Grooming a Bolognese

If you see a friendly, lively, adorable, curly white dog that looks like a stuffed animal and makes you take a second look, you might possibly be looking at an Italian Bolognese!  Bolognese have a curly, silky, white coat. We brush our puppies from the time they are quite small to get them used to being groomed.  Bolognese are beautiful in long coat, but many people opt to keep the body in a puppy cut for easy care. (See the grooming instruction for a puppy cut below.)

• #1 Top Knot: The top knot of the Bolognese should flow right into the top of its ears. You should not be able to tell where the top knot ends or the ears begin. See graphic above. When the top knot gets too long, it will split/part near the middle & fall into the eye area. To trim it, comb out the top knot. Part the hair from the middle of both eyes back toward the back bottom of the top knot area. See the red vertical curved dashes on the chart example. Be careful not to get the hair of the ears or the neck hair in your circle. When you have a round circle, comb the hair up, twist the hair around your pointer finger to the right, hold & trim off, usually no more than 1/4 to 1/2 an inch, within the red horizontal dashes, in the direction of the way the hair grows and easing it a little toward their faces hair so it will blend in. This will give the top knot a buffer and keep it from falling into the eyes.

The notching technique keeps the hair from looking like a blunt, straight cut line. It is done by trimming the hair the length you want it, then, while still holding it between your thumb and forefinger, notch it unevenly by clipping out tiny areas with the point of the scissors along the trim line.

1. Nose: If the top of the nose hair is too long or stained, comb it so it stands up and notch it off no more than 1/4 of an inch. Do NOT shave the bridge of the nose.

1. Ears: For Bolos that have a Traditional trim, the ears are never trimmed. You should not be able to tell where the ears begin or end. The ends of the ears should flow smoothly-right into the neck/upper chest hair.

See orange dots in graphic.

For the Convenience or Puppy cut, trim and notch the bottom of the Ears and Muzzle allowing them to flow smoothly into chest hair. Trim chest hair 1 1/4 of an inch long at the top-gradually reaching 3/4 of an inch long-with no noticeable lines- to the bottom line of the chest hair.

1. Eyes: Trim the hair about 1/4 of an inch under the eyes from corner to corner.
2. Chest: Do not trim the chest hair. Muzzle hairs under the chin and ear hair should flow smoothly into the chest hair. See orange dots for chest hair area.

For the Convenience or Puppy cut, trim & notch the chest hair 1 - 1/2 of an inch descending down gradually reaching 3/4 of an inch to the bottom of the chest hairline. Remember, ear and muzzle hair flows smoothly with no noticeable lines, into the chest hair.

1. Stomach: Trimming and notching the stomach line a little shorter is optional in both types of trims, creating a skirt effect that helps to prevent tangles and mats in this sensitive area. Trim and thin the hair behind the top of the front legs, where they rub together with their body, to help prevent matting in this area. This should not be noticeable from the skirt.
2. Body: The body of the Traditional Bolognese trim is left long.

For a Convenience or Puppy cut, leaving 3/4 length hair over the majority of the body provides relief from matting while not taking too much off.

#8 Tail: Do not trim the tail hair. If necessary, on/near the very end of the tail, notch no more than 1/4 to 1/2 an inch gradually off toward the tail tip.

Sometimes Dogs can get staining under their eyes.  There are several reasons for this.  First, it can be genetic.  We have our eye vet check for any hereditary issues that would cause tearing when they have their CERF eye test done. We don't breed dogs that are predisposed to these genetic tearing issues.  

Puppies can tear while they are teething and receiving vaccinations. Puppies cut teeth up to 8 months old. This may cause pressure on the tear ducts. Just like a human baby, where teething can cause runny noses and excessive tearing, so it does in a puppy. 

During this time try applying a little coconut oil under the puppy's eyes. Coconut oil helps stop the tears from penetrating the hair.  Tear staining is actually caused by red yeast in their systems.  Coconut oil also has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. 

Another cause of tearing is hair in their eyes, so keep the hair trimmed all around their eyes.. top, bottom and sides.  If your dog is an adult that has had no previous tearing, and suddenly begins tearing, see your vet to check for ear infections and tooth problems.