Also a beginner

I have also practise.
I have learn a lot from look at picture and movies of schnauzer grooming. Especially the pure paws from youtube.
Today I have Groom Pepyn and I have took picture, sadly it's snows in The Netherlands so the picture are taken inside.

Comments and remarks are very welcome!!

The first things I notice about him are that his rear legs look straight and his body like a tube. Grooming his skirt with more of an angle to highlight a deep chest would help rid the tube look to the body.

Back legs, try to finish the top of the furnishings by going into his skirt further forward (so the hair will be longer and shaped more into the skirt) this will then allow you to trim in more of a curve to show more bend at stifle. Flicking up the hair down the rear pastern will also create more shape to the back leg.

The toes are poking out of the leg hair, try to angle the scissors as you trim around the foot so that you are cutting more \O ( \ is the angle of the scissors and O is the paw) and keep the nails as short as you can, trim them before trimming the foot.

does he wear a collar often? he seems to have a dent in the neckline where a collar would sit and rub on the coat. If not, try leaving the coat a little longer there so the neck flows smoothly into the backline.

On the 2nd photo his chest hair is sticking out in an unnatural shape. Leaving a lot of hair here will just draw a judges eye to the area and make them wonder just how much forechest your dog has. In the Uk we clip up the front of the upper arm, leaving a 'A' shape of longer hair with the apex at the breastbone, cleaning this area with the clippers shows off a better return of upper arm and the forechest better then if the whole area is scissored - it also helps to shorten up the dog.

The eyebrows don't do anything to show off his head, I'm not sure what the 'fashion' is for the eyebrows in your country but adding more of an angled shape to them and taking off some of the length would help.

cor i think Jo will be holding a seminar on here soon!
well done for your practising it is the only way we can get better and with kind people to offer help to us

blacknwhite wrote:cor i think Jo will be holding a seminar on here soon!
well done for your practising it is the only way we can get better and with kind people to offer help to us

I just like seeing nicely groomed Schnauzers of whatever size! Happy to offer an opinion if asked, it's good to get varying opinions and ideas of what can help you to groom better, there is always something new to learn.

there sure is! i am hoping i will learn alot at the seminar just before crufts!

Thank you for your advice!!!
I will practise more and more and use your advice!!!

You do neat work! it's just a case of playing around with a few bits to see what can be improved upon. then you get a new dog and have to start learning again what will suit that dog best!

ncie job!
your dog looks really well groomed!

Jo wrote:You do neat work! it's just a case of playing around with a few bits to see what can be improved upon. then you get a new dog and have to start learning again what will suit that dog best!

so true, all 3 of my dogs have to be groomed a bit different! then the spaniel thats completely different altogether