What is a kennel cut?

A kennel cut is the shortest of the common pet styles. The body, legs and usually the tail are clipped to one close length, the feet are trimmed neat so they track less sand and mud indoors, the sanitary area is cleaned up, and the face is kept short and simple. It looks less sculpted than a teddy bear or lamb cut, and that is the point: there is almost nothing left to brush, knot or style.

On a curly or wavy coat it is a close cousin of the puppy cut, and owners and groomers sometimes use the names loosely. The useful distinction is intent. A puppy cut is chosen for a look and can be fairly long; a kennel cut is chosen for function and is short by design, so it is the one to ask for when the priority is a dog that comes home from a swim and is dry before dinner.

Groomers clip with detachable blades stamped with numbers, and with comb attachments that fit over a blade to leave more hair. The number on a blade is not a length in inches, and attachment combs vary between makers, so two groomers can reach the same result with different equipment. That is why the useful request is the result rather than a number: how much coat you want left, shown on a photo or measured against a finger width.

Dogtown does not publish its blade numbers or a fixed length for a kennel cut. The groomer looks at the coat at check-in, confirms the length it can take and agrees the price, which is set by size for the full service: $75 up to 25 pounds, $85 from 26 to 50, $110 from 51 to 90 and $120 over 90. A coat matted to the skin limits the options, because the clipper has to travel underneath the tangles.

The cut belongs on coats that grow continuously: doodles, poodles and their crosses, bichons, Maltese, shih tzus, Lhasa apsos and Yorkies. Wire-coated terriers and schnauzers can be clipped short too, but clipping softens a wire coat over the years; our answer on hand stripping explains that trade. Double-coated breeds such as goldens, huskies, Berners and Aussies are the exception, because shaving takes away the insulating layer their coats rely on, so they get a bath, a brush-out and Shed Release at $10 instead.

After a kennel cut, brushing takes minutes, but it still matters: a quick comb through the armpits, the ears and under the harness once a week finds tangles and ticks early. A $10 sanitary trim or face trim between visits keeps a short cut neat, and rebooking at pick-up saves $5. Once your dog has passed the free evaluation, a kennel cut can go onto a daycare day, so one drop-off covers both.