How to Groom Toy Poodles
Toy poodles are a difficult breed to keep well-groomed. Because their hair grows continuously, you'll need to give your toy poodle some sort of cut or trim every six to eight weeks. You'll also need to maintain the hair between cuts to keep it from getting matted or dirty. Poodles also need regular nail, ear and dental maintenance. If you lack experience grooming toy poodles, take your pooch to a professional groomer for the first few haircuts to see how it's done.
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Things You'll Need
- Dog shampoo
- Towel
- Hair dryer
- Dog-hair clippers
- Grooming scissors
- Fine-toothed comb
- Pin brush
- Slicker brush
- Dog-nail clippers
- Styptic powder
- Nail file
- Dog toothbrush and toothpaste
- Tweezers
- Ear powder
- Ear-cleaning solution
- Cotton balls
Instructions
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Maintaining a Toy Poodle's Hair
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1
Bathe your toy poodle using a natural, hypoallergenic shampoo. When you've finished bathing it, use a towel then hair dryer to dry the dog's coat.
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2
Clip your toy poodle's hair. The most basic cut uses a five or seven clipper blade. It leaves all of the hair the same length, so you can use the same blade for most of the body. Start with the head and continue back toward the body and the tail.
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3
Use grooming scissors to trim the dog's face, starting with the eyes and moving down past the front of the nose. Generally, a poodle's hair is cut very short on the face, to about 1/4 inch, and the dog is left with a small beard.
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4
Comb your toy poodle's fur every day with a fine-toothed comb, then follow with a pin brush that will penetrate the dog's hair. A slicker brush can help get debris out of the dog's coat.
General Grooming
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5
Clip your toy poodle's nails when they get long enough to click on the floor when walking. Do not cut into the quick, which is visible as pink inside on clear nails. If you do cut into the quick, apply styptic powder to stop the bleeding.
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6
File the nails if they are too sharp after clipping with a regular nail file. Work gently and gradually.
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7
Clean an adult toy poodle's teeth every other day with a dog toothbrush and toothpaste. According to Pet Health Care, it takes only 36 hours for plaque to mineralize into tartar on a dog. Dogs also benefit from a yearly oral cleaning from a vet.
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8
Clean your poodle's ears once a week or after any swimming activity. If the dog has a lot of ear hair, pluck the hair out of the ears with tweezers. Ear powder, which you can get at most pet stores, makes the hair easier to hold onto and makes the plucking less painful for the dog. Use an ear-cleaning solution on a cotton ball to remove wax and dirt.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If you feel unsteady with the clippers, start out with a longer blade.
Handle your toy poodle's feet often to acclimate the dog to nail clipping.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
