At Head to Tail, my staff and I strive to understand our human clients' needs and provide useful advice on the appropriate style for our canine clients. That is why we often ask that clients be very specific as to the length they want left on their dog, the style desired for the face, ears and tail and to tell us about any skin or medical issues which will determine what products can be used and what extra precautions should be taken during the grooming process.
How much hair to leave on a dog?
We often get this request NOT to 'shave' the dog. In our pet grooming world, the word shaving means using a clipper blade to take length off the coat and the length left can be as short as 1/40 of an inch to as long as 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. Therefore, even if a dog is 'shaved' using a long blade, he will still look fairly long (as long as 3/4 inch). When a customer tells us 'I don't want my dog shaved', 'short but not too short', we always ask what is the approximate length of hair he/she would like LEFT on the dog. This will help us determine what clipper blade or comb attachment to use to achieve the desired length and eliminate any ambiguity and potential customer dissatisfaction.
Face, beard, goatie, visor, ears, tail
We can customize the above to the look desired by the dog parents. Breed standards give guidelines on how to groom purebred dogs but there are immense variations between the hair texture, body shape, head shape of each individual dog making it an art to make each pet attractive. We will be happy to advise you on what would look best for your pet taking into consideration the coat condition and the dog's lifestyle and your family's maintenance commitment.
Unfortunately, there are times when a misunderstanding may occur and we are happy to fix little details on your pet as you wait or if you bring him back within 3 days. We would rather spend a few minutes re-working the styling of your dog than have an unhappy customer leave our shop without giving us any feedback.
Products we love, use and retail
- Quicker Slicker by Nature's Specialties
- Kiwi conditioner from Tropiclean
- Spa Lavish blueberry and vanilla facial scrub
- Spa Lavish cologne with sunscreen
- Papaya 2-1 shampoo from Tropiclean
- Wham anti-itch spray from Nature's Specialties
- Oatmeal and Tea Tree Shampoo from Tropiclean
- Plum Silky shampoo from Nature's Specialties
- Facial wipes for tear stains from Top Performance
- Odor terminator spray by Nature's Specialties
About Me
- Head to Tail blog
- Fairfield, CT, United States
- My name is Quynh Rodriguez. I have owned Head to Tail for five years. Prior to becoming a business woman and a dog groomer, I worked as an occupational therapist for 10 years. I am a native of Vietnam, a Canadian citizen, and an American at heart.