Longer Coats

Outline Trim

For longer haired dogs who should keep their length. The shape gets cleaned up, the scruff goes, and your dog still looks like themselves.

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A Yorkshire terrier with a long silky coat and a red bow — The length stays, the shape shines

What Is An Outline Trim?

An outline trim is a haircut for dogs who should keep their length. The shape gets cleaned up and the scruff comes off, but the coat itself stays where it is.

Chest and tummy neatened
Rear end and tail tidied
Feathering on the legs shaped rather than shortened
Hair between the paw pads cleared and the feet rounded
Ears and face neatened
The body coat left at its natural length

The result is the same dog, tidier. Nobody looks at your dog afterwards and asks what happened to them.

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Who It Suits

Any coat you want kept long but neat, and every double coated breed where a haircut would do damage.

It works beautifully on Pomeranians, on the retriever and shepherd coats, on Aussies, Border Collies and Spaniels, and on any long haired dog whose owner likes the coat and just wants it looking cared for. Alexis is Pomeranian certified, which matters if you have ever been offered a shave down for a coat that should never have one.

It is also the right call for a long coated dog in summer whose owner is reasonably worried about the heat. Clearing the undercoat and tidying the outline cools a dog down. Clipping the coat off does not.

Why A Double Coat Is Never Shaved

This is the single most important thing on this page, so it is worth being plain about it.

A double coat is two coats doing two jobs. The dense undercoat insulates. The longer guard coat sheds water, blocks sun and keeps heat off the skin. Together they work in summer as much as in winter, which is why a shaved double coated dog is often less comfortable in the heat, not more, and is newly exposed to sunburn.

Clipping into that coat can also change it permanently. It may grow back patchy, coarse, or heavily undercoat with the guard hairs never fully returning, and no groomer can tell you in advance which dog it will happen to. That is not a risk worth taking for a cosmetic change.

The alternative is the one on this page: get the dead undercoat out with a de-shedding treatment, then tidy the outline. Cooler dog, neat finish, coat intact.

Outline Trim Or Full Groom?

The short version: if the coat should keep its length, book an outline trim. If the coat is meant to be cut to a shape, book a full groom.

Double coats, retriever and spitz types, and long coats you like as they are: outline trim
Doodles, poodles and other continuously growing curly coats: full groom
Long coats that are matting faster than you can brush them: talk to Alexis, and see matted coat grooming

If you are not sure which your dog is, say the breed and describe the coat when you request an appointment and Alexis will tell you.

Feet, Foxtails And Healdsburg Summers

The foot work in an outline trim is not cosmetic here. From late spring through fall, dry grass around Healdsburg means foxtails, and the hair between the paw pads is where they lodge first. Keeping that hair cleared through summer is one of the more useful preventive things you can do for a long coated dog here.

The same applies to the feathering behind the legs and around the ears, which collects grass seed and burrs on any walk through dry ground. Neatening it does not just look better, it gives seeds less to catch on and makes it far easier for you to spot anything that did.

Anything you find actually lodged in the skin is a vet visit rather than a grooming one, and Alexis will say so directly if she finds one.

Booking It

An outline trim is usually booked with a bath and brush, because the coat needs to be clean, dry and brushed out before the shape can be cut properly. Many owners run that pairing on a regular cycle and never need a full haircut at all.

A $10 travel fee applies to all mobile services. Ask about recurring client discounts if you book standing visits one to two times a week.

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💡 Good to Know

Common Questions

Will An Outline Trim Make My Dog Cooler In Summer?

Yes, when it is paired with a proper de-shedding. Clearing the dead undercoat is what actually lets air move against the skin. Clipping the coat off removes the insulation and the sun protection at the same time and often makes things worse.

Is This The Same As A Trim Or A Tidy?

Yes. Some owners call it a tidy, some a trim around the edges, some a teddy tidy. It is the same service: shape neatened, length kept, nothing clipped short.

How Do I Know If My Dog Has A Double Coat?

Part the coat with your fingers. A double coated dog has a dense, soft, often paler layer sitting underneath the longer outer hair, and that layer comes away in clumps in spring and fall. If you are not sure, describe the coat when you book and Alexis will tell you what you have.

Can You Do This On A Pomeranian?

Yes, and it is the standard approach for the breed. Alexis is Pomeranian certified.

What If I Really Do Want My Double Coated Dog Shaved?

Alexis will talk you through what it does to the coat and why she does not recommend it, and offer the de-shedding and outline trim route instead. There are medical situations where a vet asks for a coat to come off, and that is a different conversation.

How Long Does It Last?

Longer than a full haircut, because nothing was cut short to begin with. Most owners book it on a regular cycle alongside a bath and brush rather than waiting for it to look overgrown.

Do You Trim The Face And Ears Too?

Yes. Face, ears, feet, sanitary area and tail are all part of the tidy.

My Dog Sheds Heavily As Well. What Then?

Book the de-shedding treatment alongside it. That is the standard pairing for a heavy double coat: the treatment clears the dead undercoat, the outline trim neatens the shape, and the coat itself is untouched.

Which Towns Do You Cover?

Fifteen miles from Healdsburg, which covers Healdsburg, Windsor, Geyserville and Santa Rosa. If you are near the edge, call and Alexis will confirm your address. Full service area here.

Rather just talk? Call or text (707) 608-4087

A $10 travel fee applies to all mobile services. Standing visits 1 to 2 times a week? Ask about recurring client discounts.