If you struggle to make faces on dogs such as poodle mixes and drop-coated breeds like Shih Tzu and all of the above mixes, look as adorable as they can, read on to learn some tips and tricks to create cute faces fast.
The first key to creating faces that make the pet owner say, "Aww!" is to ensure that the fur is immaculately clean and perfectly fluff-dried and combed out before you begin. Since faces get pretty grimy, this may mean shampooing more than once to remove all the dirt and oils so the face reaches optimal fluff. No matter how well you can trim and scissor, greasy fur will never look pretty.
Pet owners want to see their pet's eyes. Usually, it's because they love to look at the sweet expression on their dog's face, but one of my customers who has two naughty cocker/poodle mixes quips, "Make sure I can see their devil eyes!" So, start there. Using thinners or the corner of your trimmer blade, carefully trim any hair at the inner eye corner. Then, comb the hair forward and use thinners, blenders, or chunkers (depending on the coat texture) to trim the fur that hangs over the eyes. (Pro tip: chunkers work best on curly coats and may leave lines on drop coats. Choose blenders or thinners for the best results on drop coats.)
If you want to save the eyelashes, moisten your fingers with water and gently dampen and twist the lashes. They will stay neatly clumped while you trim the surrounding hair and be more visible so you can avoid them. Once dry, you can give them a little combing to ensure they resume their natural shape. Long lashes work best on straight coats; curly lashes often irritate the pet's sensitive eyes.
Stand back and look at the dog's face once you have a good view of the eyes. Trimming the hair so the eyes are visually at the center of the head creates a cute look on many dogs. Making the eyes appear at the center often means dramatically shortening hair under the chin. You can do this quickly with a guard comb, working against the grain. A # 1 or #2 comb is an excellent length on most small breeds, with a zero or A working well on larger dogs. You can experiment to see what works best for you. Just zip off that under-chin hair for a good start.
Next, use a curved shear, thinner blender, or chunker and shape the fur on the muzzle. Comb everything forward and trim it close under the nose to minimize food and water messes. Recomb and decide what to do with the fur on the cheeks and under the ears. A guard comb might be the answer if there is a lot of growth to contend with. Cleaning up the area at the base of the ears on drop-eared dogs helps improve air circulation and may help the ear lay closer to the head.
Combs can also work on the top of the head, especially on drop-coated dogs. In general, you will want to work with the lay of the coat in this area and blend the fur from the top of the head into the back of the neck at the occiput so it goes smoothly into the body coat.
Use a comb to fluff everything up, remove loose trimmed hair, and stand back to see if everything is balanced. Try to get the dog to perk its ears up (cue the squeaky noises!) so you can see how the trim looks when the dog moves that way. Make any adjustments needed, and smile at what a cute job you have done. Once you get the hang of using combs to help shape faces, you will find you can trim a small breed's head in ten minutes or less.
