Grooming a Poodle Dog
Getting a dog to stand still for anything that it wants to do is difficult enough, but getting it to stand still for grooming purposes is a real chore. Especially for poodles, which can sometimes be high strung in the smaller breeds. Unless your poodle is a show dog (if so, you probably have a professional groomer lined up already), you can groom it yourself as long as you are patient and provide rewards frequently. Grooming your poodle requires giving her a good brushing, washing her coat and trimming away any unwanted hair.
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Things You'll Need
- Slicker brush
- Comb
- Scissors
- Nail clippers
- Dog treats
- Styptic powder or pencil (optional)
- Tweezers
- Dog shampoo
- Electric hair clippers
- Clipper gates
Instructions
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Brush you poodle's coat thoroughly using a slicker brush with soft bristles. Use a comb, such a poodle comb, to remove any clumps or mats of hair. Use scissors to remove any particularly bad clumps near the end of the hair. Brush your poodle daily, if possible.
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Trim your poodle's nails. Have some dog treats handy to make the nail-clipping process as easy as possible. Trim the nails until they are about 1/8 inch away from the quick, which is the inner soft part containing blood vessels and tender nerve endings; trim each nail slowly. Cut only small bits of nail if your dog has dark nails and you cannot see the quick. When you see the end of the nail start to turn gray or pink, stop cutting the nail. Give your poodle dog treats every time you pause while cutting and talk in low, soothing tones to ease the stress of cutting his nails. Use a styptic pencil or powder to stop the bleeding if you cut into the quick.
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Use tweezers to pluck any hair in your poodle's ear. Give the poodle dog treats while doing this.
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Add some dog shampoo to your hand and lather your poodle's coat thoroughly, getting everywhere except for around the eyes. Lift its tail and wash under there as well, especially around the anal glands. Rinse thoroughly with water and repeat if it has been a while since your poodle's last bath. Use a dog conditioner if your poodle's hair feels particularly coarse or dry. Allow it to sit on the hair for a few minutes before rinsing. Towel dry your poodle.
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Attach a medium-sized clipper to a set of electric clippers and begin trimming your poodle. Start around the face, being gentle as you make your trims. Trim the face to an even length all the way from about eye level to the top of the neck. Trim the groin area and feet using the same clipper gate.
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Determine how fluffy you want you dog to look; for a short and fluffy look, use a clipper attachment that is about a 1/2 inch longer than the one you used for its face. Select the next smaller size for a shorter-length coat.
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Use the clippers by cutting in the direction that the hair is growing. Trim the neck, legs, chest sides and back in this same manner.
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Use scissors to trim the head, ears and tail to your desired shape and length and to trim any uneven hair left by the clippers.
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Brush your poodle again to remove any loose hair. Reward your pet for being so patient with additional dog treats.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
