Hi! My name is Kim West. I'm a Graduate of the New York School Of Dog Grooming (Nov. 1984) and National Certified Master Groomer through NDGAA. I have been in dogs since the age of 12 with my first Am. Cocker Spaniel. At 17, I attended Pensacola Fl. Junior College and graduated from their Veterinary Assistant program in June of 1984. Passion for pets is a lifelong and rewarding journey. I have competed in grooming competitions nationally since 1994 accumulating over 50 placements, some of which include, Gold Medal Poodles 1999 Intergroom, Handstrip Terrier Silver Medal 2001 Intergroom, Wahl Artistic Innovations Grand Champion, Best in Show Div. B 1998 Gateway to the West, Best in Show Div. A Gateway To The West 1999. I was also nominated for the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for Grooming Contest Judge of the Year 2008. Currently I show my Standard Poodle and share my home with three wild and crazy Miniature Schnauzers. I have three children and one grandchild all of whom I love with all my heart. I love to teach others the art of pet styling, and share the information that others have graciously shared with me over the years. I believe in paying it forward. To Hide or not to hide......no, we aren't talking about the credit card reciept from your last shopping spree from your spouse!
We are talking about the splay foot.........
A splay foot can be found on nearly any breed, and for most it is NOT correct.
Let's begin by defining just what a "splay foot" is..
Splay foot means that the toes on the foot are spread out and usually the toes are long and flat as well.
This is unattractive and can be caused by a variety of things, from just pure poor genetics to having been on soft ground too long. Even from the nails not being cared for properly.
Where this comes to play into our grooming is if we are shaving a foot, whether it's on a mixed breed, a schnauzer ( you know we ALL have those clients who request strange things!) or on a poodle...it is a fault that YES we DO want to hide!
So, if we have a cat like foot, a dog whose foot is well up on arched toes that are compactly put side by side, this is attractive, and we would want to show that off ....that being said, your clip line would be just above the wrist bone of the foot.....
But, if we have a Splay / hare foot........we would want to hide this fault....to do this, you would lower your clip line, depending on the severity of the fault. If it is extreme you would stop your clip line just behind where the toes meet the foot at the crease of each toe...you would also lower your bevel to your leg so that it hangs nearly over the foot . To create a lower bevel do not angle your scissors so much when trimming along the clip line......you will want them to be more flat leaned toward the toenails as opposed to leaning up and away from the toenails.
So the answer to the Question is YES.......Hide The splay or hare foot....your dogs will look better for it~ happy grooming! Till next time~ Kim
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