# how much groming does this require



## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

well most dogs it would be ideal to brush every day..

I am no expert but that looks like a low mantanence poodle cut, my cousins poodle cassey is cut like that I think they take her for a hair cut every 6 weeks but I'm sure you could learn to do it your self.

Bathing.. bathe when ever they get pretty dirty or smelly, otherwise my aunt bathes Cassey once a week but I'm sure you could go longer.

Brushing Im pretty sure you need to brush every day or they mat up, What my aunt uses on Cassie is a slicker brush, a wide tooth comb, a dematting comb, and since they go for hikes alot she hhs a flea comb too to check for the little buggers but I think you can skip on that if fleas arnt common in your area.

But I would really wait to get some advice from the others on here, my experience is with bordercollies but this year Im getting a poodle. Id also ask a breeder about what they use.

That poodle in the picture is a Red poodle by the way, incase you are wondering what that color is. Before you get a poodle you should reaaaaaaaaalllly look into colors and see if your breeders pups have a fading gene... pup color is not always the same color after 1 year. 

Not all reds are red. reds come from reds otherwise they could be apricot.
Brown pups could fade to a silverish carmel color
Black pups can be Silver, Blue,
so you need to make sure you know what your getting, some breeders sell by what color the pup is and you get something else later in the long run.
Like people all poodles fade in color, but there is a differnce between age fading and fading at 1 year...
Just warning you cuz Cassie was bought as a super dark brown and she is one year old now and has silver hairs popping up everywhere and looks like an older dog..

Others on here could probably point you out to a good breeder for what ever color u choose.


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## akbirdy (Sep 15, 2009)

Thanks! I really like the look of just the same length all over... I know kinda boring, but I guess it fits my simple and slightly boring style too!

I am really interested in finding a good breeder on here hopefully too. 

I really love the look of the lighter reds, or apricots. I loveeeee the browns, but as you said I might be a little hesitant unless I could hear of some good breeders by others that have seen their brown poodles grown up. I would also love to hear about temperament and coat color... is this a real thing? Does the coat color really make a difference in personality?


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

Here, My cousins dog has curly hair n is the same length all over, Ill post some pics on here.


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)




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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

she kinda needed a hair cut in those pics...


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

This was a few months ago, n u can see how much she faded... shes twice as faded now


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## akbirdy (Sep 15, 2009)

AWWWWW!!!! She's adorable! Even after the fading! I know you said she needs a haircut in the first pictures, but I love that cuddly look. I'm sure though it get's harder to brush out the longer it gets. 

Thanks for the pics! You're making me want a brown now. And this is why I'm still waiting, I just can't make up my mind.


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## akbirdy (Sep 15, 2009)

Is her tail docked? I've been seeing longer docks and to me it is hard to sometime tell if it is done or not... 

Still unsure if it's something I would want done or not either. Will have to read more on that.


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

Her tail is undocked
N the faded pic is at our lake house, my house isnt full of chicken silverware :O
The only time grooming gets pretty hard is when she goes for a swim.. But shes really tame I can brush her, get the gooey crap out of her eyes and clip her nails and she just sits there and frowns lol.


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## thestars (May 2, 2009)

The coat you first pictured is pretty short and I would suggest a weekly brush on it. What you may not see in the picture is that you may need to trim the foot pads otherwise lots of dirt & water will be tracked in and the hair between their foot pads can make it slippery. Dogs have 2 types of sweat glands. The first type is called merocrine glands. These are located in the foot pads of dogs (and cats) and function to help cool the animal. The second type is called apocrine glands. These are located on most of the rest of the dog (and cat) but they do not function to cool the animal. Their purpose is to release pheromones. Keeping the foot pads trimed of hair helps them stay cooler. Also trim near the eyes to keep bacteria down. Personally I wipe the "eye boogers" and muzzle with a warm wash cloth every morning with a longer face. Always wiping down away from the eye and muzzle. You don't want to train the hair to grow toward the eye if you wipe that way. Also keep the mouth trimmed up so that the hair is not caught in the eating process and reduces bacteria that can cause other problems.


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

Ill tell my aunt that, she usually just takes a gauze pad with a lil warm water and takes them out, idk what direction she wipes but I would assume it would be away since the other way would force the eye boogies back into the eye wouldnt it?


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## thestars (May 2, 2009)

Gauze is fine, I just don't want to pay for them for everyday use. Some people wipe sideways from inner eye to ear. I actually get more of the booger when wiping down and toward the muzzle a bit to draw it out from the eye.


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

My aunt gets them in bulk cuz she owns a salon, I guess they use them for something but idk what, probably sterilizing equipment or somethin


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## akbirdy (Sep 15, 2009)

Thanks thestars... that's what I wanted to hear. A good weekly brushing I can handle. The foot trimming makes sense, good to know.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

It's actually a VERY low matience cut, one of our users, Todd, gets his poodle cut the same length all over, but he keeps him shorter than in your pictures I believe.

It'll be easier to keep your dog mat free and comfortable


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## Aidan (Mar 4, 2009)

low maint. cut but it would still require every 4-6 wk grooming apts. to keep it at that length!


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

akbirdy said:


> I keep reading on different sites conflicting info on how much upkeep a poodle's coat requires. I'm guessing this is because the amount of different styles? If you want the hair to pe poof like a cotton ball or to stay looking curly?
> 
> This is how I would like to keep my spoo hair (if I am lucky enough to get one!!)
> http://parispoodles.com/sitebuilder/images/Rundle_hiking-454x336.jpg


At that length, a poodle requires minimal brushing. I think you could get by with only brushing out once every two weeks. As the hair gets longer between cuts, though, you will need to brush more often to keep the matts away specifically from behind the ears and elbows and along the stomach and legs. The matting is worst during the coat change period from approx. 8 months to 18 months. During this time, it is best to simply keep them short.

Other grooming issues. It is vitally important to keep a poodle's field of vision clear. Poodles are smart, reactive dogs. Vision problems seem to lead to temperament issues. So keep the hair out of the eyes! This means the hair that grows on top of the muzzle as well.

Poodle feet need to be kept trimmed between the pads so that your Poodle does not pick up a bur or thorn. These can work their way into the foot and you end up with an abcess. Looking at the poodle in the picture, I think his feet need to be trimmed. He looks like he is wearing booties. You don't have to have a foot shaved with a #40 blade, but a #4 will keep him safe and keep the house cleaner too.

Poodles have velcro coats. They pick up a lot of debris and dust. I find that even if you don't brush, you might want to invest in a blower that can blow the dirt off the dog's coat. You might also get in the habit of keeping a slicker brush in the car to brush off things you might pick up on walks.


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## akbirdy (Sep 15, 2009)

Thanks cbrand. So that's why I see so many poodle's with their face shaven.


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