# Can I get away with natural hair drying after home bath for my spoo?



## JLH (Jul 4, 2020)

Hi all - I have been getting my 20 week year old female spoo professionally groomed every 4 weeks since she was 8 weeks old. (So she have been 3 times so far). In between the professional grooms I will bathe my spoo at home halfway through the month at the two week mark. I would very much understanding if air drying is a "would be preferable" or a "must do". I can't get a straight answer. My Spoo is traumatized by the air drying (I even bought a professional one on line that is known to be extra quiet) and seems perfectly fine with a very good towel dry (I use lots of towels) and a good brush once she is dry. She is much less traumatized and I am less traumatized and in fact she loves her bath. Some groomers insist blow drying is a "must do" but I'm trying to understand what the negative skin ramifications are if I don't. Exactly what kind of skin infection can she get? I make a real effort to brush her out and I definitely don't let her go outside untils she is dry. The one area that gets super curly is under and around her neck and I find that a bit harder to brush. I do have her feet, face and sanitary area shaved as part of her professional groom as I feel it keeps her much cleaner. Please share honest answers not just your preference since I know most members of this forum do a full blow dry. Thank you in advanced!


----------



## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I would recommend teaching it and desensitizing it if you ever want to groom at home. And also if she is groomed a t a groomers, to make that experience less stressful for her. And as her coat gets curlier (coat change as she gets an adult coat) you will find it useful to remove tangles and mats without as much painful brushing. 

At the recommendation of awesome PF members, I stuff cotton balls in Annies ears and cover them with a snood (actually a winter cowl of mine) to keep them from flapping. She likes blow drying a lot better that way. 

That being said, especially if Annies hair is very short, I often don't bother to blow dry in the summer. I don't think it's bad for the skin, unless the hair gets matted which is another issue entirely.


----------



## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I have had 6 toys and 1 mini, and truthfully only 2 needed to be blow dried, mind those have a proper poodle coarse coat. For Want if a poodle is right, matting is a real problem, especially during coat change, the longer the hair is the more likely it is to mat, air drying will make the coat curl more.
I find using cotton balms, a happy hoodie and treats at the end go a long way.


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Plugging the ears is super important. Both yours and hers! I would still work on desensitizing to the HV dryer when you can as she will always need it for grooming. Make sure you do it on an elevated surface like a table. Makes a huge difference to them. Natural air drying is okay if you are brushing the hair out thoroughly after the bath (while still wet). And also brushing regularly in between baths. Make sure you use a good conditioner and detangler. When I air dry I like to use a leave in conditioner like Pro Line Pro-Gro. This one is great at not leaving any residue and proper conditioning will reduce chance of mats. If you do start to experience mats, you need to re-evaluate your methods.


----------



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I can't get an even cut without blow drying. But you're spot on to avoid any trauma/re-trauma. If you can retrain her, perhaps using cotton balls and a snood as suggested, that's the ideal solution.


----------



## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

I have a SPOO I have always groomed at home, do not own a dryer. He is always air dried. I bathe the day before I clip so that I know he is completely dry. I may not get as even a clip as those who blow dry, but I think he looks pretty good. If you are just going to brush her out (not clip), I wait until he is mostly dry, still a bit damp, and then brush with a slicker or pin brush first and then comb. Areas that are harder to brush you can use a detangling spray and that should help considerably. I use Chris Christiensen Ice on Ice Ultra. There are no skin problems from not using a dryer.


----------



## FloofyPoodle (May 12, 2020)

I've been stuck with balancing a human hair dryer for years, although I might be getting a Shelandy HV dryer this Christmas (super excited). When Fluffy's hair was shorter, I'd let him air dry with some help from patting a towel on him (don't rub! That makes tangles). Never had an issue with infections or anything like that, although sometimes I did have to spend more time working out tangles since without the dryer, it curls much more easily. If you want to go for a long coat look (I'd say longer than an inch of hair), I'd try desensitizing her slowly to the dryer, since the dense, moist environment is what can cause an infection (which is why, I believe, you always blow dry breeds such as Samoyeds, for example).


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

You don't have to blow dry if you keep your dog in a very short clip and as long as your dog has an opportunity to dry. I've seen poodles kept in this type of clip and they look cute - very practical clip.

It depends on how you want your dog to look. If you want a beautiful polished velvety groom, the kind that a good groomer does, then you need to blow dry to straighten the coat. Without straightening first before clipping, you can not get a beautiful even finish. Running clippers on curly, air dried hair will leave a noticeable uneven appearance. Personally I take my dog lots of places - to classes, competitions and running errands. I enjoy the compliments I get on her grooming and people asking me where I get her groomed. I wouldn't get this attention if I didn't blow dry with a high velocity dryer.

Factor in length - if you keep to a very short clip on the whole body, then natural curly hair won't be a problem. It will be a significant problem if you want nice long pompoms on the legs, long ears or fun grooming like a pony clip with a long "mane" during down the neck and back. If you don't straighten the hair after a bath you're more likely to get mats developing in curly hair. I have fun grooming my dog in different patterns.... modified continental, Miami, pony, lamb etc. These clips depend on neatness; neatness that I can only achieve with hair straightened by drying.


----------



## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

Skylar said:


> I enjoy the compliments I get on her grooming and people asking me where I get her groomed. I wouldn't get this attention if I didn't blow dry with a high velocity dryer.


Not so! I get tons of the same compliments and people asking where I get Zephyr groomed, and double the compliments when I tell them I groom him myself. The smooth velvety look only lasts a couple of days anyway, and then the coat curls up again and looks the same as if the dog had been air dried to start with. Probably the look is not quite as neat and precise, but after a couple of days and the coat curling again, I really don't think there's a noticeable difference.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Thanks so much for starting this thread, @JLH! And thanks for sharing your process and beautiful results, @reraven123.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

reraven123 said:


> Not so! I get tons of the same compliments and people asking where I get Zephyr groomed, and double the compliments when I tell them I groom him myself. The smooth velvety look only lasts a couple of days anyway, and then the coat curls up again and looks the same as if the dog had been air dried to start with. Probably the look is not quite as neat and precise, but after a couple of days and the coat curling again, I really don't think there's a noticeable difference.


I should clarify.  I need the hair blown straight to clip her neatly. If she was air dried the coat would get clipped unevenly. If the groom is uneven then no one would compliment me. Once she’s groomed, if she gets wet in the rain and dries curly it doesn’t matter, that doesn’t affect clipping.


----------



## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

I'm saying I don't blow dry the coat but I still get the same compliments.


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

reraven123 said:


> Not so! I get tons of the same compliments and people asking where I get Zephyr groomed, and double the compliments when I tell them I groom him myself. The smooth velvety look only lasts a couple of days anyway, and then the coat curls up again and looks the same as if the dog had been air dried to start with. Probably the look is not quite as neat and precise, but after a couple of days and the coat curling again, I really don't think there's a noticeable difference.


Lol I have to disagree here because when I air dry, people comment that Misha doesn't look as perfectly groomed as normal. But I bathe and HV dry at least once a week and Misha almost always looks like he is freshly groomed. It might not look perfect after a couple days but it is still different than air dried. The air dried look is fine, but the perfectionist in me isn't great at dealing with it lol. I adore the plush blown out look.

I really can't take the groom-while-air-dried though. I used a human hair dryer when he was little and that still drove me nuts. Can't seem to ever get it even.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Misha does always look like plush velvet! You do such an impeccable job.


----------



## JLH (Jul 4, 2020)

For Want of Poodle said:


> I would recommend teaching it and desensitizing it if you ever want to groom at home. And also if she is groomed a t a groomers, to make that experience less stressful for her. And as her coat gets curlier (coat change as she gets an adult coat) you will find it useful to remove tangles and mats without as much painful brushing.
> 
> At the recommendation of awesome PF members, I stuff cotton balls in Annies ears and cover them with a snood (actually a winter cowl of mine) to keep them from flapping. She likes blow drying a lot better that way.
> 
> That being said, especially if Annies hair is very short, I often don't bother to blow dry in the summer. I don't think it's bad for the skin, unless the hair gets matted which is another issue entirely.


Thank you for your reply. I guess there is no way around needing to blow dry her. I will have to hold her very tight which is another challenge as she gets extremely squirmish. What about using a dog shampoo with conditioner - will that help make brushing less painful?


----------



## JLH (Jul 4, 2020)

For Want of Poodle said:


> I would recommend teaching it and desensitizing it if you ever want to groom at home. And also if she is groomed a t a groomers, to make that experience less stressful for her. And as her coat gets curlier (coat change as she gets an adult coat) you will find it useful to remove tangles and mats without as much painful brushing.
> 
> At the recommendation of awesome PF members, I stuff cotton balls in Annies ears and cover them with a snood (actually a winter cowl of mine) to keep them from flapping. She likes blow drying a lot better that way.
> 
> That being said, especially if Annies hair is very short, I often don't bother to blow dry in the summer. I don't think it's bad for the skin, unless the hair gets matted which is another issue entirely.





Raindrops said:


> Plugging the ears is super important. Both yours and hers! I would still work on desensitizing to the HV dryer when you can as she will always need it for grooming. Make sure you do it on an elevated surface like a table. Makes a huge difference to them. Natural air drying is okay if you are brushing the hair out thoroughly after the bath (while still wet). And also brushing regularly in between baths. Make sure you use a good conditioner and detangler. When I air dry I like to use a leave in conditioner like Pro Line Pro-Gro. This one is great at not leaving any residue and proper conditioning will reduce chance of mats. If you do start to experience mats, you need to re-evaluate your methods.


This is very helpful. Thank you. In addition to the leave-in conditioner, do you use the combined shampoo-conditioner products?


----------



## JLH (Jul 4, 2020)

Thank you all for the speedy and fantastic replies. I'm trying to absorb them all. Sounds like I need to experiment with the cotton balls (wonder how far I need to stick them in- this is a small fear of mine) as well as with the right conditioners & detanglers. You are right that shorter clips don't require blow drying as much. We have winters and very hot summers and growing up my Mother always gave our family poodle a shorter clip in the summer for the heat but now I am focused on the winter... FYI I don't ever plan to show my poodle - she is our wonderful family pet and queen of the house so less interested in the "perfect blow dry" (I will leave that for the real grooming experts on this thread ) but having a very clean, well groomed dog is nonetheless important for me so at the very least want to do the basics right. Thanks again!


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

You don’t put the cotton ball very deep in the ear, just the opening that you see. I have noticed cotton balls can be different sizes. For my minipoo I use half a small cotton ball for each ear. I then cover my dog with a happy hoodie snood. I do this just before blow her coat dry. I dry the front of her topknot and ears last, that’s when I remove the snood and turn down the dryer to a very low power. For a puppy you want to use lower power for the whole drying session. Very gentle drying to start. 









HAPPY HOODIE Calming Cap for Dogs, Purple, Large - Chewy.com


Buy Happy Hoodie Calming Cap for Dogs, Purple, Large at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!




www.chewy.com


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Misha does always look like plush velvet! You do such an impeccable job.


Haha thank you... but I am just too much of a perfectionist. I feel I could never have two poodles because I would just groom constantly. It's like painting a picture that's constantly fading away. He does look _okay_ with curls though.


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

JLH said:


> This is very helpful. Thank you. In addition to the leave-in conditioner, do you use the combined shampoo-conditioner products?


Yes, because I am lazy I prefer to use 2in1s. The two I have used and really like are MinkSheen and Pro Line Fair Advantage. But you can use a separate conditioner if you are not so lazy. Plenty of good ones.


----------



## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

I air dry my Asta because I like the curly coat. and think of poodles in history when there were no dryers. Never once have I had an issue of skin problems.


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Think about it, who are you trying to please, the poodle critics, and yourself if you listen to them, or your dear dog and what he/she would like? I love my spoo curly, or however he turns out. He is not fond of baths, and he doesn't like the blow driers, so I bathe him, and then towel him dry. I let him run around a bit, and then he lays down next to me snuggled on the sofa, shivering a bit. So I wrap him in plush towels, make sure he is warm with maybe even an extra blankie, and let him sleep it off. He normally sleeps about 3 hours!

I always get compliments on him, every time we are in public.


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

It is funny... Misha is so used to being blow dried that he detests air drying. He just curls up and shivers for hours and cries pitiful whines. He tries to jump up on his drying platform and gives me meaningful stares. He is a silly dog. He loves to be told he is pretty and loves the attention. Each dog is different. The important thing is to maintain them in a way that keeps them happy and healthy. Sometimes I get tired of the grooming and do a shave down. And then after a while I miss the fluff. The good thing about poodles is there are so many ways to groom them.


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Raindrops said:


> Misha is so used to being blow dried that he detests air drying. He just curls up and shivers for hours and cries pitiful whines. He tries to jump up on his drying platform and gives me meaningful stares.


If they have thick hair, many of them literally get cold until their hair is dry, unless in a hot climate. I used to have really thick hair myself and can relate!


----------



## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I would try a desensitization program for now. If she is a puppy, drying isn't as critical, setting her up for drying in the future is. 

So, go, turn the hair dryer on, give lots of treats. No need for a fresh bath, just getting her used to it. If that's too stressful, go, turn the hair dryer on then off, lots of treats. Don't restrain her unless maybe to put her on a table. Once that's not terrifying, you can quickly touch her with the air on low, turn it off, treats. The idea is to never let her get to the point of being scared, or that you need to restrain her. Do this over a few weeks, slowly getting used to more and more air and time and she should be ok with the dryer.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

kontiki said:


> If they have thick hair, many of them literally get cold until their hair is dry, unless in a hot climate. I used to have really thick hair myself and can relate!


Yep! My hair will literally stay damp underneath for hours. 

Peggy loves being towel dried after a romp in the rain or the kiddie pool. From day 1 she acted like it was the most normal thing in the world. I have no idea why. She's good about having her paws wiped, too. 

But if she was soaked right through, towel drying would only work superficially, and it would take a _long_ time for the rest of her to air dry. Maybe she has a thick coat. I have nothing to compare it to.


----------



## Eclipse (Apr 26, 2010)

People can say they get compliments on their poodles that they let air dry, and I'm sure they may. But that is likely from the general public who doesn't know the difference. But there is no doubt that you will get a nicer finish on a dog that is blown out. If you put a dog that was air-dried, clipped and scissored next to a dog that was blown out, clipped and scissored, the difference WILL be evident. You can't get the clipped areas as neat (excepting FFT) and you will not get as nice a scissor finish. And it is actually easier on the dog to blow out because the drier helps separate the hair as you dry so you never miss a spot that might have a mat forming, etc. It is also not healthy, in some cases, for the hair to be wet against the skin for the amount of time it will take to fully dry. For example, my dogs have very thick long ears (see picture below) and it would take hours for them to dry completely. The amount of time damp hair would be laying against the ear leathers inside and out, and the ear canal is asking for problems. My dogs also have very thick body coat, I keep them in various fancier cuts and their bodies would take a long time to dry and I'm not waiting to finish grooming for hours and hours while they air dry (and back to my foregoing, they wouldn't look as good anyway). I also don't want damp wet dogs laying around my house, on the carpets or on their beds, which will then also get wet. If you want to keep your dog very short with short top knots, ears and tails, then you could do it. But if you are going to do any kind of fancier cut blow drying is the proper way. Your dog will get accustomed to it over time if you go slowly and desensitize with very short sessions at first and lots of praise and high value treats. My puppies have already been groomed several times when I bring them home from my breeder, but they are up on my grooming table very soon after I get them several times a week and learn to behave properly for all grooming needs.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Maybe one of you can help me with this: If poodles were bred to retrieve in water, why would their coat require this type of dedicated drying time and energy? Is it because the breed standard has evolved over time, and they're no longer quite so "waterproof"?

Or maybe because baths, by necessity, soak right down to the skin, whereas a brief trip into shallow water would only penetrate superficially?


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I've seen some photos of poodles from the late 1800's and early 1900's. Quite a few look rather bedraggled compared to a modern dog. 

Additionally, poodles, as waterfowl dogs, probably would have been owned by relatively affluent households. Their owners had the leisure to go hunting and the disposable income to purchase firearms and ammunition. Most middle class and all upper class families had servants back in the day. It's a lot easier to ensure a dog gets its daily brushing if you can delegate the work to a maid or a stableboy. 

My big guys were like giant soggy ambulatory loofah sponges if I didn't blow them dry. Even after wiping them off with three beach towels apiece they would still leave a trail of dampness through the house. Additionally, they tended to develop mats if I just let them air dry. Simply combing them out once wasn't enough; the damp hair would coil back into a knot. I needed to keep combing, and neither they nor I had that kind of patience. In summer, when they were trimmed short, I could wash them and toss them out into the yard to run themselves dry in the sun. Not so much in winter.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

cowpony said:


> I've seen some photos of poodles from the late 1800's and early 1900's. Quite a few look rather bedraggled compared to a modern dog.
> 
> Additionally, poodles, as waterfowl dogs, probably would have been owned by relatively affluent households. Their owners had the leisure to go hunting and the disposable income to purchase firearms and ammunition. Most middle class and all upper class families had servants back in the day. It's a lot easier to ensure a dog gets its daily brushing if you can delegate the work to a maid or a stableboy.
> 
> My big guys were like giant soggy ambulatory loofah sponges if I didn't blow them dry. Even after wiping them off with three beach towels apiece they would still leave a trail of dampness through the house. Additionally, they tended to develop mats if I just let them air dry. Simply combing them out once wasn't enough; the damp hair would coil back into a knot. I needed to keep combing, and neither they nor I had that kind of patience. In summer, when they were trimmed short, I could wash them and toss them out into the yard to run themselves dry in the sun. Not so much in winter.


Yeah, it's the mats/health or comfort-related issues I'm wondering about specifically. That makes sense that poodle owners would have had staff that could assist.

It's an interesting topic.

Poodle coats couldn't be more different than say, a Labrador's, and yet both are bred for water. I wonder why the distinct textures. I need a good historical resource to satisfy my curiosity!


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

P.S. Poodle ears provide a great little lesson in the dangers of wet poodle hair. Peggy's, when long, will dip in her water bowl and develop horrible mats along the edges. The first time it happened, I had no idea. The mats were so tight, I thought they were a part of her ear leather and felt AWFUL when I discovered my mistake.


----------



## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

PTP - I saw in another thread you mentioned borrowing Kalstone's poodle grooming book? When you get it, be sure to check out the historical section. It has a great description of poodles in London going to special poodle barbers to have the family crest shaved on their back. Talk about skill. 

I have a pet theory that the modern poodle has avoided some of the weirdness in other breeds (think German shepherd back legs and CKC spaniel heads and many breeds with squished faces) due to breeders going nuts on the coat instead. Old pictures seem to show poodles with much less full coats than modern poodles. I joke somewhat seriously that poodles were bred for thicker and thicker hair that can rise to ever more elaborate versions of the Continental, with ever longer neck hair, instead of for weird body shapes. I imagine less thick/dense coats would have been faster to dry and a bit less mat-prone.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

For Want of Poodle said:


> PTP - I saw in another thread you mentioned borrowing Kalstone's poodle grooming book? When you get it, be sure to check out the historical section. It has a great description of poodles in London going to special poodle barbers to have the family crest shaved on their back. Talk about skill.
> 
> I have a pet theory that the modern poodle has avoided some of the weirdness in other breeds (think German shepherd back legs and CKC spaniel heads and many breeds with squished faces) due to breeders going nuts on the coat instead. Old pictures seem to show poodles with much less full coats than modern poodles. I joke somewhat seriously that poodles were bred for thicker and thicker hair that can rise to ever more elaborate versions of the Continental, with ever longer neck hair, instead of for weird body shapes. I imagine less thick/dense coats would have been faster to dry and a bit less mat-prone.


Thanks for the tip! I'm so excited to get my hands on that book. 

And that theory totally makes sense to me. Would be so neat to compare a modern poodle side-by-side with a poodle from the 1700s.


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Yeah, it's the mats/health or comfort-related issues I'm wondering about specifically. That makes sense that poodle owners would have had staff that could assist.
> 
> It's an interesting topic.
> 
> Poodle coats couldn't be more different than say, a Labrador's, and yet both are bred for water. I wonder why the distinct textures. I need a good historical resource to satisfy my curiosity!


An interesting quote from the Spanish Waterdog club site:
_



The Spanish Water Dog generally requires little grooming. The coat should never be brushed or combed. At least once a year, the coat must be evenly sheared from the entire body, very similar to shearing a sheep – twice per year is not uncommon. During the phase in which the Spanish Water Dog’s coat begins to cord, more work is required to assist proper cording and to prevent the cords from matting near the skin.

Click to expand...

_ I've seen no evidence, but I wonder if some poodle owners dealt with their poodles the same way


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

cowpony said:


> An interesting quote from the Spanish Waterdog club site:
> I've seen no evidence, but I wonder if some poodle owners dealt with their poodles the same way


Yes the lagotto has a coat that is groomed the same way. I do not think poodle coats fair as well without grooming. There are probably slight differences. But maybe those have been bred in after they were kept for pet and show.


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

I keep my Spoo in a 5 in winter or a 7 the rest of the year, with face, feet, and fanny in a 10 or less. He has a very thick coat and does not like long hair at all! He refuses to wear a human made coat even at 0 F, and loves to run in the snow and cold. He is 11 years old and has always been like this. Even in winter inside he will lay on a hardwood floor and pant if his hair is longer. And we live in the UP of Michigan. I do keep his topknot and tail poofy. This kind of cut requires much less grooming and brushing. I keep my place at 66F in the winter.

How much of a lot of grooming is what the poodle wants, and the vanity of the owner?


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

kontiki said:


> I keep my Spoo in a 5 in winter or a 7 the rest of the year, with face, feet, and fanny in a 10 or less. He has a very thick coat and does not like long hair at all! He refuses to wear a human made coat even at 0 F, and loves to run in the snow and cold. He is 11 years old and has always been like this. Even in winter inside he will lay on a hardwood floor and pant if his hair is longer. And we live in the UP of Michigan. I do keep his topknot and tail poofy. This kind of cut requires much less grooming and brushing. I keep my place at 66F in the winter.
> 
> How much of a lot of grooming is what the poodle wants, and the vanity of the owner?


I think this is a very sensible cut. I have been doing a similar cut during the rainy season because it's just constant mud pits here.

I do think a lot of poodles actually enjoy grooming. It is special time spent with their human where they get lots of attention. I would not say Misha loves all of it but he will certainly request to be brushed or dried. He very much enjoys the attention he gets when he looks pretty. I do think desensitization to grooming processes is a responsible thing to do with a poodle. Regardless of the cut chosen, grooming will be a regular part of life. I believe that a lot of poodle manners are learned through grooming. Being still and patient, and tolerating mildly annoying sensations are extremely useful skills for a dog to have. I would venture to say that lack of enjoyment on the dog's part tends to be due to insufficient desensitization. I'd rather get the dog accustomed to the process since they will have to tolerate some level of grooming for their entire lives.


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Raindrops said:


> Yes the lagotto has a coat that is groomed the same way. I do not think poodle coats fair as well without grooming. There are probably slight differences. But maybe those have been bred in after they were kept for pet and show.


Interesting, I had not known of the Lagotto before. In the photos I have seen I am not sure how they can even see, maybe doing the truffle finding by scent?


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

kontiki said:


> Interesting, I had not known of the Lagotto before. In the photos I have seen I am not sure how they can even see, maybe doing the truffle finding by scent?


I love them. They're actually on my shortlist for our next dog. But they do look an awful lot like a poodle in need of a groom!


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Missing the distinguished lovely long nose


----------



## jacqueline (May 23, 2011)

I never use the blower on Sophie. She has incredibly dense and curly hair and I keep her cut short. She’s my sporty tomboy!


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I have seen old photos of poodles too. They look like a practical person took crude scissors and hacked away at the dog leaving some hair over the joints and very short everywhere else. Perfect for a gun dog ready to hunt birds.

OTOH my dog is seen regularly by professional groomers, people who show dogs in confirmation (including poodles) who are very knowledgeable about poodle clips. We compete in AKC trials which has limits on how a poodle can be groomed while competing in the ring. Vanity definitely plays a role in my choice of grooming using a high velocity dryer to achieve a very careful groom. 

I support everone’s choice in how they groom their poodle as long as you keep them mat free and comfortable. They are all cute, whether they are in a highly polished groom by a master groomer, or a short home groom. They are all wonderful poodles.


----------



## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

Otter was groomed from puppyhood by someone who apparently didn't OWN a dryer,as the dogs were bathed and left to dry in a crate. (Why I once waited 7 hrs to pick him up, i suppose.) She also took his topknot short and shaved his tail, tellling me they were matted. Now he has full ears, tk, the rest short, and is done in 1 1/2 hrs -granted she is a master groomer, Andis rep, and Spoo owner, but he is still afraid of the forced air dryer. (She cuts him first, then bathes to shorten the time ). I brush/comb every day, and have no issues with mats in the ears after drinking, and he is SLOPPY.


----------



## ihavestandards (Jul 27, 2020)

reraven123 said:


> I have a SPOO I have always groomed at home, do not own a dryer. He is always air dried. I bathe the day before I clip so that I know he is completely dry. I may not get as even a clip as those who blow dry, but I think he looks pretty good. If you are just going to brush her out (not clip), I wait until he is mostly dry, still a bit damp, and then brush with a slicker or pin brush first and then comb. Areas that are harder to brush you can use a detangling spray and that should help considerably. I use Chris Christiensen Ice on Ice Ultra. There are no skin problems from not using a dryer.
> 
> View attachment 471322


He looks amazing for an air dry!!! What a cutie.


----------



## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

ihavestandards said:


> He looks amazing for an air dry!!! What a cutie.


Thanks!


----------



## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Maybe one of you can help me with this: If poodles were bred to retrieve in water, why would their coat require this type of dedicated drying time and energy? Is it because the breed standard has evolved over time, and they're no longer quite so "waterproof"?
> 
> Or maybe because baths, by necessity, soak right down to the skin, whereas a brief trip into shallow water would only penetrate superficially?


It takes shampoo to get water down to the skin! If you bathe your dog at home, you'll notice that when you try to get them wet the water just runs of the top layer of coat. I can tell you from years of experience it's hard to get a poodle who has more than 1/2 inch of coat wetted down. I showed standard poodles in the days when the more coat the better. Bathing a big male in those days was quite a job!


----------

