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How should I clip my poodle?

This is a question that we often get from sitters and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!

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Well I'm not a fan of the poodle per say mostly the standard version But I can recommend 2 cuts the teddy bear cut that has a little more hair on the chest & the continental which is the classic french look that may be cooler in the summer Remember hair is their SPF 50 sunblock they can get burned

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I am not a professional groomer, but I have two Standard Poodles I groom myself. I started grooming out of necessity because my first Poodle had a issue with bloat and could no longer be left at the groomer. I learned by reading and watching YouTube videos. You will mess up, but don't sweat it, it's hair it will grow back. Check out my profile to see my grooming for yourself. You'll see my Poodles.

The hardest part of grooming of Poodle is the bathing and drying. I do Yoga in order to stay in shape for grooming.

  1. Get the this book, Poodle Clipping and Grooming my Shirlee Kalstone. It will give you an overview of what's required. It includes cut guides for all the popular trims. You can skip the show coat stuff unless you plan to show.

  2. Do not buy cheap equipment. I have an Olster A6 clipper with 4 #10 blades and 2 3F blades. I have a pair of 9" curved blade finishing scissors that cost about $125 (worth every penny). Invest in good brushes. I use a Chris Christsen Big K also worth the price and butter combs by the same company. The best poodle brush I've ever come across is by La Pooch, but the Big K is good at half the price.

  3. You must have a grooming table. The bone shaped ones are the best of the fixed height tables. If you can afford a hydraulic table, go for it.

  4. Find a groomer in your area who allows self-washes and that is willing to help you when needed. This is invaluable. It is extremely difficult to bathe a Standard Poodle in a bath tube. You will need access to their high capacity dryer as well. Places like PetSmart and Pet Supply Plus use to much soap in their self washes; so, if you end up there, bring your own shampoo. Also, their dryers are usually not the best.

  5. Join a local Poodle Club. They often do grooming seminars for new poodle owners. Go to the Poodle Club of America's site and look for a club in your area.

  6. Watch YouTube videos on how to brush your poodle. Proper brushing makes grooming so much easier. I line-brush, at lest once every 3 days.

  7. The sanitary is the most important part of the groom for the dogs health. This is the face, ears, belly, butt, feet and nails. Have a vet tech show you how to pluck the ears, express the anal glands and trim the nails. Also, have them show you about dental care. I scape plaque off my dog's teeth myself, but not every one is comfortable with this.

  8. Jump right in. Use the clippers on yourself if you are nervous about hurting the dog. You are more likely to nick the dog with scissors than the clippers.

  9. Poodle feet are the hardest part of clipping. For a long time I used the clippers on the ...

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There are all different types of clips when grooming poodles too many to list but some of the most common haircuts i see most in my salon are the kennel clip , teddy bear and puppy cut. very rarely have i done a show dog grooming.

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I would recommend a commercial groomer handle the task of clipping a poodle or you may end up with a mess on your hands, and a funny looking dog