Clipper Guard Bichon Trim

This short and sassy Bichon modification hits all the right spots for the Bichon fancier. Whether it’s a purebred show dog or a mixed mutt in drag, a round, cute face with a manageable body is a win with most pet owners.

Fig 1) Start right where the dog’s shoulder blades meet and clip to your desired length. For my clients on a six-to-eight-week rotation, I recommend a 1/2″ guard comb over a #30 blade on the top line.

Fig 2) Next you’ll bring that same length around the ribs and underneath the dog’s brisket.

Fig 3) Then switch to a #5F in reverse, going from the dog’s Adam’s apple up to the throat latch.

Fig 4) In order to show angulation in the rear, you will take a shorter length than the body (in this case a 1/4″) and clip from the pin bone down to behind the knee.

Fig 5) To add some balance, you must go longer on the legs. For this trim I used 1″ guard all around the rear leg.

Fig 6) For continuity, you will do the same thing on the front legs.

Fig 7) For Bichons, it’s OK to keep the feet down and scissor around them. Shape a nice round foot with a tight bevel.

Fig 8) With the tail held over the back, trim away any of the hair that draws the eye away from the center of the dog.

Fig 9) Moving on to the face, shave the top lip and just one or two lines of hair on the bottom lip just beneath the nose.

Fig 10) Next, clip the stop with a #10 blade to help make the eyes pop.

Fig 11) Comb the hair towards the eyes and trim the hair away from the eyes at a 45-degree angle.

Fig 12) In that tight throat latch that you clipped, use a curved scissor reversed to separate the head from the body.

Fig 13) Starting at the bottom of the head, shape a tight lip and round out toward the ears.

Fig 14) Once you get even with eye level, you will turn your scissor up to help create a round head from every angle. Then repeat on the other side.

Before I had any nice Bichons to practice on, I had tons of curly mixed breeds. I would practice and practice on all sorts of mixes, as long as I could make them fluffy. So this trim would work on mixed breeds as well. This is also a nice trim because the ears are short and manageable. ✂️