Grooming Poodles the Best Way
December 6th, 2009 by Geraldine Dimarco
One of the most expensive things about owning poodles is keeping them well groomed. If you learn to do this yourself, you’ll develop a better relationship with your pet, and you’ll save a lot of money in the long run. Grooming poodles might seem hard, but it’s actually a task that just about anyone can learn to do. You just need patience and the willingness to practice your skills.
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.
Remember that you have a choice of trims available to you when you are thinking of grooming poodles. You’ll find that the poodle’s curly, stiff hair will allow you to take advantage of many looks. Remember, also, though, that some looks are more care intensive and require more maintenance than others. Show poodles will certainly require more maintenance and a more conservative cut than pet poodles.
All show poodles must have a variation on the traditional lion cut. There are three variations on this kind of poodle grooming – continental, English saddle, and puppy. However, they’re all related to the traditional “poodle” cut that we know so well. Originally, this cut was created to help these dogs swim more effectively while retrieving birds from the water. A long mane of fur on the chest protected the lungs and heart, and the tufts on the legs offered joint protection.
If you are not going to show your dog, you’ll find that you have quite a few more options when it comes to making sure that your dog looks tidy. You can do an all-around short trim, which is ideal when you are considering how to make a good grooming job last, but if you are looking for something more flashy, consider looking at pictures online and in books to get some ideas.
When thinking bout grooming poodles, remember that most people will clip the fur at the base of the ail, on the feet and on the face very short, to make sure that it does not get very dirty and to make the dog easier to care for. Remember that the shorter you keep the fur clipped, the less dirt will get into your househhold, and the less the dog will need to be brushed over all. Remember to wash your poodle before you groom them, and make sure that if you clip yourself that you use high-quality tools that are kept sharp.
For more on house training poodles as well as information on toy poodle nutrition, you can’t go past Poodle Information.
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