Bichons- again

[mylady]

OK, I'm still not getting my heads right. I don't lift the ear or trim anything from underneath, I leave it and trim as if it just part of the head but the ears are not blending correctly and it's driving me nuts! I'm trying to let his head grow a little bit but his mom wants to keep it manageable. This is pretty much my normal Bichon pet trim. Is his underline straight enough? I tend to poodle-fy my Bichons and have to constantly say to myself "this is a Bichon not a poodle" LOL
I've watched Jodi Murphy's DVD on Bichons but I think I need someone in person to help. Hoping Lisa Leady comes back this summer for another class and maybe I can borrow this Bichon for some in person help, but until then I appreciate your thoughts, ideas and critiques.

[petgroomaustralia]

I think those ears have too much hair. Try using the yellow comb on them and trimming the backs and bottoms fairly close to the leather, it makes them blend really well.

[nuk]

i think he looks really cute, maybe make the ears a tad shorter and bevel them some more. I really like the legs and body on him.

[shepherdmom]

me too

I too struggle with the bichon head. I think the hardest part for me to get right was letting the sides of the head and cheeks grow long enough to blend the ears into. Without the extra hair you get that seperation at the ear. I still don't think they look right but at least better than they did. Now if I could figure out how to make them less "jowly" looking .....

I think your scissor work looks very nice. Another thing I'm working at.

Here's a couple of pics

[mylady]

OK, I can take more off the sides of the ears, but the ears are trimmed to the leather. He has kind of long ear leathers I think. This dog is so sweet, I love grooming him but he always hides when I walk in the door LOL. Probably sick of me taking pics of him!
I know for a true Bichon clip he needs more mane but I have to keep it shorter otherwise he matts there. I wish I could leave more as I think that would help me get the head to look better, but he goes to doggy daycare everyday and when I've left too much he has a bunch of matts right around there. I'm just frustrated with myself that I can't seem to get this right!

[MydogMissy]

Well I'm hardly the expert, but my observation is do not be afraid to bevel the bottom edges of the ears to incorporate them into that round head. That's what I've observed and kinda learned to do on my own as I've developed my grooming.

[Particentral]

It looks lke to me that you are taking hair off UNDER the ears as well and you cannot do that and get the correct look. The hair under the ears and on the sides of the face has to grow out to make a seamless transition. The headpiece is one unit, not chin, cheeks, top and ears. Its HEADPIECE. Once you start to think of it that way it makes more sense.

[PAWS]

I think that with the limitations you have been given by mom and his long ears, you are doing fine. Perhaps try blenders to soften the edges of those ears to create an illusion of softness, otherwise, you have what you have, and I think he looks perfectly cute for a pet trim! Perhaps let the hair outside the eyes and front of cheeks grow a bit more, like mentioned previously.

[Full_Groom]

I personally think you just need more hair on the cheeks and under the ears if you really want them to blend into the head. I would bevel them at the bottom as someone suggested, but I don't think you can improve it much without more hair. It's an adorable groom regardless.

[mylady]

Thanks, I was thinking about his head because I don't think I've had quite that much trouble making the ears blend. I'm wondering, I didn't groom him last time, it was the day I was in the hospital, so my other groomer did him, perhaps she took some hair out from under the ears, because I never touch it. Well, a couple times there have been some matts in there, but otherwise I don't touch it. I'll have to ask her, perhaps he had some matting under there last time. He does play rough with some big dogs at daycare. Usually my biggest challenge is the chin. I either leave too much or take off too much. Argh, but still am working on the ears as well. Let me see if I have a pic of him from one of the other times I groomed him to compare.

OK, this is maybe two or three grooms ago I think, go here

http://www.petgroomerforums.com/chat/showthread.php?t=24477

I think that time I left too much chin. I'll get it down eventually. But I don't see as much separation in the ears, so I think I'll ask my groomer if she had trimmed under them. Thanks!

[Particentral]

Well, someone, between that first groom and this groom, took a LOT off the cheeks and made it more teddy style. You cannot get the bichony head you are trying for with that happening.

[Yorkie_Gal]

Bichons are my weakest breed. I chalk it up to grooming a really nasty Bichon when I was learning, and it just kinda put a bad taste in my mouth. I have a client whom has a bichon, and the head is very important to her, so I had a nice head on her, and they tried another groomer whom destoyed the look!!! now I gotta try to fix it!!!

[mylady]

I realized that picture was older than the one I thought it was, but is usually what the ears look like. I'm still not getting the chin right though, I'm working on it though. She must have taken some hair out from under the ears, that's all I can figure. Thanks. Feeling a little better now, thought I was just losing it! LOL

[MydogMissy]

OMG I've worked so hard to get my Bichon's "right" with a nice round headpiece. And you know what? One of my clients showed me a picture of a bell shaped Bichon head the other day and told me that's what she wants. UGH. So it doesn't matter when most of my clients are used to seeing bells, or teddy heads. They don't know what it's supposed to look like.

[Ryann]

hmm so i am new to learning how to do a correct bichon head also. I have always done em pet style kinda teedy bear ish. but i have one bichon who comes every two weeks and hes always wanted the correct look so ive slowly been wittle-ing on his head to kinda get the shape and one day i pulled up some of olga pics on my computer and just did it and this is what i came up with. the ears are cut up to the leather and i trim the tops with the head. and if you can leave the neck long it doesnt help. also cutting it short under the throat helps to get it clean looking.