It is common practice to trim the hair under the eyes, kinda like an inverted V over the nose. The general population of pet owners with dogs that are kept in cute pet cuts want the face to be open and clean. Even if the breed standard calls for the hair to be left alone to grow straight and long, most owners still want it cut because it keeps the face cleaner and allows the owners to see their eyes. i've had a lot of people come in with no idea or care about what was done to the body but their only request was to cut the hair under the eyes so they can see them.

There are the few owners who are very passionate about the breed they own and know what the standard calls for and know what they want. These owners come in with photos and notes and tell us exactly what they want, which is great. i always do exactly what they want, whether it be to leave something or to cut something a certain way (as long as it is safe for the dog of course). i do my best to follow instructions. As for the groomers who don't listen to the owners they are only hurting themselves and their business. obviously the owner isn't going to return to a groomer who doesn't honor their requests.

Loved this thread
 

Thank you so much for this discussion. I had the same questions about what to do. I don't want my boys nose shaved but it seems to be growing v-e r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. I appreciate the encouragement.

Great post! I did take a photo with handwritten notes in with me to the groomer. However, I assumed that if I said "I want my baby to have her top knot...do not cut it", that the hair around her eyes would be left alone as well. It wasn't...it was cut.:( I don't really blame the groomer. It was miscommunication of both of our parts. But it did make me decide to try to learn to groom Lulu myself. ;)

Ok, here's what I have run into with Zhoie's hair. We are STILL trying to grow out the visor cut bangs, They are a couple inches now and just literally bend foward over her eyes. I have to put a band in the tiny little front hairs like 3-4 times a day.

The real issue is....I always cut the V at eye corners because her face is so little you didn't see her beautiful eyes.

So, I did successfully get that eye hair grown down....but I simply can't stand how it will hump up, yes...HUMP UP. It's not in her eyes but it does take away from seeing them as much. I believe it will always hump up, does any know.

I'm battling with which way to leave, cut the V again or not. hmmm

I just feel like I make a mess out of Lizzy's hair everytime I put a bow in. I tried again this weekend and not only was it lopsided, the hair behind the bow looked like a knotted mess. I give up, from now on, it's bangs. While we are talking about the face and grooming, I had a maltese breeder tell me that she warns all her puppy buyers to be sure to trim the eyelashes because they can curl down and get under the eyelid and cause horrid problems. Is it the same for yorkies? I searched but never found anything on it. I have trimmed her eyelashes when I notice they are extremely long.

Liz has floppy ears, and I've been letting the hair grow on them. I like how it looks.

Look at post #26, Breny's avatar pic, her little ones hair lays flat and you can see the big beautiful eyes no problem!:) I think the longer the hair, the weight will make it lay flat, at least I'm hoping that's the case with Jesse! Bailey's lays flat, but he has a much thinner coat.

Ah, see there's another issue that needs clarification. Some people want the top knot but also want to be able to take the TK out and not have the hair fall in the eyes. So with some yorkies they get a TK and a little bit of bangs so that when the TK is out the bangs keep the longer hair from falling in the eyes. Another option is to grow out the hair on the stop and all the hair on the head to form the TK but still thinning down the hair at the bottom of the inverted V. No trimming on top of the nose, only on the sides where the tearing and crusties would be. All of my yorkie clients get the area under their eyes trimmed per owners request. I don't have any natural or standard looking ones. Most owners typically don't keep up with the eye booger situation (or a regular grooming for that matter). LOL

have you tried scissoring the whiskers to the skin without cutting the surrounding hair? sometimes the whiskers on the muzzle make the rest of the hair "hump" outwards and look silly. i always trim these if it causes a problem with how the hair lays or if they are just wacky and out of control looking.

its possible i guess but not common. if you notice the eye lashes are a problem you can trim them. If a dog typically gets a visor, bangs, or short hair above the eyes then i trim the eyelashes too unless an owner requests that they are kept (which IMO is really silly looking).

Wow, I didn't know you could trim the whiskers like that! Jesse has a few wild ones! That's a good tip!

yup! some people say not to do it because of balance and blah blah blah but many dogs get theirs trimmed as part of their standard trim (cockers, schnauzers, springers) and they have no problem what so ever. I trim Morgan's when she's soaking wet during a bath. her facial hair lays flat while her whiskers stick straight out and they are easier to trim.

Awww Thank you :)...yes I love my babies ears tipped, that is a must...its the hair below the tip on the outer side of the ear...I like it a little longer.

I just looked at the second pic and can see that it was cut shorter! I agree, I like it a bit longer....like the first pic. I have used the same groomer for years and pray she never retires from grooming! You are right when you say good ones are hard to find. It's like anything...you just have to find the right fit.

Kellie's tip about taking pics to the groomer is a good one!

I just woke Jesse up and cut his whiskers, it looks much better with the little wirey things gone!!:thumbup:

I bet he's thinking, "my mom needs to stay off the internet so I can SLEEP"

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