Finishing up Grooming (Last Day)

As Mummy had promised me, she was going to take me biking today for 14 miles (she bikes, I run). But first, she said we'd have to spend at least an hour, tidying me up, and finishing the grooming left for the last day. I had been bathed and brushed last evening, so it was a piece of cake tidying me up. Me sitting nicely for the camera, getting ready for scissoring.

Full body, prior to scissoring.
We only need to have legs and feet to tidy up, and straighten my facial hair and beard, to make it look like a brick.

Can you tell that my legs are overgrown and feet look so untidy? Yup, after several months of not doing anything to my feet, they look messy. Every month, Mum shaves the paw fur off, but that's to help me have 'my brakes' on, to let me have grip. Also, if left unshaved, the paw fur can cause mats in between the toes and that's very uncomfortable. Imagine if you had a stone stuck to the bottom of your shoe, that's what Mum says it feels like.

So Mum needs to round the feet like a cat's. The legs need to be plucked and scissored to look like long straight poles. At the joints where the leg furnishings and stripped body meet, these areas need to be stripped and blended.

The head needs to look like a rectangular brick. From the forehead to the tip of my nose, there should be a straight line (as shown by that black line in the above photo), and any excess facial hair is plucked off to make me look neat. My muzzle is also carded to remove length and undercoat. My cheeks are blended by stripping to create gradual length toward the front. From the front, my face should look rectangular like a brick.

My messy feet.

I have been trained to 'Stand' and I will not move my legs or feet unless I am freed. This allows Mum to work on me as she pleases. Note also that I do not need a leash on the table (like some other doggie friends and their groomers) as I have been trained to 'Climb' and I will stay on any elevated platform until I am released.

Finally, you get to see me as the finished product. After 5 hard days of toil, pain, blisters, sweat and hours, I am done. Finally done. Yes now, Mummy and I will head off to the trails and do 14 miles today to burn off energy.

Me and Mummy

Hope you all like my pics. I know my fur looks extremely short, and my body looks bald, and I must admit that I do look strange, but give me 2 weeks, and I'll be more handsome than ever. My coat will begin to grow in, and I'll be very handsome soon.

Love,
Kimi