The pom-pom tail style is common with Poodles and Poodle mixes. A rounded tuft of fur is left at the end of the tail. If the dog has a beautiful, full coat and  long enough tail bone, the tail can be highly stylized. On dogs that are lacking in these areas, a rounded tuft can still be created at the end of the tail.

The pom-pom tail is clipped at the base, leaving a fuller shape on the end. The tail structure should be long enough to allow you to clip a third of the base of the tail bone with a #10 or #15 blade in reverse.

The end two-thirds is left to hand-scissor in a ball or oval shape. Continue clipping around the base of the tail to the point where it meets the body. Clip a small inverted “V” at the top of the tail, in line with the spine. When the dog raises its tail, this indentation will eliminate the small bump of hair that is common when the clipped line is not carried up far enough.

On shorter coated trims, this line will be very minor compared with longer hand-scissored haircut styles where an exaggerated V-shape can add style and flair to the trim. If there is not enough tail to clip in the 1/3 to 2/3 ratio, make an adjustment to give the dog some form of a balanced pom-pom.

• For highly stylized trims, the tip of the pom-pom should be almost in line with the top of the skull.
• For pet trimming, this is normally scaled back a bit. Start by combing all the fur to the end of the tail. Twist the fur that extends beyond the bone between your fingers.
• While holding the firmly twisted fur, hold the tail up in a natural position. Trim to the desired length. Trimming the end of the tail in this fashion creates a bevel.
• Once the end has been trimmed, hold the tail up and out by grasping a small section of hair, holding it between two fingers. Comb all the fur down towards the body and bevel the coat that falls below the clipped line on the tail bone.
• Re-fluff the coat and shape the center, creating either a round ball or an oval shape.

Tips for Shaping the Pom-Pom Tail

• The ideal ratio for a poodle type tail is 1/3 clipped, 2/3 pom-pom.
• On pets that have a longer tail bone, the pom-pom shape will be more oval.
• The shape will be more ball-like on pets that lack length in the tail bone.
• When beveling the lower line of the pom-pom, comb the coat down and trim well below the clipped line.