Things You'll Need
- Fine-toothed comb
- Straight grooming scissors
- Curved grooming scissors
Instructions
Bathe, dry and comb your poodle. It's easiest to cut a top knot when the hair is dry and tangle free.
Flip one of the poodle's ears back. Holding the straight scissors horizontally cut a straight line from the poodle's eye to the base of the ear. Flip the ear back down and continue the line across the top of the ear.
Switch to curved shears and, continuing on the same horizontal line, cut a curve from the back of the ear to the back of the head.
Comb the rest of the hair on the poodle's head over the hair you just cut. Now, you're ready to start working on the side of the topknot.
Trim the sides of the hair so that the topknot comes out from the bottom at an angle, not a straight vertical line.
Repeat steps 2 through 5 on the other side of the poodle's head. Comb out the hair and make sure the cut so far is even.
Shape the hair on top of the poodle's head with the scissors. It should already have a basic shape from the cutting you did on the sides. To make your topknot look smooth, try to give the top a rounded appearance.
Trim the hair in front of the poodle's eyes. The topknot should extend slightly over the eyes, but not so much that the poodle's vision is impaired.