Taming a curly barnett!!

[dillydo]

Hi there
looking for hints n tips on how to 'tame' Dillons curly head  

Dillon is solid black (yes I no thick curly coat, but lucky it's just his legs and head,)2 years old and still has his 'pompoms'  

For the last 12 months I've clipped him myself (it's easier than taking him to the groomers who didnt take any notice of what I said   ), now my clippers are broke, so I've decided to give hand stripping and scissoring a go. My question is how's best to tame Dills curly bonce, if I use thinning scissors or clippers, he ends up with 'Dennis Healey' eye brows and they just stick out   so how short should his hair be if it's stripped, does it have to be a cetain length to get a smooth look.
I think his coat would strip easily, it looks frizzy and dull and there's hair every where.
In desperate need of info ''PLEASE''  

Any ideas please!

[spanielcrazy]

At this point, since he has been clipped for a year, you may not be able to handstrip.    If you are able to do it (and heads can be difficult, even on dogs who have not been clipped) it is done pretty short; not as short as the muzzle but shorter than the body

I would just continue clipping if it were me  I do heads with a #7 or #8 1/2. Then I take the thinning shears and, going in the direction that the hair grows, remove the eyebrows 

[dillydo]

Thank you

Didn't realise the head was stripped so short    It looks longer in some cocker photos
May have to continue with the clippering, dont think Dillons going to take to me plucking his head anyway.
Just put me rubber glove on to give stripping a go and, he's run off disgusted with me when I've got near his  head 

At least Im not buzzing at him like I do with me clippers.

I will crack this grooming lark, even if it means I have to get the lil monster in a head lock gggrrrrrr

[jann]

You can get quite a good result with just thinning scissors on the head and eyebrows,  just cut in the way the hair grows like  spanielcrazy said, and don't be afraid to cut plenty off to give a smooth effect 

[dillydo]

Ok, so by the sound of it then I need to be a little bit more thinning scissor happy then what I have been 
I take it then the same applies to the ears as well?? It's all starting to sink in......I think 
Ok, everyone stand back, I have my scissors at the ready, I'm going in 

Thanks for the help

[dillydo]

BIG thank you to spaniel crazy and jann for the tips on taming Dillons curly barrnett.
Here is the result. I've thined his head and top of ears with thinning scissors. Result, a nice smooth head.  
I've also taken other advice from various other posts. Clipped his body with a guard on the blade so he looks similar to hand stripping, then I've used the thinning scissors again on his legs and feathers . Result a more tidier dog that resembles a cocker spaniel.

[bajoleth]

He looks great Well done you

[SandraD]

He looks very smart, well done you.

[vixen]

  I think Dillon looks really good 
You should be proud of yourself.
I wish though you had included a 'before' picture so we could have compared 
I wanted to see the 'curly barnet'
Well done 

[jann]

Aw well done, he looks fantastic

Dillon is a very handsome young man 
 

[6thSense]

Awwwww, bless him. He looks lovely.  You've done a fantastic job. 

[spanielcrazy]

Well done, he looks fantastic! 

In the second pic it looks like he is saying "Aw, thank you, was nothing, really"   

[dillydo]

Thanks every one, I do feel very proud of my self  

However, after spending an hour at the stables 'hunting' those dirty rats, I am now trying to untangle hay and straw from his coat  

Unfortunatley the before piccies I took didnt work out, but to give you some idea, he looked like a poodle with a pom pom on his head.