In this step-by-step tutorial, Wahl Animal Brand Ambassador Brittney Valle walks us through a variation of the traditional Bedlington trim.
Teddy’s haircut is a variation of a modified Bedlington trim, also known as the Tedlington. It was chosen for him due to the conformation of his body. Teddy has a significant rise over his loin and arched back so we will discuss how to incorporate that into the Tedlington trim. He also has a very normal pet style face with a small rounded muzzle and tasseled ears.
Before we get started, it's important to note, Teddy is a senior dog with a flimsy, soft coat. To enhance his coat, he was bathed in a vitamin-rich shampoo. He also had mousse applied to his legs and head to add volume to his coat.
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1. To begin the haircut, I will start by taking a snap on comb over his body. I selected a #1 snap on comb (peach colored) and used my Creativa on a #40 setting underneath. I start with the withers and move down toward the tail. If we were doing a normal pet trim and wanted to achieve a level top-line, we would begin with the snap on comb where his back begins to rise up again; for this look, we go withers back. I continue using the snap on comb down his rear to where the leg bends. In the front, I clip from the throat down and continue between the front legs. To set in the underline, I reverse the snap on comb and start at the middle of the highest point of his back and continue clipping forward until I reach the front legs. I will then reverse the chest and throat area from breastbone up into the throatlatch.
2. The first image displayed in Image 2, shows what Teddy looks like after the regular clipper work has been completed. At this point, his loin is still very high so I decide to clip more of that off. I use a #2 snap on comb in reverse on just the highest part of his back. I then switch to a #4 snap on comb and go with the grain to blend that short area in. Photo 9 shows what Teddy looks like after taking extra length off of the loin area.
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3. Next, I will begin the scissor work. I prefer to use a scissoring spray to help mist the ends of the coat while I am working. I begin by scissoring the sides of the neck and continue by scissoring the chest into the front leg. I will then move to the rear and finish up the body scissoring with the underline.
4. When beginning to work on the front feet and legs, I first assess the condition of the coat. Since Teddy has sparse coat around his feet, I am very careful when scissoring this area to not take length or bulk, but simply to round up the shape.
5. The bulk of the length will come off of the top of Teddy’s legs, around the elbow. I scissor the legs into columns by picking the leg straight forward and combing everything to one side. I will then make a singular straight cut from foot to elbow to achieve a crisp line.
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6. Repeat this for the inside of the leg. I then use thinning shears to clean up the front and back of Teddy’s front leg and repeat these same steps for the other front leg! Image 5 below, shows a completed and an unfinished front leg.
7. I approach the hind legs in much the same way as the front legs in that I just tip in around the feet. I then scissor the rear very tight from the pin bone down to the bend of the leg. Next, I scissor from the bend of the leg toward the hock. After, I scissor parallel lines on the inside and outside of the leg. I continue to take bulk off of the leg by scissoring the side up into the tuck-up area.
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8. Once the legs are finished, it’s time to move to the head. I begin by shaving the tassels on the ears—for Teddy that is done with a #9 in reverse. I shave from the eye level up. I set in the visor by combing a little bit of the hair forward at a time and scissor past the outside corner of each eye. I continue beveling the visor by combing small sections at a time and scissoring them in the same method.
9. At this point, I scissor the sides of the face straight up and down. Shaving the tops of the ears helps set a distinctive line for your head—that line should be crisp and not flopping over top the edge of the ear.
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10. I begin shaping the muzzle by trimming the bottom first to set the desired length on the chin. Once that is set, I use a small curved shear to create the shape of the muzzle by trimming upward on each side. Feel free to follow and reach out to me @louisvillegrooming for recommendations on my favorite shears to use!
11. This is important because to create a rounded face such as this, you have to scissor both sides with the same technique. If you scissor one side from the bottom up but the other side from the top down, the two sides will never match each other. I then use a fairly aggressive thinning shear to clean up the top of the muzzle hair and finish setting the shape in. I use a thinning shear here because in his older age, Teddy doesn’t grow a ton of hair on top of his nose. I don’t want to take bulk out, just edge the shape in.
12. Once the muzzle is completed, I round out the top of Teddy’s head with my thinning shear again. I use the thinner on top of the head here as it does help add texture and allow the coat to stand on its own. I then blend the neck in and Teddy’s transformation to the Tedlington is complete!
Brittney Valle is an award-winning Nationally Certified Master Groomer from Louisville, KY. Follow her on Instagram @louisvillegroomer for more grooming tips and tricks!