# Shaving the adult tail



## CoffeePoo (Dec 28, 2010)

Hi! My Mini Poodle 1.4 y/o the hair on his tail is still wispy, will it help if I shave his tail? because when I shaved my poodle, his coat grew a lot better than his previous coat. and If I shave his tail, how long will it take for it to grow back? 

Thank You so Much!! )


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## caboodles (Jan 7, 2011)

I wouldn't shave it RIGHT down if I were you, but possibly just use a 1 1/2 inch comb attachment if you want a consistent length throughout, ORR just scissors and shape it the way you like! I prefer the scissors route... just brush the tail throughout, and snip away so all the loose ends are gone, creating a more full tail.

If you really wanted to, you COULD shave it. I just would think it would take a long time to come back, probably like 6 months to get about 2 inches of hair..


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## CoffeePoo (Dec 28, 2010)

I'm just bothered, because it really looks ugly.. and the hair looks thin.. :l


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Shaving the hair will not make the hair grow back thicker, if that is what you mean.


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## CoffeePoo (Dec 28, 2010)

really?.. because when I shaved his body hair, it grew wayy more thicker,and better... :l it really bothers me. :l do you guys have any suggestions on how can I make it better?.. or what can I do?.. ALSO, THIS IS OFF TOPIC, BUT YOU GUYS MIGHT HELP ME. the day before yesterday, I noticed that my mini black poodle has a pink butt, and I mean the middle the hole where his poop comes out.. is it normal?.. Thank You so much!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

When you shaved your poodle was he in puppy coat? The adult coat that grows underneath the puppy coat is much coarser. Most likely you shaved off the softer puppy hair and revealed the coarse adult hair. But once a poodle has gone through coat change (usually begins roughly around 1 year of age) and has his adult coat, shaving it will not result in thicker hair.


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## frostfirestandards (Jun 18, 2009)

ChocolateMillie said:


> When you shaved your poodle was he in puppy coat? The adult coat that grows underneath the puppy coat is much coarser. Most likely you shaved off the softer puppy hair and revealed the coarse adult hair. But once a poodle has gone through coat change (usually begins roughly around 1 year of age) and has his adult coat, shaving it will not result in thicker hair.


But brushing and combing can thin out the hair (if its coming out in the brush/comb) Shaving will give the appearance of a thicker coat, because the hair is all one length and not damaged at the ends. 

Coat change is a gradual process, taking place over a few months. 

I say scissor it really close, or shave it. It will look funny for a month or two, but then it will look better.


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

Well to start with What style is your dogs tail in now? Is it the traditional shaved base with a Pom on the rest, thumb tail, german tail, flag tail. Do you have a short dock, long dock or full natural tail? My poodles tails are done in the German/Kerry style & so they are short scissors that blend into the body. Shorter on the backside like a #4 blade & then they are a bit tighter towards the top & fuller as I go towards the base into the body where I do blend/illusion work. My one Mini pup I have added a good 1" of tail on her since I find a longer dock nicer looking than a shorter one. So with this tail I have given the illusion of a longer tail just by shaping it.

If your dog is currently sporting a "Pom" type tail then I would suggest scissoring it down tighter into a Pom. I don't know if your dogs tail will ever attain the thickness you want but I am sure there are changes in your young dogs coat to come.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

frostfirestandards said:


> But brushing and combing can thin out the hair (if its coming out in the brush/comb) Shaving will give the appearance of a thicker coat, because the hair is all one length and not damaged at the ends.
> 
> Coat change is a gradual process, taking place over a few months.
> 
> I say scissor it really close, or shave it. It will look funny for a month or two, but then it will look better.


This is true. I was just pointing out that shaving a poodle's coat does not make the hair grow back thicker (with the exception of coat change), which seems to be a prevailing myth in people more familiar with other breeds. In other words, shaving does not alter the growth of coat. If the coat was thinned, then yes, it will seem thicker but it is still not altering the growth of the coat.


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

I shaved Pandas tail and it is about 1" long now and still as poker straight as ever so I can safely say it didn't work! Looks cute though!


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## CoffeePoo (Dec 28, 2010)

Thank You do Much for the replies guys!

umm, yes, he's in a pom right now, and his tail hairs are not straight, it's wavy.. and it's very thin.. and when I comb it, hairs come out and get stuck in the brush. what should I do?

He's already 1.4 y/o.. and his tail hairs are the only part of his body that looks weird..


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

You might just want to scissor the tail down into a "Thumb" tail so it looks fuller than it is & just see if coat change will help with this trouble spot.

As somebody mentioned the "myth" of shaving for a thicker "?" does not work. I was told this about my Crested's ears when she was young. The rest of her coat has a diferent texture then her silky ears & so I shaved them & nope, nada, nothing they did eventually come back in but not any thicker or texture change at all. Learned my lesson, she did not look good with shaved ears with 1/2 flop to her ears.


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