Asian Inspired Grooming in Tucson, AZ

What happens when an old groomer meets a new trend?  Grooming outside of the box happens!  Let me explain.  Every groomer has styles that work for them.  It may be how they were taught to do a breed or type of dog; it could be styles based on breed standards, or just looks that the groomer has created and used successfully over the years.  My "box" includes all of those.   For decades I have had a commitment to grooming to the breed standard.  This is no easy matter, as it demands that the groomer be able to achieve the important elements of a show groom modified to the household pet. Also, I have created tried and true styles for pet Maltese, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu and various mixed breeds. Nowadays, however, I am just as eager to throw it out the window.  I have been inspired by Japanese and Korean grooming and the latest trend in pet grooming, Asian Fusion.  Japanese and Korean pet styling is based less on "proper" trims and more on enhancing the cuteness of pets.

Here are some of our Asian Inspired grooms:
One of my first efforts was Shawnee, a Bichon.  We already were grooming him with the full ears, what I call the "ears out" head, rather than the traditional round Bichon head with ears scissored into the headpiece.  To create a more Asian style, I shortened and trimmed the ears and pulled in the cheeks.

Shawnee with Asian Flair

Shawnee with Teddy Bear Head

Abbie with Asian style

This was moderately successful. I learned that Asian Fusion was more difficult to achieve than I anticipated.  The owners did not like what I did to the ears.

Abbie Teddy Bear Style

Next, I tried going Asian on a Poodle, Abbie, whom I have been grooming for years.
This face is much closer to the Asian look, and it looks very cute on Ms. Abbie!

Noodle the Poodle

Color is a key feature of Asian styling.  Here, I have added color to two Poodle styles.  This was done with chalk.

Babee in Pink & Purple

Kookie gets an Asian Look!

Ponytail and topknots are another styling feature of Asian grooming.  We tried this out on Kookie, a Lhasa Apso, and achieved what might be our most nearly Asian look yet.  Her owners really liked our result, so hopefully we will have permission to take it even more toward a true Asian style next month.

Getting owners to go along with a departure from what they are used to and allowing the groomer to experiment with the styling (i.e., risk failure) is not always easy.  What I am going to do next is print out some pictures of cool Asian styles and post them on my wall.  Hopefully they will attract attention and more of my clients will want to support my adventures with this grooming trend.

Although I am still quite grounded in my foundation of grooming to breed standards, it is refreshing and exciting to break out of that box and extend my styling skills in a new direction.  I am rather proud that this old groomer is learning new styles and I'm breaking out of my box!

Here you can check out pictures of Japanese styling at this favorite page of mine.  And here are a whole bunch of Asian Fusion grooms on Pinterest.

Barbara Bird, ICMG, is owner-operator at Transformation Pet Center, Tucson, Arizona.  To call for an appointment, leave a message at 520-795-5743.  Hours are Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 8-4.  Booking is often two weeks out.