The Sweetheart or Heart clip is a stylish trim. With its soft heart-shaped lines, it looks lovely regardless of whether the Poodle wearing it is a Toy, Miniature or Standard. Here are the steps on how to get it done:

1. Bathe and fluff dry your Poodle.
2. Follow the instructions for clipping the feet.
3. Follow the instructions for clipping the face.
4. Follow the instructions for clipping and scissoring the tail.
5. Clip the stomach up to the middle of the dog, stopping at the last rib.
6. Sit the dog on the grooming table, facing you, to clip the back of the neck. Before beginning, decide how you want to shape the topknot at the nape of the neck: either rounded at the base of the skull, or into a V shape that converges down to a point in the center of the neck. If you choose to round 
the back of the topknot, hold the Poodle’s muzzle in your free hand, bend it down slightly, and place clippers at the base of the skull. Using a #15 blade, clip down to the point where the neck joins the body. Do not go below that point. If you choose to make the V, scissor in the basic shape, proportioning the tip in the center of the neck according to its length, then clip around the V and down to the point where the neck joins the body. Clip the sides of the neck by lifting each ear and clipping down from under the ear to the same point on both sides.
7. Next, clip the front of the neck with a #10 blade. If your Poodle is sensitive, however, and likely to scratch at his throat after clipping, use a #9 or #8-1/2 blade. Pointing clippers upward, start an inch or so below the Adam’s Apple, and clip to the front of each ear. When the neck is finished, the line around it looks like a string of pearls you would wear around your own neck.
8. Stand the Poodle with his hindquarters facing you to begin setting the pattern. Two heart shapes are clipped on the back. Approximately 1 inch in front of the hipbones on a Toy Poodle, 2 inches on a Miniature Poodle and 3 inches on a Standard Poodle, make a part across the back. Be sure the part is forward of the hipbones, otherwise the pattern will be totally out of balance. Use a #10 blade and, starting at the part line, clip forward, stopping just about at the last rib. Make a band completely around the dog’s middle by clipping from the part line up to the last rib. Be sure the clipped lines are straight and that there are no untidy hairs within the band you just clipped.
9. Now you are ready to shape the hearts. The point of each heart must be in the center of the back; if they are off-center the pattern will look unbalanced. If you are a beginner, to avoid making mistakes with the clippers, try sculpting in the points of the hearts with your shears beforehand. Then use the edge of the clipper blade to clip the heart points.
10. Stand the dog with his hindquarters facing you. Comb the hair on the back legs up and out to lift and fluff the coat. Make both back legs even in size and shape.
11. Fluff out the hair on the hips and hindquarters with your comb. Continue scissoring upward, blending the hair to flow smoothly into the hindquarters. When scissoring around the clipped heart, comb the hair up and forward, then cut off any untidy hairs that fall over the clipped lines to make your pattern clean and precise. Use curved shears to bevel, or slightly round, the edges all the way around the heart to remove any sharp lines and create a soft look.
12. Next, shape the front. Fluff out the hair on the back, ribs, shoulders and chest with your comb. Begin shaping by scissoring off any untidy hairs that fall over the clipped heart and the pattern lines around the last rib. Bevel the edges all the way around the pattern to remove any sharp lines and create a soft look. Scissor the jacket to the same length as the hair on the hindquarters, following the natural contours of the body. Scissor the hair under the chest to a balanced, even length. Turn the dog to stand facing you, and shape the front of the chest slightly round from             shoulder to shoulder. Leaving the hair too long here will make the body look long and heavy. Comb the hair up at the clipped line around the neck. Scissor off any hair that falls over the clipped line to make the pattern look neat, then use curved shears to bevel the edges all the way round to remove any sharp lines.
13. Have the Poodle stand facing you. Be sure to make both front legs even in size and shape, and see that they are in balance with the back legs.
14. Sit the Poodle to face you. Comb the hair on the head upward and forward, and shape the topknot.
15. Comb the ear feathering downward, then round the edges with scissors to remove any untidy hairs or excessive length for an overall balanced appearance.

Tip: You may find it easier to use a medium to long snap-on comb attachment over a #30 or #40 blade to remove excess coat and outline the hair to an overall even length.