With the Pittsburgh Dutch clip, the Poodle’s feet, face, stomach and neck are clipped exactly the same as instructed under the Dutch clip. The only difference is in the setting of the body pattern: Instead of a clipped strip that begins at the base of the tail and runs straight up the backbone to the neck, on the Pittsburgh Dutch, the strip begins at the last rib.

Follow these instructions to set the body pattern:

1.  Stand the Poodle with his hindquarters facing you. Use your comb to make a part completely around the hindquarters. Start about 1 inch in front of the hipbones on a Toy poodle, and from 1 to 2 inches on a Miniature or Standard Poodle. Be sure the part is even. To assure total balance and proportion, these guidelines can be increased or decreased in accordance with the dog’s size.
2. Using a #10 blade, start at the part line in front of the hipbones, and clip forward until you reach the last rib. Clip off all the hair on each side of the loin from the part line up to the last rib, making a clipped band around the middle of the Poodle. Be sure the clipped lines are straight and that there are no untidy hairs within the band you just clipped.
3. Now you are ready to finish clipping the pattern. Use a #5/8 blade on a Toy Poodle, a #7/8 blade on a Miniature and a #10 on a Standard. Start at the last rib and clip a narrow strip up the center of the back to the neck. Be sure the dog stands still while you clip the strip. If he is fidgety, have someone steady his front so the strip is not off-center. Use the corner of the clipper blade to round the edges of the strip at the last rib.
4. Once the body pattern has been set, be sure that all trimmed areas are clipped to the same length, especially if you have used one of the narrow cutting blades to clip the center strip. When used against the growth of hair, these tend to cut close.
5. Shape and finish the back legs and hindquarters with your shears as previously instructed for the Dutch clip. Remember that there should be a smooth flowing of lines from the shorter body coat into the longer leg hair. When scissoring near the pattern line, fluff the coat up and out with your comb, then trim off any untidy hairs. Use curved shears to bevel the coat at the pattern line to soften any sharp edges.
6. Comb the hair over the ribs and on the shoulders and chest up and out to fluff the coat. Scissor the jacket to the same length as the hindquarters, following the natural contours of the body. Use your comb to fluff up the hair on each side of the center strip and around the pattern line encircling the ribs. Then used curved shears to scissor around these clipped lines to bevel the hair and soften any sharp edges. Comb the hair up at the clipped line around the neck. Use curved shears to scissor around the neck to bevel the hair and soften any sharp edges.
7. Shape and finish the front legs with your shears. As on the hindquarters, there should be a smooth blending from the short body hair into the longer leg hair.
8. Sit the Poodle on the grooming table, facing you. Comb the hair on the head upward and forward, and then shape the topknot.
9. Comb the ear feathering downward, then round the ends with your shears to remove any straggly hairs or excessive length for an overall balanced appearance.