Although giving a Bichon Frise hair cut can be a difficult process there are a few shorter styles that are easy for the novice groomer to do. Even though it is overwhelming at first to groom a Bichon Frise just remember it will get easier after you follow the steps a few times and then start to do it more often.

The first step is to choose which Bichon Frise hair cut style you want to try. When it comes to simple styles there are three choices to choose from. The closest cut you can do is the shaved down or lamb cut which is a good option for those who need to remove a lot of mats from their dog. The second option resembles a panda and is known as the modified puppy cut. Choosing this option means you clip only the body and chest from the Adam’s apple to the breastbone while hand trimming the rest of the body with scissors. The last option is the puppy cut, which is the fullest cut but is often the most difficult for those who don’t have prior grooming experience since the entire body is hand trimmed with scissors.
Start with the genitals first while the blade is cool when you start your Bichon Frise hair cut. Make sure you don’t clip any tail hair while you trip the dog. Next clip the belly by raising the dog up by their front legs so that they are standing on their rear legs and work your way up to the first or second set of nipples. Always be aware of where you are clipping. Move hair out of the way before clipping if you can’t see clearly where you are. By feeling the teeth of the blade you know that they are separated which means they can catch skin. This is why you should always clip with the lay of the coat and never against the coat. Check your blade whenever it doesn’t seem to be cutting properly since it is likely clogged with hair. When trimming Bichon Frise hair a blade can become clogged quickly.
Next to trim and shape the Bichon head you will need scissors to do the job by hand. There isn’t much that needs to be done with the head when it comes to a Bichon Frise hair cut. You just need to do some clipping in order to keep it in proportion to the length of the body coat. To shape the head it will take a lot of practice or trial and error. While scissoring you should use a picture of a Bichon Frise head for reference. Don’t become discouraged if it doesn’t come out perfect the first time. To maintain the round appearance keep a little visor to the fur over the eyes but trim away any hair that hands into the eyes in order to keep the eyes exposed. You should cut any hair beyond the outer corner of the eye. Before scissoring you want to comb the head hair up. To keep the round appearance of the face you want your head hair to be similar to that of the chin hair.

You can master the difficult process of Bichon Frise grooming with a few simple tips. By using Bichon Frise grooming tips you can make the process not only easier but fun as well.