Why the smartest way to learn Asian Fusion starts with a model dog

Asian Fusion is one of the most searched grooming styles in Australia right now - and one of the most poorly served by casual online watching. The problem isn't that the tutorials are bad. It's that Asian Fusion is a style where the decisions change with every coat, every skull shape, every individual dog. Watching someone else do it doesn't tell you what to do when the dog in front of you is nothing like the dog in the video.

The way Sue Wright teaches it - through her Essential Guide to Asian Styling on igroomschool - starts somewhere different. Before a live dog comes anywhere near the work, you learn on a model dog. And that's not a shortcut, its the right way to do it (we reckon).

What model dogs actually do for your learning

A model dog head doesn't move, doesn't get tired, doesn't have an opinion about having its muzzle scissored. or a little escaping tongue. You can do the same head five times in a row, look at what went wrong each time, and do it again. On a live dog, you get one shot per visit. On a model dog, you get as many as you need until your muscle memory is there and the eye is trained.

Sue's course starts by teaching you how to assemble and work with a model dog head - including how to get the wig off and on without damaging it - before any scissoring happens at all. Then come the brushing, combing and scissoring techniques specific to model dogs, and the Step 1,2,3 concept that underpins her whole approach to the donut muzzle. By the time you're cutting your first head style, you have a clear framework.

Five head styles, from the muzzle up

The five styles Sue covers - Princess, Mushroom, Peanut, Teddy and Round Head - are each taught in two parts: the muzzle first, then the headpiece. That order is deliberate. The muzzle is where most groomers go wrong on Asian Fusion, and getting it right before you build the headpiece on top of it is what makes the difference between a head that looks intentional and one that just looks fluffy.

Each style is taught on a model dog in depth. Then Sue transfers each one to a live dog - one per head style - so you can see exactly how the decisions change when the coat is real, the dog is moving, and the skull underneath isn't the same as the mannequin. That gap between model dog and live dog is where a lot of self-taught Asian Fusion falls apart, and Sue addresses it directly.

Feedback, accessories, and a full body groom

The course also includes a full body Asian style groom on a Standard Poodle, three accessory tutorials - flower bow, tulle bow and bling collar - and personalised feedback from Sue via video submission. That last part is significant. Sue reviews both your technique and your end result, which means you're not just watching and hoping you're doing it right. You find out!

Sue Wright is the founder of Australia's first dedicated Asian Fusion Dog Grooming Academy, a Diploma certified and award winning Pet Stylist, IJA Judge and Australian Model Dog Team Leader. Her work has been published in grooming books and magazines worldwide including the prestigious Japanese styling magazine Trim. She was also a contestant on Channel Seven's Pooch Perfect. When it comes to Asian Fusion in Australia, there isn't really anyone more qualified to be teaching it.

The Essential Guide to Asian Styling is $395 for 12 months access on igroomschool. Enrol here. Payment plans are available.