Poodle Grooming - Do It Right

By Geraldine Dimarco

If you own a poodle, you will find that one of the expenses that will start eating away at your pocket book is grooming them! Many people are finding that grooming poodles themselves can both help them save their money and help them get to know their pet a little bit better as well. While the art of poodle grooming might seem a little esoteric, the truth is, anyone who has a bit of patience and a willingness to help their pet look the best that it can can do a fairly accomplished job.

When you are looking into grooming standard poodles, you will find that the process will generally take around three hours once you have had some experience. When you are just getting started, you may find that you need to spread the grooming out over several days, to give you and your dog a bit of rest. After a few sessions, you'll get the hang of it, but if the time commitment isn't really for you, you'll find that you can get a dog groomer to do it for you.

When considering grooming poodles, you'll find that you should think about what kind of trim that you prefer. Your poodle's coat can be shaped into a number of different looks, all of them attractive, but remember that the longer and more shaped that your dog's coat needs to be, the more maintenance that it will need. Similarly, if your dog is a show dog, you'll also find that you need to have some sort of variation on the lion cut, which does require a fair amount of upkeep.

When you are looking at the lion cut, you'll find that there are three different variations on it. These variations will include the continental style, the English saddle style and the puppy cut. All three of these styles will involve longer fur in the areas of the chest and legs, and this can give the poodle the distinctive poodle cut that you might easily recognize. For dogs who were originally bred to be swimmers, it is worth noticing that this cut, with it's extra shaped fur around the chest and the legs, could keep the chest warmer and the protect the joints in cold water.

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.

When you are considering grooming poodles, you'll find that clipping the fur on the feet, face and the bottom of the tail very short for hygienic reasons, because it will allow for less food to get trapped there. You'll find that when you clip the that things don't get trapped between their toes, and you'll also find that the shorter the coat is, the easier it is to cut and dry. Remember to wash your poodle before you groom it to keep your tools in good shape, and the better the equipment you get the better off you'll be. - 29953

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