Being my favourite breed these are dogs I usually most enjoy trimming, most poodles are trimmed in a 'lamb' trim,  this is a neat and practicle style for everyday wear and tear.   Not too fancy, yet smart, and can be kept short for really easy grooming, or left longer if a fluffier effect is prefered, and grooming is kept up between trims.

 

The  bulk of the coat is removed first, which is why I ask that dogs arrive as dry as possible, according to techincal information, rust can develop in a clipper blade within 6 minutes.  This makes the blade unusable very quickly, and has to be sent off for regrinding.  I begin by clipping Face feet tummy and the base of tail then body hair can be clipped to a range of lengths, or left longer by being scissored.

 

 Once clipped, the dogs are bathed, using a shower to ensure water gets right into the roots of the coat, this enables the shampoo to also penetrate the coat.  A conditioner will then be used if necessary, and while in the bath anal glands will be attended to.  The coat is give a final rinse to ensure that there is no residue of product to dull the coat, and then the drying procsess can begin, one of the most time consuming parts of the process, especially if the coat is matted.   With a 'forced air blower' (commonly refered to as a blaster)  the worst of the water is blown from the coat,  reducing the tangling effect of using towels, it also helps seperate the hairs and begins to loosen tangles. 

 

The blower I use to 'finish' has a variable heat and blower power is used at the same time as a brush to straighten the coat as it drys, hence the American description of  'stretch drying'  a  poodle's naturally curly coat is stretched straight, and drys straight under the blower, this means that when trimmed it will keep it's shape better, and for longer.  If the coat drys partly curly, each grooming at home will straighten some more of the hair and it will constantly look tufty.

 

 After checking for tangles with a combe, (all a combe should ever do is find tangles, use a brush to remove them) the legs are then trimmed to what ever length the owner requires, though this should always look well balanced.   The head is usually trimmed with a rounded 'top knot' and a round pom pom on the end of the tail, though with the now more usual longer tail length something more of a plume or oval shape is more appropriate.  

 

 To do properly I like to allow up to 2 hours for a toy or miniature poodle, I hate to rush a poodle trim, what ever time I give as when a dog will be finished  will be the earliest likely time, if you arrive earlier, your dog may fidget more while I try to finish, which is usually the most fidley parts around the head, after that is done, I remove hair from ears, and give them a clean, and end with cutting toenails.

 

If I ever tell you I feel your dog needs to see a vet, it will be because I feel there is a problem that only a vet can deal with, I do not make the recomendation lightly,  understanding how expensive veterinary treatments are, please, even if it is a false alarm, bear in mind that in similar circumstances,  another dog may not be so fortunate.

 

Mary