Face trim
Dog face trim in Gloucester, MA: $10 between grooms
The face grows out first: three weeks after a full groom the body still looks neat, while the hair at the inner corners of the eyes is poking at the eyeball and the beard is dripping water across the kitchen floor. The face trim exists for that gap, and this page covers who needs one, what it covers and leaves alone, and how often to book it.
Who books it
Dogs whose face hair keeps growing need a trim between full grooms, often around the halfway point
Coats that grow without stopping grow on the face too: doodles of every kind, Shih Tzus, Maltese, Havanese, bichons, Yorkies, poodles and schnauzers with full beards. On those dogs the face loses its shape well before the body does. Hair over the eyes blocks the view and collects discharge, a long beard soaks up water and food, and the hair around the ears tangles where the ear leather rubs against it.
There is a comfort reason as well as a tidy one. VCA's page on tear overflow in dogs notes that the hair around the eyes can physically block the entrance to the tear ducts, and lists keeping the area clean and dry and trimming the fur short around the eyes among the things that help. A face trim in the middle of a full-groom cycle keeps that hair short without paying for a whole haircut.
- Hair touching the surface of the eye or hanging over it
- Crusts or damp fur at the inner corners every morning
- A beard that stays wet and smells between baths
- Your dog tilting its head to see past its fringe
What is trimmed
The face trim covers the eyes, muzzle and ears; the ear canal, the eye itself and the whiskers are separate questions
Our menu describes the face trim as a tidy trim around the eyes, muzzle and ears between full grooms. In practice that means shortening the hair at the inner corners and over the eyes so your dog can see, neatening the muzzle and beard so they stop dragging in the bowl, and tidying the edges and base of the ears. It keeps the shape the last haircut gave the face; it does not redesign the head, which is full-service work.
Three things sit outside it. The ear canal belongs to your vet, so ear cleaning advice comes from them. The eye itself does too: redness, squinting, discharge that changes, or a dog pawing at one eye goes to a vet before any trim. And the whiskers are sensory hairs; the AKC explains that they register light touch and even slight changes in air currents and help protect the eyes, and suggests asking groomers to leave them alone. Tell the groomer at check-in what you want done with them.
- Eyes: hair at the inner corners and over the eyes shortened
- Muzzle: the beard and lip hair neatened
- Ears: the edges and the hair at the base tidied
- Not included: ear canals, eye problems or a new head shape
How often
Book the face trim halfway between full grooms, and sooner if the beard goes swimming
On a six-week full-groom cycle the face trim fits around week three; on an eight-week cycle, around week four. Watch the eyes rather than the calendar, though: the right moment is when hair starts touching the eye or crusting at the corners. Dogs that swim at Gloucester's beaches in the cold months, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days at the time of writing, come home with salt and sand in the beard, which is a reason to keep it shorter through the winter.
From April to November, the face and ears are also where ticks turn up after a walk at Ravenswood or in Dogtown Common, and a shorter face makes the evening tick check quicker. A face trim does not replace that check, but it gives you a clear view of the skin around the eyes, the muzzle and the base of the ears, which is where you most want to see.
- 01
Week 0: full groom, with the face shaped as part of the haircut
- 02
Weeks 1 and 2: wipe under the eyes daily and dry the beard after meals
- 03
Week 3: book the $10 face trim, with a bath if the coat needs one
- 04
Weeks 4 and 5: keep wiping, and comb the beard and ear edges every few days
- 05
Week 6: the next full groom, rebooked at pick-up for $5 off
Price
A face trim is $10 on top of a bath, or added to a daycare day
The face trim costs $10 whatever the size of the dog. It goes onto a bath, which is $55 up to 25 pounds, $65 to 50 pounds, $75 to 90 pounds, $85 over 90 and $95 for an extra-large dog with long hair, so a grubby face leaves clean as well as tidy. If your dog comes to daycare, ask the front desk to add the trim when you book the day, after the free evaluation. A full service already shapes the face as part of the haircut, so the trim is for the weeks between.
Other small add-ons pair with it well. A $10 sanitary trim keeps the rear tidy on the same schedule, and $10 teeth brushing helps a beard that smells of breath as much as of dinner. Nail clipping is $16. Whitening, an $8 shampoo, brightens a white face that has stained. Unlimited daycare members take 15 percent off grooming, and rebooking at pick-up takes $5 off the next service.
| Pair it with | Base price | Face trim |
|---|---|---|
| Bath, up to 25 lb | $55 | +$10 |
| Bath, 26 to 50 lb | $65 | +$10 |
| Bath, 51 to 90 lb | $75 | +$10 |
| Bath, over 90 lb | $85, or $95 with long hair | +$10 |
| Full daycare day | $42 | +$10, ask when booking |
| Half daycare day | $33 | +$10, ask when booking |
At home
Between trims, a damp cloth and a comb do the daily work on the face
The AKC's advice for the face is simple: groom the fur away from the eyes and clean under them with a soft, moist cloth twice a day. Comb the beard after meals and squeeze it dry, so food and water do not sit against the skin. A fine comb at the eye corners, used gently, finishes the job. Scissors near a dog's eyes at home are how faces get nicked when the dog moves its head, so leave the cutting for the table.
Some changes are not a grooming job. If staining appears suddenly, if an eye is red or half closed, if the discharge changes, or if your dog keeps pawing at its face, call your vet before you book a trim. Gloucester lists local emergency veterinary offices on the city website, and Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is open 24 hours. Our white dog grooming page covers tear and saliva staining in more depth.
- Twice a day: a soft, moist cloth under the eyes (AKC)
- After meals: comb the beard and squeeze it dry
- Every few days: a fine comb at the eye corners and ear edges
- Never: scissors near the eyes at home
At Dogtown
Where a face trim fits
On a bath day in the studio, or alongside a day of play in your dog's daycare group.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Will you trim my dog's whiskers?
Can I book a face trim on its own?
Will a face trim get rid of tear stains?
How is a face trim different from the face on a full groom?
Can you clean or pluck my dog's ears during a face trim?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- VCA: epiphora (tear overflow) in dogs
- AKC: why do dogs have whiskers, and do they need them?
- AKC: expert tips on grooming feet, eyes and ears
- Gloucester beaches: dog seasons
- City of Gloucester: local emergency veterinary offices
- Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Add a $10 face trim
Book it with a bath, or ask us to add it to your dog's next daycare day. No evaluation needed for grooming.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
