How to Trim a Bichon's Hair

The Bichon Frise is a happy, people-oriented, small, white dog with a rounded face and soft, cottony hair. Because of the texture of the fur, daily brushing is mandatory to avoid mats. Because these dogs do not shed and their fur grows continually, frequent grooming is required to keep your Bichon in a healthy state. You can extend the time between professional grooming visits by trimming your dog's hair yourself.

Things You'll Need

  • 10" straight-edge scissors
  • 8" curved blunt-nose scissors
  • Thinning shears
  • Metal comb
  • Pin brush
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Instructions

    • 1

      Bathe and dry your Bichon thoroughly before you begin the trimming process. Clean hair trims more efficiently without causing damage to your scissors. Soiled hair cuts unevenly and dulls the scissors.

    • 2

      Back brush your dog beginning behind the neck of your dog, all along the back to the base of the tail. Take your straight edge scissors and very lightly trim off uneven, unruly hair that is standing up above the others. It's almost like "skimming the coat" with your scissors, trimming a very fine layer of hair. Keep back brushing the entire body and continue to skim with your scissors.

    • 3

      Proceed to the legs and brush all the fur upward, which is against the growth of the hair. You will again skim over the top of the fur, following the contour of the leg. Blend the top of the leg in with the body. Keep back brushing and skimming with your scissors until all uneven hairs have been trimmed. Complete the same process on each leg.

    • 4

      Back brush each foot and trim the foot to a perfectly round shape. The foot should blend into the shape of the leg. Complete each leg and foot before moving on to the next.

    • 5

      Grab the tip of the dog's tail and trim about a quarter inch all the way around the tail. Blend the base of the tail with your dog's back.

    • 6

      Trim your dog's head to look like a round basketball. Start from the neck and brush upward against the hair growth. Trim upward from the neck to the crown, trimming lightly with your blunt-nose scissors. You want to be more cautious on the head and face area by using a rounded tip, blunt-nose, curved scissor. A curved scissor helps give the roundness needed on the head. Continue to back brush and now trim from behind the ears to the chin area.

    • 7

      Comb the hair straight down on the sides of the head to be sure there is an even, rounded line from ear to ear. Continue by combing the hair forward by the eyes and carefully clip any hair protruding over the eyes and the nose.

    • 8

      Trim the ears short, to the shape of the ear leather. The ears should blend in with the dog's head. If the hair is thick around the ears, causing them to stick out, use thinning shears to thin the hair on the head below the ears.