In this view, you can see that I left a "ledge" over the eyes. This is a very important characteristic of the breed profile. On subsequent visits, however, the owners requested that I shorten even this. You also see there is no extra hair left on the neck. The neck "crest" that is usually present on a show profile gives the arched neck and "attitude" to the Bichon. It was difficult for my artistic self to let go of the neck crest, but it was easy for my customer pleasing self. The owners don't miss it at all!
Operational details: This style was accomplished using the Laube iVac clipper with a Wahl metal snap-on comb. The peach-colored one. The front was clipped straight down and under the chest and the whole underside. The body was clipped from the back of the head, down the sides, and the rear legs were done in a Schnauzer pattern, leaving more in front of the back legs, which was then scissored. The front of the front legs is taken short, and a little more left on the backs of the forelegs and scissored. The feet are scissored round and the tuck-up, or where the back leg meets the side, is scissored in by hand.
The head was done by first clipping the ears the same length as the body. Notice that I left enough hair at the base of the ears to blend into the top of the head, not cutting across the top of the ears Poodle-style. The face was scissored round in the Bichon style, but in front of the ears, instead of into the ears. Many pet groomers do all their Bichons this way, which makes me scream, but in this case, I did it myself. There is an exception to every rule! The decision of whether to blend the ears into the head or leave them out should depend somewhat on the ear set of the individual dog. If the Bichon has a high ear set, or ears that want to stick out (what I call "naughty ears"), leave them out. Otherwise you might want to blend the ears into the head more like the traditional Bichon head. This next dog, owned by the same people, turned out more blended.
By using a vacuum clipper system (iVac) and a snap-on guide comb, and clipping the body into a Schnauzer type pattern, we have created a practical short trim for the Bichon Frise that has a little more "style" than clipping the dog the same length all over. By making the ears very short, we have managed to maintain the classic Bichon expression to the face, without becoming "Poodley". Hope you like it.
Barbara Bird is a Certified Master Groomer and owner of Transformation Pet Center in Tucson, Arizona. Appointments can be made by calling 520-795-5743.
None of my Bichon pet owners want a show type Bichon head nor a crest, especially since most wear collars. I do similar to your second dog, mostly just a shorter Bichon head. They all want it cut over the eyes short.
ReplyDeleteGood to see such a Bichon expert as you going out of the way to groom for the customer.
Beautiful! I groom in Orrington, ME where I get very few bichons and when I do the owners usually request it super short (even down to a 5F). So it's nice to see an attractive combination of practicality and beauty.
ReplyDeleteLove it! This is how I do both my girls. I love to put fancy collars on them, so the long neck hair really covers up the nice collars, plus they have more time being 'dogs' and less time having to be brushed. Good Job BBIrd!
ReplyDeleteTiffani
I have a sort of pet cut on my two Bichons with a full neck, fuller legs, and a full head. My problem is across the nose. I have been trying to grow the hair out to create the long "mustache" but it sticks straight up and straight out the sides. How do I correct that? I cannot tell on the picture of this Bichon how you did the cut on the nose. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the more you trim that hair, the more it will stick up as it grows out. This is especially true if clippers are used on the top of the muzzle. We use blending shears to neaten it up.
ReplyDeleteYou might need to let it all grow out again and start over. As it grows, you can use hair gel to control it some.
I will add this to my list of grooming tip videos that I am making for YouTube. Stay tuned. Our YouTube account is under "GroomClassroom". You can go to YouTube and subscribe to my videos.
I have a Teddybear(Bichon/Shitzu.) I want to do my own grooming and bought an oster clipper, but it only has one blade and some guards with it. her hair just clog up the blade so for now I have a very long haired dog that hates being brushed all the time. Wasn't sure if a skip tooth blade would be better or what I need. Thanks for any and all tips!
ReplyDeleteIf the guards came with the clipper, you either have a trimmer or a cheaper "pet clipper". You may need a full-sized professional level clipper to use guards that leave length. If the clipper motor is not powerful enough, it will not plow through the coat.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in order for snap-on combs to work, the coat must be totally combed out. Otherwise, the combs just get caught up in the tangles.
Skip-tooth blades can be very dangerous in the hands of a novice groomer. They are the most likely to cut or nick the skin, especially around the flank area and the rear hock area.
It sounds like you may have a matted dog. You might need to give it a short shave and get a fresh start.