7 Common Grooming Styles That Will Make Your Dog Look Great Again

In order to maintain a shred of dignity, we humans are very concerned about the way we look. We’d like to think that the way we present ourselves to the world is an extension of our identity. Both guys and girls sport different hairstyles to embellish their style which hopefully communicates something about their characters. In this day and age it is not uncommon for people to also be concerned about how their pets look. While the same level of concern and self-awareness should not be expected from dogs themselves, grooming our pets can have various health benefits for long haired or wire haired dog breeds.

The Teddy Bear

This cut is particularly popular with toy breed owners, especially those owning Toy poodles and Pomeranians. It is characterised by clipping the dog’s coat close to its body while evenly trimming hair on its head while keeping it longer. This gives the dog’s head a spherical shape, resulting in the dog having a plush toy appearance. This cut is considered to be good for hot climates and needs little maintenance.

 The Lion

A common cut with Pomeranian enthusiasts, this cut brings out the panache out of your miniature dog. The dog’s body hair is cut short and the long hair around the dog’s head and jaw is trimmed into a mane. A tuft of hair is commonly left on the end of the dog’s tail to finish off the dog’s leonine appearance. This cut isn’t done only on small dogs: Chow chows and other long haired dog breeds can also pull off this look by turning it up a notch from cute to intimidating.

The Lamb

For those who always wanted to own a lamb, but can only reasonably own a dog, a poodle and a pair of clippers are the easiest way to go. Both head and body hair are clipped short, fashioning it in a way for the dog to look like a lamb. Maintaining this style requires a trip to the groomer every couple of weeks, but it is otherwise easy to take care of. This style is good for warm weather.

The Square Puppy

Often seen on Yorkshire terriers, this style is also common in other long haired terrier breeds. This neat cut gives these pocket trouble makers a neat, stately look; helping them to be taken more seriously. The dog’s coat is cut in a way to form a square shaped face and a cuboidal body. This is an alteration of the more conventional puppy cut which is a uniform trim all over the dog’s body. The Square Puppy cut obviously needs more maintenance than its more conventional counterpart but the added character that this style gives lends your dog is worth the extra hassle.

The Continental & the Bikini

Both of these clipping styles are synonymous with the standard and giant poodle but might actually work out for other breeds that have similar coats. The Continental style is one that has been around for very long and is characterised by leaving patches of hair around the dog’s head, ears, chest, over the kidneys, lower legs and tail while clipping the rest of the dog’s coat close to the body. This is a functional style that harkens back to the days when the poodle was used as a water retriever. The look is nowadays synonymous with the poodle. The Bikini on the other hand is when the face, feet and tail are clipped. The rest of the coat is groomed to uniform length and a small tuft of hair is left at the tip of the dog’s tail.

The Layered

If you think your dog’s sleek, straight, shiny, long hair deserves no compromise and you’re willing to put in that extra bit of work, embrace your inner bimbo and go with a layered cut. This cut is often referred to as the 3 layered cut in Yorkshire terriers due to the layered colour effect that this style creates. A layered cut can also be done on other dogs that have long, straight hair such as Afghan Hounds, Maltese terriers, and Skye terriers. This style is trendy and sophisticated, and is a sure fire way to tell the world that you don’t cut corners when it comes to taking care of your dog.