The following four leg variations may be used with any pet clip in place of the full-coated leg styles. Some may be considered old fashioned, as they are seen on pet Poodles from time to time.

The Bell Bottom

1. Clip the Poodle’s feet, face, tail, stomach, neck and the selected body pattern. Clip or scissor the body hair following the pattern instructions.
2. Stand the dog on the grooming table with its hindquarters facing you. The bell-bottom leg is achieved with scissors, but preliminary combing of the leg hair is most important to the finished shape. The fullest part of the leg is the hair at the ankle. Fluff the hair outward from the leg. Do not comb upward, for you will not be able to scissor the modified “bell” shape. Begin scissoring at the hip, following the natural curve of the leg at the stifle joint. As you work down to the hock joint, gradually increase the length of hair until you reach the widest part of the bell at the ankle. Comb the hair downward as you scissor near the ankle. Keep combing and scissoring until you create the desired shape. Finally, scissor all four legs and make them even.

The Bolero

1. Clip the Poodle’s feet, face, tail, stomach, neck and the selected body pattern. Scissor the body hair following the pattern instructions.
2. Stand the dog on the grooming table with the hindquarters facing you. At the hock joint, point your clippers upward, using a #15 or any of the narrow cutting blades, and clip a narrow strip around the leg. Make the band about 1/4 inch wide on Toy Poodles, about 1/2 inch wide on Miniature Poodles and about 1 inch wide on Standards. Scissor the hair below each clipped band into a puff. Fluff out the hair above each clipped band with your comb. Scissor off any hairs that fall below the clipped strip, then shape the rest of each leg, following the dog’s natural conformation and emphasizing the curve of the stifle joint.
3. Turn the dog around to stand facing you. Notice on the illustration that the clipped bands and puffs on the front legs are lined up evenly with those on the back legs. To avoid making a mistake, use chalk or make a tiny notch in the hair with your shears to mark the spot on each leg where you want to begin clipping. Point your clippers upward, and clip a band of corresponding size completely around each front leg. Scissor the front puffs, making them even in size and shape with those on the back legs. Comb the hair above the clipped bands and trim each into the desired shape.

The Fifth Avenue

1. Clip the Poodle’s feet, face, tail, stomach, neck and the selected body pattern. Scissor the body hair following pattern instructions.
2. Stand the dog on the grooming table with the hindquarters facing you. Comb the hair on the back legs upward and outward to fluff the coat. Scissor each back leg, following the dog’s natural conformation, emphasizing angulation above the hock joint and the curve of the stifle joint.
3. Turn the dog around to stand facing you. In this variation a puff is trimmed on each front leg. Start about 1.5 inches above the clipped line around the ankle on a Toy Poodle, about 2 to 3 inches on a Miniature Poodle and about 3 to 4 inches on a Standard. Clip the front and sides of each front leg up to the elbow with a #15 blade. To take off the hair evenly, clip the back of each front leg in the opposite direction, from the elbow down to the puff with the same blade. Fluff out the hair below the clipped area with a comb, then shape the puff with your shears. Comb the hair on the front of the chest and at the elbows, then scissor any untidy ends that fall below the clipped lines to make the pattern look neat.

The Miami

1. Clip the Poodle’s feet, face, tail, stomach, neck and the selected body pattern. Regardless of which pattern you choose, the body hair must always be trimmed short with the Miami leg variation, to blend in with the shorter leg hair.
2. Stand the Poodle on the grooming table with the hindquarters facing you. With a #4 or #5 blade (for a longer length, use a snap-on comb over a #40 blade), clip the outside and inside of each back leg down to the hock joint. Shape the hair below each hock joint into a puff with your shears. Begin by combing the hair downward toward the foot, then scissor off any untidy ends that fall below the clipped line around the ankle. Comb the puff up and scissor any uneven hairs that extend above the clipped line around the hock joint. Fluff out the hair with your comb. Shape each puff with scissors to a length of about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter on a Toy Poodle, 2 to 3 inches in diameter on a Miniature Poodle and 3 to 4 inches in diameter on a Standard. Make the back puffs even in size and shape.
3. Turn the Poodle around to stand facing you. Comb out the front legs. To line up the front puffs evenly with those on the back legs, scissor a spot in the hair where each puff will begin. Then, with the same blade you used on the back legs, clip each front leg down to the puff line. Scissor each front puff even in size and shape with those on the back legs.