LESSON GROUP 4

CONTENTS

LESSON: STYLIZED CURLY HAIRCUTS

INTRODUCTION

The majority of pets dog groomers will see are curly-coated.  So many pure-bred and mixed breeds have curly coats, and these curly coats require a lot of upkeep.  Customers with curly-coated dogs can be some of your best customers.  This lesson will examine the purebred dog from the non-sporting group, the Bichon Frise.  We will also go over grooming “Doodles.”  Doodles include a variety of very popular mixed breeds, such as Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, Bernadoodles, and more.  People can mix about any breed with a Poodle and develop a mixed breed known as a “Doodle.”  We will also review a few techniques for curly-coated breeds and mixes you will run into. As you groom, you will start to notice what styles and trims will look best on dogs based on their structure, personality, and coat type.

OBJECTIVE

When you complete this lesson, you’ll be able to

  • Properly groom a Bichon in a pet style.
  • Properly groom a Doodle in a pet style.
  • Properly groom various mixed breed curly coated dogs in a cute pet style.

Dog breeds from a few of the AKC groups have curly coats.  From the Toy Group, you will find Havanese (some are curlier than others) and the Toy Poodle.  The Non-Sporting Group has the Bichon, Miniature and Standard Poodle, and the Coton De Tulear (which may or may not have a curly coat.)  There are also many popular mixed breeds with curly coats.

FIGURE WITH IMAGES OF THE MENTIONED BREEDS AND A FEW CURLY MIXES OR GOLDENDOODLE

LESSON: BICHON IN A PET STYLE

Before learning about the Bichon groom, it is best to go to the AKC website and read the breed standard for the Bichon. http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/BichonFrise.pdf  Even though we will be focusing on a pet style right now, knowing the breed standard is helpful and will help you be able to communicate with an owner about how they want their Bichon trimmed.  Note mastering the Bichon head style takes time to learn and can be frustrating to groomers, so pay close attention to this part.  Bichons do not have the same ear style as poodles; they blend into the head.

  1. Bathe the dog.  Since the Bichon is a white dog, some salons will have you use shampoo to help brighten the coat.  You will want to use a light conditioner on a curly dog like a Bichon.
  2. Dry the dog; using a high-velocity dryer, you will want to get the dog 90% or so dry, moving slowly with the dryer to get the coat as straight as possible. Finish drying the bichon with a fluff dryer.
  3. Do the prep work on the Bichon: trim the nails, trim the hair in the pads of the feet, and trim the sanitary area.
  4. Most pet Bichon owners will not want a crest on their pet as it’s hard to maintain and tends to get tangled and damaged from wearing a collar.

FIGURE IMAGE BICHON WITH AND WITHOUT CREST

  1. Clip the body using the blade or guard comb length that the dog owner requests. Anything from a #4F blade to a #2 or #1 guard comb often looks nice on a pet bichon body.  Trim from the neck to the tail, down the dog’s rear to where the leg bends, the sides of the body, and the underside.

FIGURE VIDEO: CLIPPING PET BICHON BODY

  1. Clip or scissor the legs, depending on the owner’s length preference. If this is a short pet trim, you will probably want to clip the legs using one or two lengths longer than you took on the body.  You will want to scissor the legs if it’s a more extended pet trim.  Round the feet using curved scissors.
  2. Brush the tail, and use thinning shears to blend into the body where it attaches. Do not trim the end of the tail shorter unless the owner requests it.

FIGURE VIDEO: CLIPPING & SCISSORING BICHON PET LEGS

  1. Trim the corners of the eyes with a #30 blade and under the nose with a #40 blade.

 

FIGURE IMAGE OF CLIPPED BICHON EYES/UNDER NOSE/ABOVE LIP

 

  1. Comb all the hair forward on the top of the Bichon’s head towards the eyes. Using curved shears, holding them in reverse with the curve toward the eyes, trim in front of the eye towards the outer corner of the eye and repeat on the other side. There should be a bevel left between the eyes that rounds up to the head, and above the eyes, rounds up onto the head.  Comb everything forward again and repeat the steps, catching any missed pieces.
  2. Comb all the chin hair down and trim to about one to a half inches.
  3. Clip a “V” at the dog’s neck area, starting two fingers above the breast bone using whatever length you used on the body but in reverse.
  4. Fluff the entire head and sides of the face-up and out. Note on the ears where the ear leather stops, and be careful not to cut it. Using curved shears, you will shorten around the head; the ears should blend into the rest of the head.  When looking at the head, the eyes and nose should be black dots in the center of the circle.
  5. As you scissor the head, it can be helpful to hold the head up and forward by placing your hand under the dog’s neck setting it in the curve between your thumb and fingers, and using your thumb and fingers to prop the head and ears forward just a bit. If the owners have opted for a short crest, blend this area into the body; if not, blend the head into the neck on the back of the neck.
  6. Tidy up the head and neck area using thinning shears; you can also use thinning shears to blend the ears into the head more.

 

FIGURE VIDEO TRIMMING THE BICHON PET HEAD

 

Many variations can be done on a pet Bichon groom.  If you are grooming one relatively short, it can be helpful to clip the outside of the ear with a #2, #1, or #0 guard comb to help blend them into the head and get the head short enough without risking nicking the ear leather while scissoring it.  You can also use a long guard comb on the head, such as an A or E guard, instead of scissoring it.  Some owners will want long, poodle-like ears on their Bichon, so you must be clear when discussing how they want their dog groomed.

FIGURE  IMAGES OF A VARIETY OF BICHON HAIRCUTS

 

LESSON:  DOODLE HAIRCUTS

You may have figured out by now there are quite a few different mixed-breed dogs known as “Doodles.”  Here are some examples:

Golden Retriever Mixed with a Standard Poodle = Goldendoodle

Labrador Retriever Mixed with a Standard Poodle = Labradoodle

Bernese Mountain Dog Mixed with a Standard Poodle = Bernadoodle

Old English Sheepdog Mixed with a Standard Poodle = Sheepadoodle

Schnauzer mixed with a Miniature Poodle = Schnoodle

Australian Shepherd mixed with a Standard Poodle = Aussiedoodle

Sometimes the poodle is a tiny Standard Poodle or a Miniature Poodle, and these mixes may have the word “mini” before the doodle name.

[SIDEBAR] WIN  THE TRUTH ABOUT DOODLES

These doodle mixes are currently trendy.  They are often sold as being hypoallergenic, non-shedding, and low maintenance.  All three of these claims are, for the most part, untrue (once in a while one will end up having a low-maintenance coat, but the lower maintenance, less curly coat sheds a lot.)  Some doodle owners want them long and fluffy.  With these owners, it’s essential to encourage them to get their dogs in on a regular schedule.  Unfortunately, many are not told this by the breeders and think they don’t need to be groomed regularly, and they eventually come into the salon matted to the skin and need a shave down.

Groomers must have this knowledge about doodles ahead of time so they can be prepared when this occurs and help encourage owners to get their dogs groomed regularly and avoid becoming matted.

FIGURE IMAGE MATTED DOODLE

[END SIDEBAR]

 

There are two types of doodle coats, curly and rough wavy coats.

FIGURE IMAGE OF BOTH TYPES OF COATS

GROOMING THE CURLY DOODLE COAT

  1. Bathe the dog, and use a light conditioner after shampooing.
  2. Dry the dog; using a high-velocity dryer, you will want to get the dog 90% or so dry, moving slowly with the dryer to get the coat as straight as possible. Finish drying the doodle with a fluff dryer.
  3. Do the prep work on the doodle: trim the nails, trim the hair in the pads of the feet, and trim the sanitary area.
  4. Clip the body to the desired length; some owners will want them short all over, and others say long all over; many turn out beautiful when their body is clipped with a long blade or guard comb, and the legs are clipped two steps longer than the body.
  5. Trim the tail according to owner preference.
  6. Clip the legs as the owner requests.
  7. Trim the feet using curved shears.
  8. Trim the face and head. If the legs were groomed longer than the body using the same length used on the legs or one step longer, it often looks excellent on doodle heads and faces. If the legs were trimmed to the same length as the body, go one or two steps up for the face and head.  You don’t want to leave the head and face too long, or the dog will look out of proportion.

[SIDEBAR]

FAST FACT

Doodle owners say, “don’t make my dog look like a poodle.”  One of the best ways to keep a doodle from looking like a poodle is to clip the ears short.  They don’t have to be shaved but clipped short with a guard comb, look stylish, and are nothing like a poodle.

[END SIDEBAR]

GROOMING THE WIRE/WAVY DOODLE COAT

  1. Bathe the dog, and use a light conditioner after shampooing. If the doodle has a harsh coat, you can use a rake while the dog is shampooed to help remove excess undercoat.
  2. Dry the dog; using a high-velocity dryer, you will want to get the dog 90% or so dry, moving slowly with the dryer to get the coat as straight as possible. Finish drying the doodle with a fluff dryer.
  3. Do the prep work on the doodle: trim the nails, trim the hair in the pads of the feet, and trim the sanitary area.
  4. Rake out the body to remove the undercoat.
  5. Trim the body with a long guard comb if the owner desires. Oftentimes, these doodles only need an outline trim.  If that is the preference, trim the dog’s outline using thinning or blending shears.
  6. Trim the tail according to owner preference.
  7. Trim the legs; if you used a guard comb on the body, use a longer one on the legs; if you did an outline trim, lightly tidy the legs using thinning or blending shears.
  8. Trim round feet using thinning or blending shears.
  9. Trim the face and head using thinning or blending shears.

FIGURE VIDEO GROOMING WIRE/WAVY COATED DOODLE

GROOMING THE CURLY MIXED BREED

You will see various curly mixed-breed dogs in a grooming salon.

  1. Bathe the dog, and use a light conditioner after shampooing.
  2. Dry the dog; using a high-velocity dryer, you will want to get the dog 90% or so dry, moving slowly with the dryer to get the coat as straight as possible. Finish drying the dog with a fluff dryer.
  3. Do the prep work on the dog: trim the nails, trim the hair in the pads of the feet, and trim the sanitary area.
  4. Trim the body to the length the customer requests. Often if they want a shorter style, a 4-guard comb looks nice, or they go longer from there based on the discussion with the owner.
  5. Trim the tail according to owner preference. Some tails will be docked short, while others will be long.
  6. Trim the legs; if you use a guard comb on the body, use a longer one on the legs or scissor them.
  7. Trim round feet using curved shears.
  8. Trim the face and head to the owner’s specifications. If they’ve decided they want a short body style, it’s often good to go one length longer on the top of the head and sides of the face and then to scissor the muzzle round.

FIGURE VIDEO GROOMING A CURLY MIXED BREED

 

 

LESSON: POODLE HAIRCUTS

OBJECTIVES

When you complete this lesson, you’ll be able to

  • Properly groom poodle feet, face, and tails
  • Properly groom a poodle in a modern pet style
  • Properly groom a poodle in a pet German Trim
  • Properly groom a poodle using corrective grooming techniques.

 

INTRODUCTION

The Poodle is probably the main reason pet groomers came into being many years ago.  They are the go-to breed people think of when they think about dog grooming.  Poodles come in three sizes: Standard, Miniature, and Toy.  This lesson will cover Poodle prep, such as shaving the face and feet.  We will look at grooming a poodle in a stylized pet-length style. Grooming a poodle in a German Trim (an excellent choice for pet poodles!) We will also go over grooming a poodle using corrective grooming techniques.

For all Poodle grooming, you will begin the first three steps as you have with the other breeds and mixes.

  1. Bathe the dog, and use a light conditioner after shampooing.
  2. Dry the dog; using a high-velocity dryer, you will want to get the dog 90% or so dry, moving slowly with the dryer to get the coat as straight as possible. Finish drying the poodle with a fluff dryer, stretch drying, and get the coat 100% dry and as straight as possible.
  3. Do the prep work on the doodle: trim the nails, trim the hair in the pads of the feet, and trim the sanitary area.

 

POODLE FEET

When trimming poodle feet, the idea is to remove ALL the hair from the entire foot up to the base of the metacarpal bones. The poodle’s foot is shaved against the grain of the hair growth.  When working on a dark-colored poodle, you will want to use a #30 on the feet unless the dog has sensitive skin, so you go up one length to a #15 blade.  If you are grooming a light-colored poodle, it’s best to start with a #15 or #10 blade, as they tend to have more sensitive skin.  Once you are used to grooming poodles and have a lighter hand trimming poodle feet, you can clip them with a shorter blade to get a better finish.  Show poodles’ feet are usually trimmed with a #40 blade. Start with the pads and underside of the feet, holding the poodle the same way you hold the feet as you do when trimming nails.  Clip out inside of the center of the pad, then trip up the back of the metacarpal pad to the base of the metacarpal bones (these feel like joints on the inside and outside of the foot.) This is where the foot bends.

Next, trim from the underside of the sides of the feet to the base of the metacarpal bones and then trim from the underside of the digital pads in reverse from the nail bed down the entire toe, being careful not to catch the webbing between the toes in your clippers.  Repeat the trimming of the underside of the poodle feet on all four feet.

Move onto clipping the tops of the poodle feet.  Trim the foot in reverse to the same base of the metacarpal bones you trimmed the underside and sides of the feet to.  Now trim in reverse from the tops of the nail beds back to the top of the foot.

FIGURE VIDEO TRIMMING POODLE FEET UNDERSIDE AND TOP

Once all four feet are trimmed, you will want to go ahead and trim the bevels where the hair meets the area you clipped to on the poodle feet.  There are two ways to do this.  One is to comb the leg hair straight down, hold it to the area you clipped the feet to, and use a clipper with a #40 blade trim straight to the bottom of the metacarpal bone.  The other way to clip bevels is to comb the leg hair straight down, hold it to the area you clipped the feet to, and use scissors to go around shaping the bevel.

FIGURE VIDEO TRIMMING BEVELS BOTH WAYS

POODLE FACE

The traditional poodle face is shaved in reverse of the hair growth.  A #10 to a #40 blade is recommended to trim poodle faces. For beginner groomers, when clipping the face of a darker-colored poodle, it’s safest to start with a #15 and, for a light-colored poodle, a #10.

Start with clipping the “V” at the poodle’s neck, about two or so inches from the breast bone.  Another way to measure where to start the “V” is to gently bend the poodle’s nose down to the neck and begin the “V” at that point.  Clip in reverse up to the end of the chin.  The sides of the “V” go from the bottom part where the ear attaches to the head and meet up with the “V” at the neck.

For the sides of the face, imagine a line from where the top part of the ear attaches to the poodle’s head to the outer corner of the eye.  This is where the face is clipped, and the topknot begins.  Clip in reverse.  Clip the corners of the eyes in reverse to the nose and the bridge of the nose. Clip an inverted “V” in between the eyes. Clip the cheeks in reverse.  For the lips and flews you will pull the lips and skin back taught and CAREFULLY clipped in reverse around the lips and flews.  To get this area tidy, you will need to use a #30 or #40 blade.

POODLE TOPKNOTS

The top knot is a focal point in a poodle trim.  It will take practice to groom a poodle topknot just right.  You begin by combing the hair on top of the head forward, then using curved shears, align the scissors from the top of the ear where it attaches to the skull and the tips pointing towards the outer corner of the eye and trim, leaving a slight bevel, repeats on the other side.  Comb forward again, double-check your work, and trim the front of the topknot, leaving a slight bevel.

Comb all of the hair over to one side above one ear, using the curves; in reverse, being careful you have not caught the ear in them, trim above the ear at a slight angle outward.  Repeat on the other side.

Comb all the hair up, trim the top of the topknot using the curved shears, and blend it into the back of the neck.

FIGURE VIDEO POODLE TOPKNOT

POODLE IN A MODERN PET STYLE

  1. Complete the bathing, drying, prep, feet, and face steps.
  2. Clip the body to the customer’s desired length.
  3. For a more stylish groom, it looks best to leave the legs two or more guard comb lengths longer than you clipped the body or to hand scissor them. Some pet owners will ask for them to be clipped to the same length as the body, so it’s best to get clarification from the poodle’s owner.
  4. Trim the tail. To set the line where you start the pom on the end of the tail, hold the tail down and start clipping in reverse where it meets the poodle’s rectum.  If the tail is low set, you can clip it into a “v” where it meets the body to make the tail appear more set up on the dog.  If the tail has been docked to the correct length, which is longer than many pet poodle’s tails are docked, you will have plenty of tail to allow the pom to be trimmed to the end of the tail; this allows the tail to hold the pom and keeps it from being floppy off the end of the tail.

[SIDEBAR]

[FAST FACT]

Poodle tails, when docked correctly, only have one-third of the tail removed when they are a puppy.

[END SIDEBAR]

If the tail has been docked too short, you may have to trim the end of the poodle’s pom an inch or more past the end of the tail.  Either way, trim the end of the tail, then comb it all back towards the body, and scissor around at the same area you clipped the tail in reverse.  Shake the tail and round the edge around the middle of the pom.

FIGURE VIDEO TRIMMING A POODLE POM TAIL

  1. For modern poodle grooms, the ears are left long, trim the bottom of the ears are according to what the customer requests.
  2. Look over the dog, combing and brushing, to find any missed spots.

POODLE IN A PET GERMAN TRIM

For the pet German trim, you will start with the exact steps you see with the Modern Pet Poodle Style, with a few variations.

  1. The tail on a poodle in a German Trim is trimmed into a short tail, trimmed up the back of the tail with a #5F or #4 F blade for longer body trims, and a #7F if the body was groomed short. Comb the hair to one side, trim from the end of the tail, to the base of the tail, angling out from the base of the tail, and repeat on the other side.  Comb the hair on top of the tail up and tidy, blending into the body.  This type of tail resembles a carrot.
  2. The ears on a poodle in a German Trim are clipped short. Use a #15 or #30 on the inside of the ear, and balance the blade or guard comb used on the outside of the ear with what you used to clip the body.  If the body was clipped short, perhaps the length of a #2 guard comb or shorter, clip the outside of the ear shot with a #10 or #7F blade; if the body is left longer, consider using the same length used on the body on the outside of the ear.

The German Trim can be an excellent option for pet owners whose poodle’s ears keep getting matted and for poodles who are prone to ear infections.  The shaved ears work great for owners of male poodles who fear them being made to look too feminine.

 

[SIDEBAR]

FAST FACT  THE “FANCY” POODLE TRIMS ORIGINATED WITH A PURPOSE

Many people don’t realize it, but the fancier poodle trims with pom poms were developed to serve a purpose.  Standard Poodles are retrieving water dogs.  They needed protection from the cold water, but if all of their hair were left on their bodies, it would weigh them down in the water.  Poms were left on their joints, the jacket was left full on their chest, and their topknot was left full on their head.  The poms kept the poodle’s joints warm while the jacket and topknot protected the dog’s vital organs.

FIGURE IMAGE OF A DOG IN A CONTENTINAL TRIM

[END SIDEBAR]

 

CORRECTIVE GROOMING TECHNIQUES: POODLE

The poodle is a trendy dog for people to own.  When a breed is in high demand, a variety of people will breed them.  Unfortunately, many breeders do not focus on breeding to have puppies that conform to the breed’s standard.  Because of this, your typical pet poodle will have structural faults.  They may have a neck that is exceptionally curved or convex; this is called a ewe neck.  The dog may be bow-legged, and their hocks may turn out (or in.)  The poodle is supposed to have a level topline, but their back has a significant dip in many poodles. Many poodles have short necks because the point of the shoulder is too far forward.  This is also known as having a steep shoulder.  The point of the shoulder is supposed to be directly above the elbow.

When possible, you can correct these faults by leaving or removing hair.  Some customers will appreciate a groomer’s skill in hiding faults.

EWE NECK

When grooming a poodle with a ewe neck, starting the “V” of the neck just above where it starts to curve back is essential.  This helps to avoid accentuating how curved the neck is.

CROOKED LEGS

Fixing legs that are bowed, turned in, or turned out is pretty simple.  You will want to scissor the legs rather than using a clipper blade or guard comb.  When you use a blade or guard comb, it follows the shape of the leg, clipping the hair to a specific length.  This is great for dogs whose legs are correct, but when crooked, you can hand scissor them so they appear straight.  This means some areas will be short while others are longer, but they will appear to be the same.

DIP IN TOPLINE

A dip in a poodle’s topline is a widespread fault to see.  It’s also simple to fix, and even if the poodle’s owner wants a short haircut, you can still fill in a dip in a topline by leaving hair; it will look better than doing no correction at all.  To fix a dip in a topline, you find the point at which the dip levels out toward the dog’s rear.  Clip from this point to the tail using the blade length the customers requested.  From that point forward, use straight shears, and scissors in the level topline.  Drop about one or two inches from the topline and clip the side of the dog’s body.  Then use curved shears to blend the side into the topline, finishing with thinning shears for the final blending.

SHORT NECK

When correcting a short neck, the goal is to make it appear longer.  You will want to start the “V” for the neck a bit lower than usual, at the breastbone or just a little above it, rather than 2 or 3-finger widths up.  Next, you will want to take the sides of the neck a step shorter than clipping the rest of the body.  Finally, you will want to leave the topknot a little longer and taller on top than you usually would.  These steps will help make the dog’s neck appear longer.

FIGURE IMAGE OF A DOG WITH A SHORT NECK, MARKED WHERE THE POINT OF THE SHOULDER IS (RED) AND WHERE IT SHOULD BE (GREEN)

LESSON: HAND-SCISSORED STYLES

INTRODUCTION

Hand-scissoring most of a dog doesn’t often happen in a grooming salon, but it’s important to understand the techniques required to perform a hand-scissored groom so you are prepared when one arrives.

Hand-scissored styles don’t only occur with curly-coated breeds.  We will be covering hand scissoring a Bichon Frise in show coat and hand scissoring a drop coat breed such as a Shih-Tzu or Havanese.  We will also use hand scissoring techniques to hide structural issues on a dog.

OBJECTIVES

When you complete this lesson, you’ll be able to

  • Properly hand scissors a curly breed
  • Properly hand scissor a drop coat breed

[SIDEBAR]

FAST FACT

Thumb strength can be a real issue for newer groomers.  Here’s a video with some exercises to strengthen your thumb!

FIGURE VIDEO THUMB EXERCISE

[END SIDEBAR]

Regarding hand-scissoring any breed, the prep work is THE KEY. Do not get in a hurry.  Be sure to get the dog 100% clean and well-rinsed.  It needs to be 100% dry before scissoring the dry and tangle-free.

The prep work will be done in advance for all examples in this lesson.  The dog will be bathed and dried.  The nails, foot pad, and sanitary hair will already be trimmed. Trim the inside corners of the eyes.

The instructions here are for hand-scissoring a mixed-breed curly-coated dog. If you hand-score a purebred dog, you will want to groom them to breed standard.  For example, these directions say to trim a level topline.  If you were grooming a Bedlington Terrier, this would not be the case, as they have a roached topline.  When scissoring purebred dogs, it’s essential to read the breed standard before starting to groom.

HAND SCISSOR CURLY DOG

  1. Start with the rear, and scissor a 45-degree angle at the hip.  Bend the rear leg to note the bend in the leg.  Scissor from the hip to this point to show off the rear angulation of the dog.
  2. Scissor a level topline to the neck area; the stopping point will depend on your plans for the dog’s head. If you don’t plan on leaving a crest, you can take the topline closer to the neck.
  3. Scissor the chest.
  4. Clip under the belly. Even on hand-scissored styles, using a guard comb to clip the underside of the belly is acceptable.  Most of the time, you will want the belly to end at the elbow area.
  5. Scissor the sides of the body. Usually, a curved shear works best for this. Blend the sides into the topline.
  6. Scissor the rear legs to the owner’s preference. Usually, you create a column or shorter leg with a noticeable foot.
  7. Scissor the front legs to the owner’s preference. Again, you will usually create a column leg, where you can’t see a noticeable foot or a shorter leg.
  8. Scissor the head. For curly-coated breeds, sometimes this will be a round style with long ears, round with shaved ears, or round with the ears blended into the head, similar to how a Bichon looks.
  9. Brush and trim the tail to the breed standard or owner preference.

 

HAND SCISSOR DROP COAT BREED

For most drop coat breeds whose owners want them hand-scissored, you will essentially do an outline trim to the desired length.  To do this, you will want to comb all the hair down in the direction it grows.  Trim the underline and around the feet, so the hair isn’t dragging on the ground.  Next, if the owner wants some hair off the legs, lift the back leg up and back, comb everything down, and scissor the hair on the front of the back leg to the desired length.  Repeat on the other back leg.  Next, lift the front leg up and forward, comb all the hair down, and trim the hair on the back of the front leg.  You can also tidy the hair on the back of the hock.  Trim the tail to customer preference.

The owner will want a shorter style on their legs for some drop coat breeds.  In this case, you will trim the underline and then hand scissor each leg.  To scissor the legs, you will comb the hair up and then scissor the legs into columns.  Double-check your work and then tidy the legs using thinning shears.

For most drop coat breeds, you will have one of two ear types; the ears will stand up, like a Yorkshire Terrier, or lie down, like a Shih Tzu.

If the dog has ears that stand up, it can look cute to tip the ends of them by clipping the top 1/3 of the ear with a #15 blade and outlining the edge. They will either have a tied-up topknot or shorter hair on top of the head.  If the hair is tied up, you must comb it to the center of the head and band it.  If not, comb it all forward and trim it before the eyes.  Trim the chin hair to the desired length.  If the ears were tipped, comb all the hair from the middle to the ear and past the ear.  Fold the ear in half, with the hair, and trim the hair past the ear to the desired length.  Repeat on the other side.  Comb the chin hair down and hair on the side of the face out, and remove what stands out between what you trimmed on the ears and the chin, creating a nice round face.

If the dog has ears that lie down, comb them down and trim them to the desired length.  Remember, hair grows about one-half an inch a month, so if an owner has their dog groomed monthly and likes what you’ve been doing, you will remove a one-half inch of length from the ear.  The dog will either have a tied-up topknot or shorter hair on top of the head.  When drop coat breeds are often left long, they will have a topknot.  If they do, comb and band the topknot.  If there are eyebrows, trim them. Hopefully, they are grown out and go into the topknot.  Blend the chin hair into the body with thinning shears.  If the dog doesn’t have a topknot, backcomb, and thinning, shear the top and sides of the face to the desired length and use thinning shears to blend the chin hair to the body.

The last step to hand-scissoring a drop coat breed is to comb through the hair one more time, paying attention to areas where it’s easy to miss tangles, such as the armpits and groin area of the dog.  Checking these last will allow you to find any tangles you may have created while handling the dog to groom it.