Jump to content

Grooming A Poodle


 Share

Recommended Posts

Do poodles need to be clipped?

I know someone with a poodle (still a puppy) and they brush him every day. But they said they have no intention of ever clipping him.

I dont know a lot about this so was just wondering - does anyone have a poodle that has never been clipped?

Cheers

Gillian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 44
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

i have a miniture poodle i do clip her, i have let her coat grow in winter months its a lot of work. matts easily, grabs onto leaves and grass easily, when brushed hair fuzzes up. couldnt imagine not clipping ...would be a large commitment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you saying the dog never goes for a walk??? Yes poodle hair will keep on growing - imagine what the poor dogs face will be like with a huge amount of hair on it . Leaving hair around the face ears and rear will be quite unhygenic - some dogs are unable to toilet if the hair around their bottom/penis or vulva becomes thick and matted. Hair under the eyes also needs to be removed and as poodles can be prone to ear problems having a clean face assists in air flow to the ears. During the period when the dog sheds its puppy coat (as it reaches maturity) the dog must be thoroughly combed DAILY to remove matts. Any coated dog can be left long but it is a HUGE effort to maintain the coat - ask anyone with a poodle in full show coat. There are a huge number of clips which can look very natural - hope your friends make the right choice for their dog. A breed that needs regular clipping has to become used to the procedure and failing to do this can result in a very stressfull experience for the dog (despite the patience and care of the groomer) - see the photo on this forum of the oodle that just required a clip off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks for the responses guys...

These people do care about the puppy a lot...

He does go for walks and they take him to the groomers every second week... they trim around the face, always do the ears... not sure about his rear end ( :thumbsup: )

His body though doesnt get clipped. He's still a puppy (about 4 months) so maybe his puppy coat is still managable. Probably when he's done with his puppy coat they will see that they will need to have him clipped.

I see the puppy almost twice a week and his fur is always well kept.

Edited by Gillian
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they have no intention of clipping his body, they will have no option but to cord his coat like a Puli's or simply cut it off in clumps leaving the dog looking moth eaten. No amount of brushing will stop the coat from matting resulting in pain for the dog.

Even the most dedicated of show people CANNOT maintain long coat without wrapping it.

They need to understand that non-shedding coats will matt at the root as old hair breaks off. If they think body clipping is cruel, they need to reconsider that view.

I've added a before and after on what an unclipped poodle can end up looking like. The dog in the picture had several KILOs of coat removed - imagine how hot and uncomfortable it would have been.

I've seen plenty of people who aim initially to keep their puppy clips going on adult dogs... they all change their minds.

post-1954-1153181535_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it's not that they think it's cruel to clip or anything like that - they just like the shaggy dog look...

like I said before, his coat is really well kept...

I've seen plenty of people who aim initially to keep their puppy clips going on adult dogs... they all change their minds.

do they change their minds after the the puppy looses its puppy coat?

also guys, just so everyone know, this puppy is in no danger whatsoever....

I know these people really well and if they feel the puppy will be under stress because of his coat, they will not think twice about having him clipped. I'm just asking these questions because I personally have never seen or heard of a poodle with a long coat.

Cheers

Gillian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

they just like the shaggy dog look...

They got the wrong breed for shaggy dog :thumbsup: Should have looked at Tibetan Terriers :rofl:

In all seriousness, they will need to clip the dog. A coat on a pup of 4 months is nothing like a coat change, is nothing like a growing adult coat :rofl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gillian, most people end up clipping the coat for the comfort of the dog and to lower coat maintenance. They do it before coat change which often doesn't occur until the dog is 12-18 months old. A long coated poodle in summer is a hot dog - maintaining the coat (especially unwrapped) if the dog has any kind of out door activity is time consuming. It picks up burrs and dirt very easily. The long hair knots at the base very quickly and you have to be THOROUGH to stop it matting. It also takes a loooong time to thoroughly brush dry a long coat - ask any poodle showie!

I've added a pic of a corded Dwarf poodle to give you an idea of how long coat can grow. This dog would have those cords bunched up when not being shown. It has had the hind end clipped in the traditional trim. It takes ages to thoroughly dry a corded coat - ask any Puli showie!!

Cording was the original method of keeping a poodle in long coat - before the advent of electric dryers and clippers it was far more common. These days its a rarity but still permitted in the ring.

Last Corded dog I saw here in Oz was a silver standard exhibited some years ago at Poodle Club of Victoria's show. If your friends want a long coated poodle they could consider a modified traditional trim like Scandanavian, Junior Lion or Continental which would give the dog a nice long jacket but keep the legs free of really longer hair.

post-1954-1153184404_thumb.jpg

Edited by poodlefan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've added a pic of a corded Dwarf poodle to give you an idea of how long coat can grow.

wow - never knew they could grow that long!!!!

If your friends want a long coated poodle they could consider a modified traditional trim like Scandanavian, Junior Lion or Continental which would give the dog a nice long jacket but keep the legs free of really longer hair.

Do you have any pictures poodle fan?

Thanks for the replies guys :thumbsup:

- Gillian

Edited by Gillian
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, you have to trim a poodle, it'd be cruel not to do so.

Perhaps there's some miscommunication?

Some people said to me not to "clip" when my poodle was a pup- that the coat should be "scissored" instead. I don't know if this is just an old wive's tale? Most breeders suggest getting your pup used to the clippers ASAP. It's in no way cruel or painful for the dog to be clipped. Clipping is less time-consuming than scissoring. Different clipper blade sizes leave a different length of fur.

One of the many great things about poodles is that you can keep their fur anyway that you like. I wouldn't blame them if by "clipped' they mean the run-of-the-mill pet clip- it tends to be short all over with rounded head and pompon on tail :thumbsup: .

Here's a link to some more poodle trims. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...c=61432&hl=.

poodlefan's dogs look good, too, especially sporty Ted.

More fur= more work (brushing & combing).

Shaved face, feet, base of tail and scissorred legs and body looks good and is very practical (similar to the puppy trim). Shaved feet don't bring the dirt inside (much), face stays clean when eating, and no poo left at base of tail!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...