When To Clip

[Clydesdalelover]

As topic says when do you clip a puppy, she's nearly 1 yr old she's a shitzu cross poodle, with this hot weather was wondering if should get her clipped.

She is mainly indoors on hot days in the cool, have a/c on. But when do I start taking her to poochie. Would like to start her early getting toe nails done ( which she hates to be done)

She's good to bath.

Any advise from people with dogs with hairy dogs / poodle people please.

She does get brushed regularly.

[Alyosha]

This sort of cross I would have clipped every 3 to 6 months.

[kiesha09]

I get mine clipped every 8 weeks and start this schedule from 16 weeks old - so 8 weeks after they come home.

Having said that I clip nails from 8 weeks and groom every day and 'practice' clipping from this time as well (getting them used to clipper noise, run clippers over them etc).

I highly recommend you start grooming /clipping ASAP.

[ann21]

As topic says when do you clip a puppy, she's nearly 1 yr old she's a shitzu cross poodle, with this hot weather was wondering if should get her clipped.

She is mainly indoors on hot days in the cool, have a/c on. But when do I start taking her to poochie. Would like to start her early getting toe nails done ( which she hates to be done)

She's good to bath.

Any advise from people with dogs with hairy dogs / poodle people please.

She does get brushed regularly.

Hi, I am not sure what type of hair your dog has but I brought my dog to the groomers at about 4 months just to get him used to it. He is now clipped every 7-8 weeks so I would say its definitely time to get him groomed! As for the nails my dog is not a fan either but from early on I have handled his paws so hopefully it makes it easier on the groomer. You can start with a basic groom if you would like to get your dog used to the groomers (that is, not clipping the whole body but just the hair around feet, private parts etc).

Edit to add my dog is also a 1 year old poodle cross

Edited January 6, 2013 by ann21

[espinay2]

Generally I would recommend the 'average small fluffy dog owner' to start getting their pup to a groomer from at least 3 months of age (and every month to 6 weeks depending on coat, owner skill and willingness to groom between appointments) for trims and tidy ups and nails, to get them used to being groomed from the beginning and to get them through the puppy coat change.

If she is fully brushed and combed out out and free of matts, and you are maintaining her yourself by trimming around paws, sanitary areas and eyes etc then there may be no need to clip unless you want her in a shorter style. At least every three months to six months as mentioned though may be worthwhile as an absolute minimum unless you are fully skilled yourself.

Be sure when you say you are brushing that you are not leaving matts underneath (heard that plenty of times from grooming clients and the dog is generally one matted mess underneath the top brushed bit). If you can not comb the coat out (rather than brushing over it) then you may find your dog will definitely need shaving off fully.

If she is not being fully maintained then clipping may be necessary ASAP.

Definitely not 'too early' to get toenails trimmed! I am not sure I am understanding you fully here - her nails are not being done? They do need to be done regularly and I generally trim my own dogs nails every two weeks from baby puppies to get them used to it, and no less than every month as they mature - particularly if they have dew claws.

Edited January 6, 2013 by espinay2

[Guest Panzer Attack!]

You really should have started getting the dog clipped 8 months ago. Please see to it ASAP.

edit: ok, I re-read your post and you say she gets brushed regularly. I guess it depends on how you're brushing the dog, whether you use a comb, blah blah. Having being a groomer for a while now I see "brushed" year old crosses all the time that need to be shorn off with a #10 so I'm a tad jaded. Having a bath and a brush at home is so different to being done in a salon, it's always good to start these experiences as early as possible.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Panzer Attack!

[ann21]

You really should have started getting the dog clipped 8 months ago. Please see to it ASAP.

edit: ok, I re-read your post and you say she gets brushed regularly. I guess it depends on how you're brushing the dog, whether you use a comb, blah blah. Having being a groomer for a while now I see "brushed" year old crosses all the time that need to be shorn off with a #10 so I'm a tad jaded. Having a bath and a brush at home is so different to being done in a salon, it's always good to start these experiences as early as possible.

I think it depends on the type of brush. I was using a pin brush everyday which was fine but around 11 months my dogs hair started matting despite the brushing. I then switched to a slicker brush and wide tooth comb and so far so good! Was recommended to make the switch by my groomer.

Edited January 6, 2013 by ann21

[Alkhe]

I would take her now - most poodles will have been groomed from a few weeks of age to get them used to it. I know some people who object to starting them that early, but even those people would definitely start grooming at 3 months or so. Most groomers will make appointments for grooming every 6-8 weeks, but I find that my Toy Poodle gets too shaggy if I leave it 8 weeks between professional grooms. I now groom her myself, but even when I was taking her to the groomer religiously, I would still tidy up around her eyes and bottom etc, and do a bit of a trim between grooms. PARTICULARLY if the weather gets hot.

Even now, I give my dogs a trim if they're not quite due for a full on groom yet, but the weather is hot. They're not show dogs or anything, so their looks are 100% secondary to how they feel.

[persephone]

I would also suggest starting her at the groomers ASAP.

better late than never :)

Unless you are experienced do not start her off at home .. one mistake and you may have a dog who is frightened/snappy /anxious ...around you and any grooming tool.

It's great that she is good to bath! Well done :)

[Simply Grand]

Great advice for you already, I agree get her into a good groomer as soon as you can. If she hasn't been clipped at all before now at all chances are her paw pads will be grown over with hair (unless you have been trimming them) and if her nails haven't been clipped dee claws especially are very likely to need it.

I clip my poodle x malt myself basically when I think he needs it but I do his face, feet and butt much more frequently, once a month I'd say.

I too do nails every one to two weeks from when they first come home to get them used to it, then about once a month when they're older.

[Guest Panzer Attack!]

Most groomers will make appointments for grooming every 6-8 weeks, but I find that my Toy Poodle gets too shaggy if I leave it 8 weeks between professional grooms.

Haha, yes, but you are a good girl and groom your dog regularly, sooo many people are disgusted at the thought of booking in twice a year let alone anymore than that. 6-8 weeks is like the bare bones minimum, but I'd like to see dogs once a month. I have a couple of dogs that come every 2 weeks and they get discounts cos the owners are good girls! :)

ann21 - I found using a pin brush alone with my Papillon caused him to mat up really quick too. Slicker was cutting his hair so I stopped using it completely - if I only use a pin brush I have to brush him up to two times a day. He has the most annoying hair! And the correct coat type! Grrr. My mum's Pap has a terrible coat and never gets knots, so unfair.

[Christina]

Unless you want to & can maintain a long coat get her clipped now.

As she has never been done before she may freak out at the clippers. Maybe not but many do first time. I would advise a mobile groomer & stay with your dog while it is done.

If the dog gets too stressed or the groomer gets rough or impatient stop the session immediately. Its not supposed to be a nightmare or have harsh discipline however allow some verbal & firm handling to a degree.

Ask if the mobile can clip before booking as some can only wash dogs.

Your dog really should have been clipped from being a few weeks old to be trained however it wasn't so don't leave it any longer. She will feel so much more comfortable without heaps of hair in this heat.

[kiwioz]

Agree with everyone else! Get her in there asap. I have a poodle x who's 6 now - I am definitely not as good as I should be and get him clipped about every 3 months. I'm a teacher and aim for school holidays. But right now the poor munchkin is getting pretty hot, I missed out on his December clip because I didn't get in early enough and my groomers are so popular. They do start to feel it and he looks so happy when he is freshly clipped off!!

Be prepared though, he had gorgeous soft wavy hair as a puppy and after his first clip it went to quite tight curls. It has eased back a bit now. But your pup's coat may change a bit after being clipped for the first time :)

Oh also just saw your comment about toe nails. In my experience groomers don't have much problem with this :) My terrier Cal used to be TERRIBLE for having his nails clipped. Ever since he was a baby - the breeder even made special mention of it!! But any groomer he went to had no trouble - I guess they are just so used to it, confident and matter of fact that it goes far more smoothly.

[zeebie]

ditto with all other replies, having a full poodle and a show dog her breeder clipped her face/tail/chest/belly and feet at 3 weeks and again at 7 weeks and again day before I picked her up at 9 weeks, I have continued to tidy her up every single week since and she is clipped for shows regularly as well as I do her nails every week just nibble them back to keep them well groomed. My other dog is a long hair X breed and geez am I paying for NOT attending to this detail from day 1. He fusses with his nails and it is game on to hold him down, bribe him with treats etc, and clipping is practically impossible unless he is under sedation! so was not about to make that mistake twice. I think you will find you will have to start off very slowly and carefuly with lots of short stints and maybe just scissoring to get all excess hair off pup and gradually build up to taking to groomers for an all over clip out, good luck :)

[Crisovar]

You don't necessarily have to have your pup clipped, but it should be groomed regularly and have its hygiene areas attended to. If you are happy to thoroughly maintain the coat at home, a professional do, just for hygiene areas and and a trim up as needed may be all that is necessary, but she needs to become accustomed to it. It really depends on the pups coat and how you wish her to look and how much work you are prepared to do at home.

[mel_]

I wish I had had the common sense to know to take my dog to the groomers asap. Took him for the first time around 10-11 months old and they just couldn't clip him. He was way too fidgety, not because he's scared/nervous but because he was just SO excited to be at a new place with new people. I wasn't allowed to stick around at all and the girls grooming were quite young... so I'm not sure if it had anything to do with experience. My friend has a very fidgety dog too and says her groomer clips him just fine.

[CHA]

It sounds like you are doing the right thing with the bathing and brushing, but yes you should absolutely get her clipped off for summer. It's too much in this heat for the dogs to have to carry around a long coat as well. Not mentioning the prickles and grass seeds they pick up.

I've always taken my poodles to the groomers from an early age and they get used to it quite quickly. I take them approximately every 8 weeks, any longer than that and they get too hard to keep in good condition. I'm not sure how often a shitzu needs clipping, but the poodles definately would be every 8 weeks.

A good experienced groomer will be able to handle your dog with ease. Please make sure you go to someone who has been recommended to you and that you can trust. My dogs drag me into the groomers now, though I think it's only because they think they may meet their friend in there who also attends the same place!

[Clyde]

I would advise a mobile groomer & stay with your dog while it is done.

I disagree with this. Dogs always muck up more when the owner is around, making it more distressing for the dog, the owner and the groomer. A lot of mobile groomers cant style to save themselves and the dog will also be distracted by everything else going on around them. An experienced, well recommended salon groomer would be the way to go IMO.

If not already you could start getting the dog uses to a hairdryer, if you have en electric toothbrush at home get the dog used to this buzzing around his face and also his feet. The more work you put in at home the easier it is for the dog.

[Clyde]

I wish I had had the common sense to know to take my dog to the groomers asap. Took him for the first time around 10-11 months old and they just couldn't clip him. He was way too fidgety, not because he's scared/nervous but because he was just SO excited to be at a new place with new people. I wasn't allowed to stick around at all and the girls grooming were quite young... so I'm not sure if it had anything to do with experience. My friend has a very fidgety dog too and says her groomer clips him just fine.

Ask around for another recommendation, she sounds inexperienced :)

eta: Not that there is anything wrong with that, everyone starts somewhere, but I guarantee the right groomer could clip your dog from start to finish without traumatizing your wriggly worm. I groom a few like that, the second you give them any kind of acknowledgement they turn themselves inside out with excitement. Grooms are done very quietly :laugh:

Edited January 6, 2013 by Clyde

[Poodle Mum]

Lots of good advice already. Hopefully you have practiced handling your pup, so getting grooming won't be too bad.

You pup must have a pretty fluffy face by now or else more shitzu than poo.

I too would recommend clipping, esp if you live in a tick prone area.

Good luck :)