Mastering the Topknot: A Groomer's Guide to Scissoring and Banding

The topknot is one of those finishing touches that quietly tells everyone whether a groom was done by a pro. Get it right and the whole head balances, the eyes open up, and the dog looks polished. Get it wrong and even a lovely body clip looks unfinished. Whether you are shaping a scissored crown on a doodle, tidying a poodle's head or setting a band on a shih tzu, the principles are the same. Let me take you through how I approach topknots in the salon.

There are really two topknot families to master: the scissored topknot, where you sculpt the hair on the crown into a rounded, blended shape, and the banded topknot, where you gather the hair up into one or more soft bands. Longer-coated breeds like the shih tzu, and pet poodles with growing crowns, often suit banding. Doodles and shorter-trimmed poodles usually want a scissored crown that flows into the head. Knowing which to reach for is half the skill.

Prep first: clean, dry and combed out

You cannot scissor or band a crown that is not properly prepared. The hair on the head must be clean, fully dried straight with a high-velocity or stand dryer, and combed through so it stands up off the scalp. Any tangle or kink will throw your line off and show in the finish. Comb the crown hair upward and outward so you can see exactly what you are working with.

Establish your boundaries before you cut. The topknot generally runs from the back corners of the eyes to the front of the ears, and back to the occiput. Combing the hair up from that footprint gives you the shape you are going to work with.

Scissoring a topknot: shaping the crown

For a scissored crown, think of building a soft dome, not a flat cap. Comb the hair straight up, then begin setting your outline height at the front, above the eyes, where you want the crown to start. Work back and around, taking small amounts and turning the dog so you are always cutting into a fresh angle.

The secret is to scissor over a comb or over your fingers to keep the length even, checking constantly from the front and both sides. You are aiming for a rounded, symmetrical shape that mirrors itself on the left and right. Blend the back of the topknot down into the neck coat so there is no hard shelf, and blend the front softly so it frames the face rather than sitting on it like a hat. Keep stepping back. Topknots are shaped as much by your eye at arm's length as by the scissors up close.

Groomer's tip: Scissor a topknot in curved, sweeping strokes rather than straight chops, and follow the natural round of the skull. Straight lines read as flat spots. Little and often, checking symmetry after every few snips, beats trying to fix a big mistake later.

Banding a topknot safely

Banding suits longer crowns and breeds you want to keep hair out of the eyes on. Gather the topknot hair up gently, exactly as much as sits within your topknot footprint, and smooth it with a comb so there are no drags or kinks pulling on the skin.

Use proper latex grooming bands, and here is the welfare point that matters: never band tightly. A band that pulls the skin taut is genuinely uncomfortable and, left in, can cause sores. The skin at the corners of the eyes should sit naturally, not stretched. You should be able to see the crown lift softly, not the eyes pulled up. For a fuller look you can split the gathered hair into two bands, or set one band and fan the hair over it. To remove a band, always cut it out with the tips of blunt-nosed scissors rather than dragging it through the coat.

Choosing: scissored or banded

Match the choice to the coat, the breed and how the owner keeps the dog. Banding keeps a growing coat out of the eyes between grooms and suits owners who like a longer, showier head on a shih tzu or a poodle in coat. A scissored crown suits doodles and shorter pet trims, gives a rounded, teddy look, and needs no maintenance from the owner between visits. Plenty of dogs get a bit of both across the year as their coat grows out and gets taken back down.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly should a topknot start and finish? As a rule, from the outer corners of the eyes forward, back to roughly the occiput, and out to the front edge of each ear. Comb the hair up from that footprint. Anything outside it belongs to the face, cheeks or neck coat and should blend away, not join the topknot.

How tight should a band be? Never tight enough to pull the skin. The crown should lift softly with no tension at the corners of the eyes. A band that stretches the skin is uncomfortable and can cause soreness, so err loose and always cut bands out rather than pulling them.

My scissored topknots keep looking flat. What am I doing wrong? Usually two things: cutting in straight lines instead of following the round of the skull, and not stepping back to check. Scissor in curved strokes over a comb, turn the dog, and assess from the front and both sides after every few cuts.

Which breeds usually get banded versus scissored? Longer-coated breeds like the shih tzu, and poodles kept in longer coat, often get banded to keep hair off the eyes. Doodles and shorter pet-trimmed poodles usually get a scissored, rounded crown. It comes down to coat length, breed and how the owner maintains the dog.

Written from the salon floor by Lucy, City & Guilds Level 2 & 3 qualified groomer and owner of Fluffs, a one-to-one dog grooming salon in Wigginton, York. For more professional grooming guides, explore the Fluffs grooming blog.