What’s coming into “fur”shion for 2023, you may ask? Today I’m talking about the latest styles to hit grooming salons as well as some of the old favourites that still remain a staple in salons across the country. So, let’s countdown my top 10!
Asian fusion:
This has got to be the most popular trim in the industry at the moment. Its where the body is taken fairly short, and the pooches have long flared legs with a short, rounded beard to create a cute “teddy” look on the dog. This has got to be one of my favourites as it still looks super adorable but without all the hair. It makes for a fairly low maintenance but cute trim on the dogs without all the brushing for the owners. The most popular breeds to have this type of style is poodles, poodle crosses, Maltese terriers, shih tzus and schnauzers. It has certainly put a twist on the standard trims and gets a lot of attention on the dog walks!
Mohawks:
This is something I didn’t think would be a regular occurrence in the salon but post lock down we are seeing a lot of owners with a “you only live once” attitude and want something super funky on their dogs. I must admit I LOVE doing a mohawk on a dog, they look so quirky and out there and some dogs just need a mohawk to go with their sassiness. The is perfect for making this look hold in place.
Breed standard trims/show trims:
As a groomer of over 11 years, I started out doing lots of breed standard trims. Then about 5 years ago we started seeing a huge influx of cute designer breeds so naturally in many salons we stopped doing as many breed standard trims. This year we are starting to see more dogs and owners that want a breed standard trim and it’s been so refreshing to do the show cuts. I am super excited to see where this goes next year as we are already seeing the rarer breeds in the salon such as Briards, Borzois, cairn terriers, Bedlington’s, Sealyham terriers and poodles. Getting to practice on these breeds is hard as a groomer so it’s important to seek help from a specialist especially if the owner wants a show trim, CPD is the way forward!
Puppy cut:
We all know this style and it’s one of those that in the grooming world can mean 100 different things but, it is probably one of the most asked for styles and will continue to be for many years to come, as let’s be honest who doesn’t love a cute teddy looking dog! To some a puppy cut is an all over, and to others it’s a hand scissor all over. For me, it’s shorter on the body with hand scissored legs. Essentially, all are correct as they give the desired “teddy” look.
Creative grooming:
Now anyone that knows me knows how much LOVE creative grooming! It’s my favourite thing to do and I compete with my poodle in competitions across the UK. I am so happy that creative grooming is finally being more accepted and is being asked for more and more by customers. Education is key and educating people is something that I and many creative groomers have been trying to do for a long time. We have lots of quirky styles booked in for creative such as a Christmas design, a firework theme and a mohawk to bounce us into next year with a splash of colour!
The good old shave off:
Tale as old as time - the short all over. An easy low maintenance groom for those dogs that just love to roll around in all the muck. As groomers it’s important to remember that not every style needs to be fancy and fandangled, some just need to be practical and that’s okay. There is no less skill involved in a shave down and coming into summer next year when it heats up, I think the dogs appreciate less of a winter coat. Living near lots of woodlands means super mucky dogs so the shave off is so easy to manage for a busy lifestyle. My favourite blade is a all over on wool type coats and a on the spaniels along with the amazing if they are particularly stinky!
Poodle trims:
Another firm favourite of mine is poodle trims. Owning 3 myself I have seen a huge influx in poodles entering the salon and its refreshing to see some of the less seen styles cropping back up into fashion such as continental, German trim, puppy pants and Miami.
Carving:
Coat carving is quite a fairly new skill in the industry and for years has only really been seen in the competition ring, but it is slowly starting to sneak into everyday grooming. Coat carving is where you use a clipper blade or a carving knife to carve designs and patterns into the dog’s coat. It’s quite hard to do so its handy if you can practice on your own dog before offering it to customers but you can do some really interesting designs.
Handstripping:
Hand stripping seems to be the most popular groom amongst the terrier community and also some of the gundogs as well. It’s a fantastic way to keep the coat water resistant. Hand stripping is where the harsh outer coat is manually stripped leaving the soft undercoat. It certainly takes its toll on your hand if not done correctly so it’s important to master this technique as it’s not as easy as it seems.
Attachment comb grooming:
If you are a groomer reading this and you don’t have a set of you should call Christies now and order a set! They are the biggest must have in a salon and it makes grooming so much easier and can give that popular teddy trim with ease. They can bulk off lots of hair and help to put shapes into dogs to create angulation and a nice style. It makes it easy to dust over with our scissors after saving time in the salon. They are also amazing for dogs that won’t stand still as there is a lot more leeway with a comb attachment than there is with scissors. Also, if you aren’t confident at scissoring then they are a real aide during a groom.
