15 Awesome Examples of Creative Dog Grooming

Just about every skill, trade, or craft has some sort of competition allowing people to measure themselves against others in their field. No joke—even that tattooed chick who makes your non-fat extra-dry soy latte every day has a chance to compete in the Regional, National, or World Barista Championships held every year. So it’s no surprise that there are dog-grooming competitions. Heck, the lady who grooms my dog regularly competes in them. If you win, it’s great advertising.

However, it was only recently that I became aware of such a thing as creative dog grooming competitions. This is where groomers just let their imaginations (and clippers and hair dye) run wild, transforming unsuspecting pooches into just about everything under the sun. It’s crazy, so obviously I had to do a list of amazing examples of creative dog grooming. Hold on to your socks, because they are about to get rocked by 15 examples of pure awesomeness.

15. Forest Scene Doggie Hairdo

From what I can tell, this poodle’s hair has been cut and died to resemble a hodgepodge scene of various flora and fauna. Obviously there are sunflowers on the hind quarters, some butterflies, and I think that’s a frog up there on the head. It’s a little too psychedelic for my taste, but pretty impressive workmanship.

14. Giraffe Cut

This is a pretty good likeness of a giraffe. All that’s missing (thankfully) is the elongated neck.

13. Arrrrrrrrrrruff

True story: this dog is taking over for Johnny Depp in the next Pirates of the Caribbean flick, Pirates of the Caribbean 8: Jack Sparrow Gets Turned Into A Dog By A Sexy Witch Doctor. He will be paid $8 million, which is chump change.

12. Chickoodle

I should mention at this point that four of the examples of creative dog grooming on this list are the same pooch—a poodle named Cindy who appears at #15, #12, #5 and #1. Cindy’s owner runs a pet grooming business in California. She assures everyone that the dog loves all the attention her funky hairstyles bring her, and that she only has to go around looking like a weirdo for a couple of hours during the competition before her hair is cropped short again. (I imagine that is the case for most or all of the dogs pictured here; people would probably think you’re a little nuts if you walked your dog around the neighborhood looking like a pirate.)

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11. Dragon Dog

This one is a personal favorite of mine because I think the dog looks kind of bad-ass. It’s really not even that complicated. Just let your poodle’s hair grow out a bit, carve some spikes into the back, and have a little fun with some hair spray paint. However, please do some research to check that the paint you’re using isn’t harmful to fido.

10. Panda Dog

It’s a scientific fact that Pandas are the cutest bears. (Koala’s do not count because, taxonomically speaking, they’re not actually bears but marsupials.) So if you want to turn your dog into a bear, this is definitely the way to go.

9. Buffalo Dog

American Bison, or American Buffalo as they are more commonly called, used to roam the plains of North America in herds of hundreds and sometimes thousands. Then white settlers moved in and were like, “hey, get all these Buffalo out of here.” Today I think you’re more likely to see a dog that looks like a Buffalo than the real thing.

8. The Safari Cut

I get why you would make your dog look like a lion. A lions is a majestic creature you would just love to give a big old hug around the neck—if doing so didn’t pose a 95% chance of death and/or dismemberment. But if you make your dog look like a lion, you can cuddle with the king of the jungle till your heart’s content. What I don’t get is why you would make your dog look like an awesome lion, then carve a zebra head onto its back leg. Right?

7. The Moo and Woof

I like the simplicity of this cut. And hey, finally we have a creative haircut on a dog that I can definitively say is not a poodle. In fact, somewhat ironically, this appears to be some sort of herding dog. Bonus points!

6. The Dog and Pony Show

Clever grooming, or a parent’s cruel response to a little girl’s request for a pony?

5. Pac-Man Dog

Now we’re getting to the creme de la creme of creative dog haircuts. This amazing Pac-Man haircut just raises a plethora of wonderful possibilities: Mario haircuts, Donkey Kong haircuts, Tetris haircuts, Halo haircuts, Grand Theft Auto haircuts, Madden NFL ’11 haircuts… Really, the sky’s the limit.

4. Mr. Grinch

If you make the family dog into the Grinch, then I guess you’d have to make the family hamster into the Grinch’s loyal dog, Max. Just don’t make the hamster pull any sleds like Max does in the classic Dr. Seuss story or you’ll have the Humane Society all over you. Trust me.

3. Canine Skeleton

Here’s a great one for halloween, and one of the more creative cuts I have seen. The only thing that bothers me about this picture is that I cannot figure out how on Earth this dog is suspended in the air. It looks like he’s standing on a table, but obviously he’s not. The woman must be holding him up with her other hand, but how?

2. Gridiron Dog

What really makes this hairdo work is the muzzle acting as a facemask. It just ties the whole thing together. Also, you have to appreciate the irony of a tribute to one of the NFL’s most legendarily tough franchises, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the form of one of the world’s most frou-frou dogs, the standard poodle.

1. Hero in a Fluffy Half Shell

Here’s another incredible doggie hairdo sported by Cindy the poodle. And there is just no room for debate here. How could this spectacular tribute to the pizza-loving crime-fighting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles not be the #1 most amazing example of creative dog grooming?