How to Shave My Poodle
Shaving a poodle is a common practice that has evolved over the centuries. Grooming, clipping and shaving were originally done to make it easier for poodles to swim and to avoid getting their long hair caught in undergrowth. Groomers have gone from relying on shears to being able to easily shave poodles with electric clippers.
Poodle hairstyles have also changed with the passage of time. Hair is clipped in ways that help insulate the poodle's joints and protect it from the cold. Most of these styles involve the short clipping or shaving of portions of the poodle's hair on the face and in between joints -- like the mid-thighs or neck -- leaving perfectly shaped balls of hair around joint. For dog shows, some poodle's entire hindquarters are shaved.
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Things You'll Need
- Electric grooming shears with adjustable guard.
- Scissors
- Blanket
- Hair clips
- Comb
- Tiny nail scissors
Instructions
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Hairstyle and Preparedness
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1
Study different poodle hairstyles and select the one that you prefer for your poodle. Keeping your poodle's hair clipped short on the face, feet and base of the tail is good for hygienic purposes. Wash your poodle before shaving it, as a clean coat will make shaving it much easier.
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2
Gather your poodle, a towel, some extra-sharp hair cutting scissors and a fully-charged set of electric dog clippers with an adjustable guard. Relocate to a cool, shady outdoor area with the dog. If the clippers must remain plugged in, find a relaxing spot within the distance that the cord allows.
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3
Set your poodle on the towel. Clip back all of the hair on your poodle that you want to remain long with hair clips and a comb. Pay close attention around the ears, mouth and tail not to accidentally clip up any skin.
Shaving Your Poodle
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4
Hold onto your dog with your free hand not using the clippers. Speak to your dog calmly and nicely as dogs tend to not like being shaved. Start shaving your poodle in an inconspicuous area that you are already planning to shave. Adjust the guard until the shaved portion of the hair is as long as you want it.
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5
Use long, even strokes to shave the portions of your poodle's hair to the desired length, but do not push hard on the clippers, let the clippers cut their own way through the hair while pushing lightly. Do not shave sensitive areas. Wait and clip these gently with sharp scissors.
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6
Go over the shaved area multiple times. Areas that are oddly shaped or filled with loose skin like joints, the face and the groin area may require many careful passes to successfully clip all of the hairs to the same length.
Cleaning Up
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7
Remove the guard from the clippers and detail the edges of the shaved areas on the dog by trimming slightly closer -- not more than 1 mm -- to the skin on the line that separates that hairy areas from the shaved ones. This give the hairier areas a more bouncy look.
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8
Find and trim all of the leftover hairs left in the shaved areas missed by the clippers with a comb and scissors. Be careful when trimming and clipping in the genital area.
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9
Separate your poodle's toes and gently and look for leftover long hairs. Trim the hairs with tiny nail scissors if your regular scissors are too large. Continue this until all of the hair between your poodle's toes is of the desired length. Search around your poodle's eyes, ears and mouth for any remaining hairs. Clip these carefully with scissors.
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10
Wash or at least rinse your poodle again afterwards to rid it of any remaining loose hairs. Let your poodle air dry before brushing him if it's not too cold outside.
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Tips & Warnings
Draw lines on your poodle to guide where you have shaved and not shaved. Use a non-toxic marker to avoid any allergic reactions.
References
- Photo Credit Barry/Valueline/Getty Images
