Basic Face and Feet
Sometimes the basics are the things worth getting really solid. This page brings together two straightforward tutorials covering the face and feet you’ll find yourself creating again and again across mixed breeds and everyday pet grooms.
Colleen takes Scout the Bordoodle through a simple round head from start to finish. Using extension combs to establish the shape first, she works through the eyes, visor, cheeks, chin and ears, with plenty of emphasis on combing the coat back into its natural fall and making small adjustments as the head comes together.
Then for feet, Nicky strips things back to two basic approaches: the fluffy column-style foot and the more natural foot where the longer coat grows from just a few key areas. Between them, these two techniques can be adapted across a huge range of breeds and coat types.
These aren’t about elaborate styling. They’re solid techniques you can come back to again and again, then adapt to the dog and coat sitting in front of you.
Basic Round Head
When your coat is straight but sort of curly and kind of wiry, the neatest and best place to go is to Round Head land!
Colleen takes you through a very basic round head with the adorable Bordoodle, Scout.
You will learn how to blend the body into the head set up, and some easy geometric and skeletal points of reference to make scissoring and shaping the round head a breeze.
2 Types of Feet
This tutorial breaks down the only two foot-trimming techniques you need for most breeds. Using Ruby the Havanese, Nicky demonstrates how to shape a “fluffy leg” by combing down, creating a half-moon outline, and scissoring neat parallel lines before finishing over the top. Then with Aiden the Sheltie, you see the alternative style for “three-point feet,” common on breeds like retrievers, collies, and spaniels. Here, the coat is brushed up and trimmed tightly around the toes for a clean finish. Together, these methods cover around 90% of the dogs you’ll groom, giving you simple, repeatable steps for tidy, balanced feet.
