# How to groom poodle puppy?



## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

If it was you puppy's first groom, they probably only did face/feet/tail to try to get him used to the process slowly. It can be a very overwhelming experience for a young pup. The amount you were charged should reflect that and when you have a whole body haircut you would most likely be charged more.


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

I groom my own (poor things, but I'm trying to get better lol). 

What I did when they were babies was to clip little bits of them, maybe only 5 minutes at a time to get them started slowly. With Bug (I noticed yours is male) I started with his belly/chest area in from of his, ummm, winky - to keep urine from getting all in his hair and causing matts or burns. We just kind of randomly trimmed what was needed from there until everyone was comfy with grooming. 

Bug now falls asleep standing up on the grooming table. lol It's cute, but has made for some interesting clipper lines. :/


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I would take the puppy back and ask them to shorten the body hair because of the heat. Since the FFT are done, maybe they could do this quickly.

It is harder to groom a puppy because they don't want to be held in place. You might buy a good pair of scissors and a slicker and a comb and neaten him up some but let the professional do the major work. Later buy some clippers, watch videos on grooming poodles and start practicing in between grooming visits till you are ready to do it full time.


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## loves (Jul 2, 2013)

Some groomers, for whatever dumb reason, refuse to shave puppies. It will not hurt him and if his coat is matting up, it may be necessary. Many people prefer their puppies fluffy, I know it was hard for me to start trimming Sully's coat, and didn't till he was almost 6+ months old. But, I am a groomer.

Five days is a bit long to expect any changes made at no charge. Also, what size is your poodle? Toy, mini, standard? Call the groomer, see what they would charge to redo the groom shorter for you. Personally, I'd go about a half inch to an inch in length, unless he was matted then it would be shorter; with clean face, feet and tail trimmed. Good luck. You just need to find a groomer you can trust and communicate with. A short trim can go about 6 weeks, or even 8, in between groomings long as you keep ears and tail brushed out. I think professional grooms would be best for training purposes and you can pick up the necessary equipment, ask the groomer what you will need, to start keeping the dog trimmed up in between grooms. don't forget besides cutting the hair, there are nails to be trimmed, ears to be kept clean and plucked, feet and sanitary areas to keep trimmed also. Poodles are a breed that require life long regular grooming.


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## 5monkeys (Jul 1, 2014)

We have a spoo. Our breeder says the great thing with poodles is you can groom them ANY way you want. Our puppy is just 13wks old. I groomed him for the first time when he was 11wks old. He did great considering it was my first time and his since i picked him up from the breeder. I did again this past weekend and he did even better! I used a quarter inch comb all over his body. Some ppl will disagree with me but the shorter, the better for us. No top knot, no poof on his tail either. Less hair, less time combing, and makes baths a breeze. Hubby and all the kids love this cut better so that's what matters. He's a cutie anyway! I love his short coat. I know most ppl love the puppy fluff but with all the time he spends outside, we didn't. I'm not yet brave enough to do his face and feet so until then, we'll take him to a groomer for those areas. We'll let it grow it a week or so more though before that. We also clean out his ears after every bath, which is weekly.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

The groomer may have misunderstood your intentions when you took him the first time. I can see why a groomer would leave the hair too long vs. shaving it short. Hair that's too long can be shortened, but if it's too short - too bad, so sad... With my maltese/westie mix, my groomer shaved her ears way too short the first time, and the next time, I gave better instructions. I only wanted the insides shaved short, but I wanted the outsides longer. I was very happy the second time. It was a matter of having better communication.

Maybe you could take in a photo of a dog with a clip you'd like on your puppy to help the groomer visualize what you want.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

We got our spoo pup in May, at almost 10 weeks of age. His breeder had done FFT done a couple of times, but he still had long, soft body hair. He's almost four months old now. Last week, because I'm not fond of puppy fluff, because it's really hot, and because he has an unfortunate tendency to pee on his feet and legs, he had his first full grooming. At the breeder's suggestion, I had the groomer use a #4 blade on his body and leave the legs slightly longer. He still has a top knot of sorts, full ears, and a fluffy tail, but otherwise his coat is short. We're both much happier. I have no wish to groom him or Jazz myself (lucky for them, believe me), so I'm planning to take both of them in every four weeks for FFT one month, a complete groom the next.


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## JaneM (Jul 7, 2014)

Holly just had her 2nd grooming at 12 weeks old. Groomer did face feet and sanitary and was lucky enough to scissor her body. But she told me she would not scissor her if she was stressed or too wiggly.
The first couple of grooms should be a positive experience, so the body doesn't always get done. Next month she will be scissored shorter but not shaved. Like JudyD I alternate FFT and full cut monthly.
Holly is our 4th spoo. As puppies they get knotty easily. Raining for days here, nothing but drying towels and knotty dogs. Older one is shaved very short.


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