By Amanda Aaron
In this tutorial, we have an overgrown Bichon Frisé that has retired from the AKC confirmation show ring. We are putting him into a moderate pet trim with an Asian style–inspired headpiece to let him enjoy going longer in between grooming sessions.
Fig 1) After a thorough blow out and brushing, use a clipper comb of your choosing to set the length on the body.
Fig 2) Starting a few fingers behind the shoulders, using the same comb length, clip all of the way to the base of the tail.
Fig 3) Clip off everything on the back thigh to the rear of the lower thigh.
Fig 4) Clip the hair off to the elbow at the top of the front legs.
Fig 5) Using a #9 blade, clip off the hair at the throat in about a one– inch–wide band.
Fig 6) Using a clipper comb that is a length or two shorter than what was used on the body, clip the hair starting at the throat down to the bottom of the chest.
Fig 7) Next, using the shear of your choice, trim the underline to give it a neat appearance.
Fig 8) Lift the front leg and pull it forward. Trim off the hair that falls down in a straight line.
Fig 9) Lifting the tail onto the back, scissor the tail in.
Fig 10) Lift the back leg up and stretch it comfortably backwards. Trim the hair at the fullest point on the knee in a rounded fashion into the tuck–up.
Fig 11) Scissor the legs to blend into the body to the shape of your liking. For this trim, a moderate column shape is desired.
Fig 12) To give the back leg some angulation, set your shears at the shortest point at the bottom of the lower thigh and trim off a straight line to the hock.
Fig 13) Lift up the opposite leg and trim in a straight line down from the top of the inside thigh to the bottom of the foot.
Fig 14) Trim all feet round. It’s easiest to use curved shears for this.
Fig 15) Scissor–blend the legs. You may choose to do a more flared Asian style if that is your preference.
Fig 16) Stacking the dog, trim the chest of any excess hair.
Fig 17) Go over the rest of your dog with the shear of your choosing for a nice finished look.
Fig 18) Carefully clip underneath the eyes to remove any
extra hair.
Fig 19) Next, set the length on the chin, being careful not to trim too much off.
Fig 20) Holding the ear leather, carefully trim the ear as short as you can.
Fig 21) Once the ear length is set, put it back in place and trim the back half of the ear in a rounded fashion into the back of the head.
Fig 22) Round off the top of the head. Curved shears are best for this.
Fig 23) Comb all of the tiny hairs on the lips forward. Using tiny curved shears, reverse the shear to trim the hair away from the mouth.
Fig 24) Holding each ear up, trim into the cheek to separate the look of the ear from the rest of
the head.
Fig 25) Then, using straight shears, go back over your line to give it a crisp, sharp look.
Fig 26) Comb all of the muzzle hair up and, using a straight shear, trim it straight across.
Fig 27) Comb the hair by the nose forward and trim that hair for a softer look using thinning shears.
Fig 28) Comb the hair above the eyes forward. Trim this round so the longest point is right in the middle of the eyes and the shortest points are at the outside corner of each eye.
Fig 29) Pulling the head forward, trim the crest hair to a moderate length.
Take a step back and enjoy this handsome older boy with his flashy new trim! ✂️