I use this technique on all of my dogs that have thick ear tassels. From Cockers, and Springers, to ShihTzus, to my own dogs, Cavaliers--this is a neat trick I have learned. Everyone pretty much knows to soften the ends of a trimmed drop ear to make it look more natural. But, sometimes, a very thick ear will still be so bulky and curl up and look unkempt or too thick at the sides of the face when viewed from the front, or be "bell" shaped.
Instead of just cutting the ear to the length I want it and then blending the ends, I will also "layer" the end of the ear to get the end of the ear to curl under and that also makes the ear lay very neat and not as thick at the tip. What is done is that the layer of hair on the topside and the underside of the ear is actually a bit shorter and shagged than the ear hair in the center layer or middle of the tassel, so it actually us "U" shaped if viewed from the direct front.
So--first I cut the ear to the length that I want with aggressive blenders or thinners--this is a 40 tooth I used here. Then I take those shears and flip the ear over and thinner the underside of the ear, pulling the hair down as I go to encourage it to feather and curl under. Then I flip the ear back over and do the same with the hair on the surface of the outer edge of the ear. After each side is done, I comb it thru, and that sets the hair to curl right under from the top and underside of the ear so that it is less bulky and very smooth. Then if need be, I can also fine tune it with a detailing shear as a finishing touch.
Instead of just cutting the ear to the length I want it and then blending the ends, I will also "layer" the end of the ear to get the end of the ear to curl under and that also makes the ear lay very neat and not as thick at the tip. What is done is that the layer of hair on the topside and the underside of the ear is actually a bit shorter and shagged than the ear hair in the center layer or middle of the tassel, so it actually us "U" shaped if viewed from the direct front.
So--first I cut the ear to the length that I want with aggressive blenders or thinners--this is a 40 tooth I used here. Then I take those shears and flip the ear over and thinner the underside of the ear, pulling the hair down as I go to encourage it to feather and curl under. Then I flip the ear back over and do the same with the hair on the surface of the outer edge of the ear. After each side is done, I comb it thru, and that sets the hair to curl right under from the top and underside of the ear so that it is less bulky and very smooth. Then if need be, I can also fine tune it with a detailing shear as a finishing touch.
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