# Puppy Grooming for Summer



## swimingal (Dec 22, 2016)

I need some help. Our little guy is going to the groomers tomorrow and we are not sure what we want to do with him. He is 4.5 months old so he still has his fluffy puppy coat. The problem is it is starting to get warm (and humid) here and I can tell he is uncomfortable with all his fluff. 

What should I tell the groomer to do? We brush him every day and bathe him weekly so we are use to taking care of his coat. I want it to be short enough that he is comfortable but I also want to enjoy his puppy coat for as long as possible (selfishly). Do I just need to say good bye to the fluff and let the groomer trim him down? It is hard to find pictures of cuts so I do not know exactly what we are looking for. I appreciate your opinions and guidance!


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## LizzysMom (Sep 27, 2016)

Unfortunately, I can offer no advice, as my girl is only 10 months old, so I've not gone through a summer with her yet. I just wanted to let you know I understand how you feel about not wanting to cut off his sweet, fluffy, puppy coat. I'm taking my baby to the groomer tomorrow, and fully expect her to come out in a grown-up cut, and it's making me very sad.


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## Sanic (Oct 22, 2015)

I think it depends on how hot/humid it gets where you live and what activities you plan on doing in the summer. We keep Flynn's legs and body short in the summer (this time we're keeping his tail and topknot long) because we plan on going on a lot of hikes in the mornings and letting him swim. A shorter coat just makes that a lot easier on him and us.


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## swimingal (Dec 22, 2016)

It can get quite warm and I fear this will be a bad summer because of our mild winter. We plan on being active with our boy doing a lot of hiking and spending time out doors as well. Sounds like it might keep him and us happier to keep it a little shorter. Thanks for the input!


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## Sanic (Oct 22, 2015)

You're welcome! The first time I shaved Flynn down I really missed his puppy coat haha. He's also super lean so he looked really skinny. I use a 5/8 comb on him now which seems to be a good "inbetween" length where it's not too short and not too long. It also helps that he's filled out a lot now.

Thankfully poodle hair grows quickly


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

If you're going to be active and doing a lot of hiking and swimming it will be SO much easier on both of you with shorter hair. You don't have to shave him completely but doing a shorter clip will definitely help. 

Heres Yuki's first hair cut at 3.5 months old with 5/8 in (0 attachment comb) on his body 




4.5 months with a 3/8 in (2 attachment comb) on body with bell bottoms.



Around 7 months old with a 1/2in (1 attachment comb)





It really depends on if you mind maintaining all the hair after hiking/swimming. I keep him in a German clip now and he brings in all sorts of burrs, sticks and mud on his legs...but since I work at a grooming salon I don't mind bringing him in often and washing/brushing him out. You can still do a shorter clip and have a fun style!


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## tbarr (Feb 26, 2017)

I live in VA, too, and I'm planning on a very hot, humid summer after this incredibly mild winter. When we go to the groomer in a week or so, I'm planning to ask for a fairly short cut all over. I always ask them not to shave the face, feet, and tail, though, and not to make a topknot. I like my girls to look natural. If you search online for different poodle cuts and find a style that you like, you can print the picture and bring it to the groomer. I've found that it helps them visualize what you what better than if you try to describe it.


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## Red lippy mel (Mar 1, 2017)

I found Pinterest helpful to create a collection of poodle cuts and styles I liked. 
Could a short even trim all over with a bit of length left in a topknot and some length on the ears leave some softness for you to play with, but still keep your puppies body cool? Just an thought...


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## Red lippy mel (Mar 1, 2017)

Oh Michelle Yuki is so handsome in all these pics!! I LOVE the German clip so much tho! It's a real masculine style-makes me want a boy now!! Great suggestions too.


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## swimingal (Dec 22, 2016)

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all of the pictures! This helped us figure out what we think would work best. This is exactly what I was hoping to find. Thank you!!!


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## swimingal (Dec 22, 2016)

Red lippy mel I think that is exactly what we are going to go with. 

tbarr I am definitely not looking forward to this summer. Pictures are the way to go. So much easier than trying to describe.


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## Axeldog (Aug 29, 2014)

swimingal said:


> Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all of the pictures! This helped us figure out what we think would work best. This is exactly what I was hoping to find. Thank you!!!


Please post Before and After photos!

My puppy is 6 1/2 months old, and I am starting to think about cutting puppy fluff off too. I would love to see pictures of what you do with your pup


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## swimingal (Dec 22, 2016)

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input, it is always appreciated! Below is a before and an after picture of our (not so) little guy for anyone else that might find it helpful. We kept it simple and did one length on the body and legs for the summer here. The groomer said it is about half an inch or so which I think is just perfect. He is still a little fluffy and so incredibly soft. I can tell he is already so much more comfortable in the heat. For reference he is almost 19 weeks.


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## LizzysMom (Sep 27, 2016)

He looks great! Half an inch is actually so much longer in reality than it sounds, he still looks perfectly puppy-ish. 

(As the mom to a petite mini-poo, I'm always astounded by the size of a spoo puppies feet!  )


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## PuffDaddy (Aug 24, 2016)

He looks great!


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