Before attempting to clip the Poodle’s face, keep in mind that some dogs have unusually sensitive skin that may become irritated as a result of being clipped. You want to take care to avoid clipper burn, the inflammation of the skin from clipping too closely.

Normally, a No. 15, or medium-close cutting blade is preferred to clip the faces of pet Poodles, while a No. 30, or other close-cutting blade, is generally used for show clips. Until you know how close you can safely clip your Poodle’s face, it is perhaps best to start with a No. 10, or medium-cutting blade.

You can always switch to a closer-cutting blade if not enough hair is coming off. If the skin is easily irritated, especially on a white Poodle, you can also use two different blades: a coarser one on more sensitive areas, such as under the eyes, on the cheeks and the neck, and a finer one elsewhere.

Clipping the Face Step by Step

When you are ready to begin clipping, place the Poodle in a sitting position on a grooming table facing you. If he fusses and tries to move from this position during the session, put him back into place. Firmly command him to sit, then start clipping again. He will quickly learn what is expected of him.

1. The face is always clipped against the growth of hair, from the skull to the nose. Turn back the ear flap so it is out of harm’s way, and hold the muzzle firmly in your free hand. The first step is to clip a straight line even with the corner of the eye. Begin in front of the ear and clip forward to the corner of the eye, not above it or below it. Hold the blade flat against the skin to avoid clipper burn. Clip off all the hair in front of the ear to make it lie as close to the head as possible. Continue clipping forward, and remove the hair on the cheek and side of the face.
2. Move the palm of your free hand to the skull, and use your thumb to gently hold the skin taut at the corner of the eye. Clip carefully under the eye. Do not remove any hair above the Poodle’s eyes with the clippers; this area becomes the topknot, and is always finished with scissors. Even though you hold the blade flat against the skin, you will be using only the three or four end teeth to remove the hair. This procedure takes a little practice to master, but if you are calm and patient, you can do it.
3. Continue clipping forward on the cheek and side of the face.
4. To avoid cutting the folds of skin on the lower lip at the corner of the mouth, use your free thumb to stretch the skin back.
5. Press the jaws firmly together, and clip the remaining hair from the lips and around the nose. Hold the dog’s head securely to prevent him from sticking his tongue out. It’s very easy to nick the tongue, which can be very painful and traumatic to the dog.
6. Turn the dog’s head and rest it against your wrist (as your arm comes around the back of the dog’s head). Your thumb should be on top of the muzzle and your fingers under the jaw. Repeat the same procedure on the other side of the face. It is important to make the clipped line from the ear to the eye corner even on each side of the face, as this line sets the topknot.
7. Before clipping under the eye, move your hand from around the muzzle and place your palm on the dog’s skull with your fingers pointing toward the muzzle. This leaves your thumb available to hold the skin taut at the eye corner as you did on the opposite side.
8. To avoid cutting the folds of skin on the lower lip at the corner of the mouth, use your thumb to stretch the skin back as you did on the opposite side.
9. When both sides of the face are clipped, hold the muzzle firmly in your free hand and clip a small inverted V shape between the eyes, using the clippers toward the muzzle.
10. The inverted V will enhance the dog’s expression as well as add length to the muzzle. To keep it in proper proportion, the point of the V should be about even with the top of each eye. Continue clipping forward until all the remaining hair on the top of the muzzle is removed.
11. Raise the head and clip upward from a spot just below the Adam’s Apple to the lower lip. What you do to the neck below the Adam’s Apple depends on the particular clip you choose.

Muzzling Your Poodle for Face Clipping

If your Poodle tries to bite when you clip his face, use a muzzle for protection. The best grooming muzzle is a long strip of gauze bandage. It is soft and can be tied fairly tight around the dog’s mouth without cutting into the skin.

• To make the muzzle, use a gauze bandage 2 or 3 inches wide. Cut a long strip, at least 12 inches long for a Toy Poodle, 15 inches long for a Miniature Poodle and 18 to 20 inches long for a Standard Poodle.
• To fit the muzzle, form a large loop in the middle of the bandage, then slip the loop around the dog’s muzzle just behind his nose with the knot and end ties under the chin. Then quickly tighten the loop so the dog will not be able to open his mouth.
• Pull the ends back on each side of the face, under the ears, and tie them together in a bow knot at the base of the skull. A bow-knot closing is suggested for quick release in case the dog starts to panic. Now you can easily clip the face by sliding the muzzle forward or backward.

Clipping Mustaches and Beards

The Poodle’s face may be clipped clean or styled with a small, trim mustache. Poodles shown in the breed ring must, of course, have clean-shaven faces. On all pet styles, however, a mustache is optional. Mustaches on Poodles are not as popular today as they were in the past, but they can be helpful in concealing unsightly mouth faults, most especially an undershot or overshot bite.

1. Sit the Poodle on the grooming table, facing you. Clip each side of the face to within 1 or 2 inches of the nose (or about halfway between the corner of the mouth and the nose).
2. Clip the inverted V between the eyes.
3. Clip the hair on top of the nose down as far as the clipped line on the sides of the face.
4. Clip the hair on the underside of the muzzle up as far as the clipped line on each side of the face.

Now you are ready to finish the mustache. The three most popular mustache styles are the French, German and Doughnut.

Important: Whatever mustache style you prefer, never set it at the corner of the mouth because it would be too large, spoiling the Poodle’s expression. Always keep the mustache closer to the nose to show traces of the tapered muzzle so it will always look neat, especially when the dog’s mouth is open.

The French Mustache

The French mustache has whiskers that stick out from the sides of the nose. The hair on the lower jaw and top of the nose is clipped off.

1. Begin by removing the hair from the top of the nose.
2. Hold the dog’s head up and clip the hair from the underside of the muzzle.
3. Comb the hair on each side of the nose straight out, and scissor to a length of from 0.5 to 1 inch, even with the bottom of the upper lip.

The German Mustache

The German mustache has whiskers on each side of the nose and a beard under the jaw. Only the top of the nose is clipped clean.

1. Begin by clipping the top of the nose.
2. Comb the hair, and scissor the mustache round or tapered.

The Doughnut Mustache

The Doughnut mustache has the same length of hair on the top and sides of the nose and under the jaw, to create the impression of a ring-shaped doughnut.

1. Begin by clipping the face to within 1 to 2 inches of the nose.
2. Comb the hair, and scissor the mustache in a round shape.