Are bichons  really hard to cut?

[Rosalyn]

After reading Ten's post and reflecting on my own grooming experiences. Is it hard to scissor cut ?  Are the clippers easier. Why do some groomers like to make bichons look like poodles. ? It's really hard when you live in smaller areas.

[Ten]

I got the feeling it was a time factor and money factor.  Though I made it quite clear money wasn't an issue.(if it was I would never have got a bichon or even a pet for that matter).  I would expect a bichon grooming to be more.  I wasn't even fussy on appearance as this was her first grooming and she is not a show dog (thank god).   Could you imagine going to the hair salon and the hairdresser telling you, if had curly unruly hair that she didn't like cut your hair or worse, to go somewhere else, even if you were willing to pay more.  
Who wouldn't want to groom such  sweet little dogs with big eyes and smiles on their faces?

[Julie]

It is much easier to use a clippers than to scissor a pup. I'm lucky and found someone who gives Chloe' the best hair cuts.  I do plan on trying her myself once she gets to be a little calmer.  I always gave my Schnauzer her hair cuts after she was a couple years old...so I'm hoping I can do the same with Chloe'.

[EDDEL]

Is it hard to scissor cut ?

Yes, Bichons are generally difficult to scissor-cut (every angle of a perfectly groomed Bichon is rounded; there are no hard edges/lines).

For someone
who is not certified by the National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc (NDGAA) as a NATIONAL CERTIFIED MASTER GROOMER (NCMG)
who isn't adept with the scissors (ie. using clippers/shavers all the time)
who does not have a proper knowledge or even an inkling of how a Bichon is suppose to look like
who has never scissored a Bichon before
... the task of scissoring a Bichon IS DIFFICULT.

Why I mentioned NCMG is because a local groomer I know here, returned from the States with that certification.  While undergoing training, these aspiring groomers learn to clip/scissor most breeds (including Bichons).  So I would imagine someone with no proper training, no certification, would certainly find it hard to scissor a Bichon!

That said, someone who is not certified by NDGAA may very well be adept at scissoring Bichons, because over the years, he/she has learnt to do it (with the various Bichons that go through his/her 'salon' doors).

More important than a certification IMO, is the innate ability of the groomer to style a dog.  He/she must have a 'vision' of how the dog is to look (understanding the breed standards is a bonus!), and with that 'vision' in mind, proceed to 'sculpt' the 'specimen' -- in this case, a Bichon to look like the powder-puff that Frank Sabella pioneered for the breed.

Why do some groomers like to make bichons look like poodles. ?

By virtue of their own insecurities/inexperience (at not knowing how to properly scissor a Bichon), these groomers retreat into a 'comfort zone'.  The manifestation of which is a Poodle, a Schnauzer or whatever breed it is that they're most adept/comfortable with clipping.

Here locally, Schnauzers are very popular.  So much so that Maltese and Shih Tzus come out of grooming salons looking like Schnauzers .  I'm not kidding, seen it countless times.  Sometimes, these Maltese & Shih Tzu owners actually ask for the Schnauzer cuts, but more often than not, it's because the only style/cut the groomers know is that of a Schnauzer.

I got the feeling it was a time factor and money factor.

Ten has a very valid point.  It takes a relatively longer time to properly scissor a Bichon than to clip it with a clipper.  For some groomers (especially those who became a groomer not because he/she loves dogs, but it's just a it-pays-the-bills kinda job), they're just not into spending that kind of time scissoring your Bichon, when the same amount of time can be directed to grooming/clipping 2 other dogs.