What You Need to Know When It Comes to Grooming Poodles

By Geraldine Dimarco

If you own a poodle, you will shortly discover that grooming them can take up a lot of money. This is why many poodle owners have decided to go ahead and try grooming their dogs themselves, and they are discovering that this is something that is much more straightforward than they might have thought. You'll find that all you need to make sure that you are competent when it comes to grooming poodles is the ability to be patient and show a little bit of manual dexterity.

When you are looking to groom a standard poodle, you will find that the job takes about three hours once you have mastered it. You may find that when you are getting started that it is best to let the job proceed at intervals over the space of a few days, and this will give you and your poodle a bit of a break. If you feel that the trouble and the time investment are not worth it, remember to find a professional that you trust and take the time to network with other poodle owners to help you figure out what you need to know.

Remember that you have a choice of trims available to you when you are thinking of grooming poodles. You'll find that the poodle's curly, stiff hair will allow you to take advantage of many looks. Remember, also, though, that some looks are more care intensive and require more maintenance than others. Show poodles will certainly require more maintenance and a more conservative cut than pet poodles.

If you have a show poodle, remember that it will have a lion cut of some sort. A lion cut has three standard variations, including a puppy cut, an English saddle cut and a continental cut. You'll find that these all have ths ame standard look and they all come from a time when poodles were used to retrieve birds that had been shot into the water, as the long ruff of fur on the chest would protect the lungs and the fur on the legs would protect the bones.

If you are not going to compete your poodle in the ring, you'll find that you can choose a shorter trim, which is excellent for easy maintenance and drying, especially in the colder months. You can get a longer furred look, too, but remember that it will take more time to keep up. You'll find that there are many pictures and books that can help you out.

Most people choose to clip the fur at the base of the tail and on the feet and face very short. It works better for the dog's hygiene, since long hair can trap food. Short clipped feet don't pick up grass seeds, and mean that your dog won't track in as much dirt. Remember that shorter coats are easier to wash and dry, and they don't need as much brushing as a fluffy, long coat. Always wash your poodle before grooming to keep your clippers and scissors in good shape. Use high quality equipment, too. While it's more expensive to start with, it'll make poodle grooming much easier. - 32529

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