 for small and medium dogs. A few minutes of brushing at home each week keeps the coat open until the next visit.
