What is a lamb cut?

The body is clipped or scissored short and even, following the outline of the dog. The legs are left longer and scissored into straight or gently flared columns, which gives the cut its soft, lamb-like legs. On a poodle the face, throat and feet are often clean, the head carries a rounded topknot and the tail may end in a pompon; on a bichon or a doodle the face is more often kept short and round instead of shaved.

The AKC poodle standard does not use the name, but its Sporting clip is built on the same contrast. In that clip the face, feet, throat and base of the tail are shaved, there is a scissored cap on the head and a pompon on the tail, and the body and legs follow the outline in a short blanket of coat no longer than an inch, with the leg hair allowed to be slightly longer. A pet lamb cut usually makes the legs a little fuller still.

A lamb cut moves the upkeep to the legs. Full leg hair collects wet sand, salt, burrs and snowmelt, and it rubs at the elbows and between the back legs, which is where knots begin. Brush each leg in layers from the skin outward and follow with a metal comb; if the comb catches, go back with the brush. The short body needs far less attention, a quick brush once or twice a week.

Cape Ann adds its own debris. In the off-season, at the time of writing, Good Harbor takes dogs on even-numbered days until March 31 and Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days until April 30, and full legs come home from either heavy with sand. Rinse them in fresh water and dry them fully the same day, because damp curl tightens into knots as it dries. From April to November, part the leg hair after woodland walks to check for ticks.

Because lamb cut means slightly different things to different groomers, describe the parts. Say how short the body should be, how much fuller the legs, whether the face and feet are shaved clean or just short, how round the topknot is, and what to do with the ears and tail. Dogtown does not publish blade numbers or scissoring times; the groomer looks at the coat at check-in and tells you what it can hold today.

If you want the lamb look without all the leg work, ask for legs only slightly longer than the body; the shape still reads, and brushing drops. Grooming needs no evaluation, so you can book the full service online or in the Dogtown app and drop off inside a regular window. If your dog also comes to daycare in Gloucester, the groom can be added to a daycare day once the free evaluation is done.