Does anyone trim their own dog?

[FuckingHateRats]

We have a 3/4 poodle puppy, 6m. She is incredibly shaggy and needs cut every 8wks or so. She's had her first and is probably overdue her second, as she's getting a little knotty in places despite v regular brushing.

We've no interest in her looking all poodley-groomed, just a trim all over.

Is it a terrible idea to buy clippers and do it ourselves? She looked so groomed last time, and we much prefer the scrappy look anyway.

Photo of her on the beach yesterday, just because ❤️

Once, in lockdown. Never again.

Even she was mortified.

I have done my spaniel since he was eighteen months old because he hated the groomer's. She showed me how to do his feet and how to hold the scissors and I can get quite a good finish now, though it takes me longer than it did her. I paid for decent scissors and Wahl clippers and they have paid for themselves many times over. It's only fur and will grow back if you don't do a perfect job.

I trim my two dogs hair. The first couple cuts were terrible and they were both very embarrassed haha. I am getting a lot better at it now thankfully, but it does take a good few tries to get it looking presentable 🙂

We do our cockapoo ourselves, and PIL do theirs themselves. She generally looks fine afterwards (most of the time!). The trick is to just do it often before it gets too tangled (which never actually ends up happening, but it would make it much easier).
just use scissors for the big tangles before using clippers.

I attempted it but my scruffy dog looked such a mess I ended up booking him with the groomers!!

Only in lockdown. He looked like a Bolivian street dog and it took me forever. They need the hair removed from their eyes and I don’t think I could do that.
I trim him sometimes but I love it when the groomer trims him.

You can ask the groomers to do a puppy/shaggy cut if you want - you don't need to get them groomed to perfection.

But I wouldn't attempt it yourself unless you've got professional equipment and have had some advice of a professional. The last thing you want to do is to end up cutting your dog or getting a bite because you've stressed them out.

Many colleges offer short courses in how to groom your own dog. You will save loads of money and be shown how to do it correctly and the right equipment.

We do but only out of absolute necessity. 2 year old cockapoo that we got from a rescue centre. He's highly anxious and will not let anyone other than immediate family touch him. His last proper grooming was done whilst sedated at the vets.

He hates it.

I've been grooming my mini labradoodle since I got him at 10 weeks and he's almost 4. I have been cutting my own hair for 10 years and done a lot of research and YouTube watching on how to safely groom a doodle. He's not perfect but I've never hurt him and I keep on top of brushing and grooming so he's not matted. I started off with a £20 from Amazon clipper, metal comb and scissors. (I have a slicker brush to brush him daily to help stop him matting) after a year Upgraded to £100 whal clippers and curved scissors.
My dog on the right next to my MIL who take him to the groomers every 10 weeks. I will add that I've never had to shave him so close but that's more with brushing him daily.

I trimmed my last labradoodle for years as she didn’t like going to the groomer and they would keep her for hours. I currently trim my mini-labradoodle too. I do it really quickly, to minimise her stress, and go for a shortish teddy bear look. There are loads of videos online which will show you how to do this. It’s never perfect but I don’t mind.

I have wahl trimmers and scissors etc and give her lots of treats during the session to help. To be fair, my first dog was very relaxed whereas my current dog is still a bit scared so I have to easy.

I do it myself. Also a shaggy poodle cross. It isn't hard and he always looks great afterwards.