# Short Body, Big Topknot?



## ladybird (Jul 9, 2011)

Has anybody tried a long blended topknot with a short clip such as a summer/miami clip? How do you get it to look right? Pictures? :adore:


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## Kaylee (Jun 11, 2011)

There have been several threads with pictures before. I'll try to find them for you. 

Merlin Sporting a New Look
Miami Clip With Long Topknot?
 Anyone have photos of a Miami with a long TK?


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

Yes, Merlin has a banded topknot and he's now in the Miami clip. I can't promise that I did it _right_ or that it even looks good, but I love the look on him. *Kaylee* posted a link above.  (Thanks!) I occasionally tidy up his topknot to keep it under control but I can't bear to cut it short.


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## ladybird (Jul 9, 2011)

I see the pictures of Jaden like that, but I can't see from the pictures how the topknot is blended into the body... can anybody elaborate on that?


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## kime1701 (Aug 31, 2010)

Here is a picture of Kess with a Miami and a blended, banded topknot. I have shaved her down with a 1/2" blade even her ears. We went to this when we started coat change and it really fits her sporty personality. I"ll try to get some with my camera instead of my phone.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

ladybird said:


> I see the pictures of Jaden like that, but I can't see from the pictures how the topknot is blended into the body... can anybody elaborate on that?


Hopefully the groomers will chime in but I tried to taper the topknot along the neck and into the shoulder area. I got a little carried away and it's a bit uneven. I tapered it around the sides of his neck too so that his chest area is Miami trim short (I use a #5F blade). Sorry--these aren't the greatest pictures to illustrate the point. 

Lavillerose? 3Dogs? Fluffyspoos? Mom24Doggies? Anyone?


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## catsaqqara (May 20, 2011)

double post


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## catsaqqara (May 20, 2011)

Jaden's neck was shaved almost to the base of his scull with the TK hair hanging over. I would have preferred to blend it but he was going though coat change at the same time I was moving. Bambi has a longer TK and usually I would blend hers just like Rowan's Merlin. As her TK gets longer I blend the neck separate from the TK because at that length it parts leaving a bump of hair at the top of the neck.


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

I am not huge help since I don't have a single Poodle client with a Banded TK. I have plenty of Yorkies with a banded TK & a few Maltese but that is it. I usually have everything in front of the ears on the longer side which is pulled up in to a Banded TK & then on the way backside of the skull it get's blended down into the body. On a Poodle I personally feel you have too much neck hair since it looks like you left it long all the way down to the withers. I think personally I would look at the Shirley Kalstone book with the V etched into the back part of the neck which looks really nice & then leave the TK ears forward long & then start to blend the backside of the skull into the V.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

I know this is revealing my inexperience, but I never saw a poodle in a Miami until I joined this forum! There are only 5 poodles I've ever seen in this town total, and until last Saturday when I saw those two gorgeous fluffy ones, the only actual clips I've seen around here have been on my own two standard poodles! But I have learned to LOVE the look of a Miami, thanks to photos from people like you, and I am totally going to try the big banded topknot on Indy's Miami!


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## Ms Stella (Aug 16, 2010)

I am wondering about options here too. I'll put Stella in a Miami this summer again. I want to keep her TK long...I did that last summer too. I'm not a fan of the blended neck hair that looks lik A pony. But neck hair takes forever to get long and I don't really want to cut it as we only have a few hot months. I actually liked Jaydens shaved neck with the TK hanging over...I wonder how it would look to do that but shave leaving some neck hair? Just about to the withers or shoulder blades....I'll have to experiment and will watch this thread for suggestions.


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## Jack-A-Poo (Aug 21, 2011)

I did Sasha's like Jaden's too.....shaved the neck same length as the rest of the body and the TK flows down without any blending.


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## Ms Stella (Aug 16, 2010)

Jack-A-Poo said:


> I did Sasha's like Jaden's too.....shaved the neck same length as the rest of the body and the TK flows down without any blending.


Kewl! Do you have any photos of the side view or back view? Would love to see


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

That's the beauty of poodles!  Shaved neck, tapered neck hair. It's all good.

I actually prefer some neck hair as I think it looks kind of weird to have a big topknot over a shaved neck. I don't care for a "dip" between the topknot and the neck in other trims either, but prefer a fuller neck that blends into the withers. (Not sure if I'm using the correct terminology.) :ahhhhh:

This poodle is a pretty good example of what I prefer (in the lamb trim):
Google


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## Ms Stella (Aug 16, 2010)

Yes, I love the lamb with a blended neck, graduated down the back...but for the miami..I prefer something else..what exactly Im not sure..lol I had Stella's cut like Jaydens last year but I think I didnt cut it back down the neck far enough. She had too much neck hair cut off and it took forever to grow into a CC. I then asked my groomer to blend it into the rest and it looked like a lightbulb....lol So Im still looking for how to keep the neck hair and long TK but have the short hair otherwise of a miami. I actually like the short TK of the Miami too..but dont like growing the TK out again...sigh..I want it all


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## Jack-A-Poo (Aug 21, 2011)

Ms Stella said:


> Kewl! Do you have any photos of the side view or back view? Would love to see


These are the latest I have....the first one was the longest her TK was then the 2nd one I did an uneven trimmed down of her TK lol

The blended one like Merlin has looks great especially on a Standard coz you have more room to do the blending I think and it won't make the head look too big. I usually shaved Sasha down using a 5FC against the grain which is really short and I wouldn't know how to blend in with such a long TK for a small dog. She would probably end up with a big giant head and neck against her small body.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

Jack-A-Poo said:


> These are the latest I have....the first one was the longest her TK was then the 2nd one I did an uneven trimmed down of her TK lol
> 
> *The blended one like Merlin has looks great especially on a Standard coz you have more room to do the blending I think and it won't make the head look too big. *I usually shaved Sasha down using a 5FC against the grain which is really short and I wouldn't know how to blend in with such a long TK for a small dog. She would probably end up with a big giant head and neck against her small body.


Merlin says thank you! And keep in mind I'm just a home groomer and not maintaining show coats so I don't mind if Merlin looks "funny" on occasion. He doesn't seem to mind either.


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