# Grooming questions from a prospective spoo owner



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Welcome! Is the photo you want to post copyright? If so, it would be better to post a link, otherwise there should be no problem. Frequency of grooming is rather a matter of how short your dog is cut, and how relaxed you are about the clip beginning to look untidy, as well as how much work you are prepared to put into grooming yourself - every six weeks is probably around average for an adult spoo in a shortish clip. Prices vary - it is probably best to ask around locally. Many people groom their own dogs, which can be a considerable saving in money.


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## Beautiful Blue (Apr 24, 2017)

Just my 2 cents worth of advice: I wonder where you live...my white/cream colored standard was never bothered by the heat. The dark brown one suffered in the direct sun of summer. Both liked fall and winter best for long walks. Both loved the water!


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## Kelfin (Mar 31, 2017)

​
Here are some links to the style I like. Not all of them are the same, I think some a bit longer than others, but it gives a general idea of what I like...though I'm not sure what it would be called.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/123849058479708732/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/864128247221720381/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/238550111491269854/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/746119863236333860/

Would it be difficult to keep an 'outdoorsy' dog in a style like one of the above? How much maintenance would it be in between grooms? Would it make more sense to just keep the dog clipped very short like this?http://www.gundogmag.com/files/2011/09/GD_poodle_090611A.jpg

Thanks!


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## Kelfin (Mar 31, 2017)

Beautiful Blue said:


> Just my 2 cents worth of advice: I wonder where you live...my white/cream colored standard was never bothered by the heat. The dark brown one suffered in the direct sun of summer. Both liked fall and winter best for long walks. Both loved the water!


I'm in Western NY - we get all 4 seasons. Summers can get quite hot in the 90s, winters can get very cold in the single digits, below zero with windchill.


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## Beautiful Blue (Apr 24, 2017)

Then you are like me (North Dakota) and your dog's coat will most likely change with the Seasons! And I love that opportunity for variety.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am on Long Island and my spoos are black. They don't seem to mind either summer humid heat and they love the winter. I keep Lily in a short Miami in the summer and am aiming for a Town and Country on Javelin this summer. They both have more coat on in the winter.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

The length of the trim also depends on how much time you're willing to put in on a daily basis, between baths and grooms. Black definitely attracks more heat, but I think it also depends on the dog because my black girl tolerates the sun and heat better than my silver girl does. Kind of like us humans, the are sun worshipers and shade seekers.


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Like Caddy said, there is no reason you can't have longer hair on an outdoorsy dog, if you're willing to put in the time to maintain it!

I personally much prefer the look of a short clip. My boy is very active and outdoorsy also and neither of us want to spend loads of time bathing and brushing. He gets professionally groomed every 5 or 6 weeks and I clip his face in between grooms. He is silver and really feels the heat, so is definitely more comfortable when his hair is shorter. 

This is not the best picture but this is him about 3 weeks post groom. It is a very easy keeper clip - body gets a quick brush maybe once a week and topknot, ears and tail every couple of days. Easy to wash his legs if he gets muddy or dirty too!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Those are all lovely clips but they all require brushing and combing on a frequent basis. Any hair more than an inch long (Topknot, legs, ears, tail) on a poodle needs to be brushed/combed down to the skin more than 3x weekly... many people who do a lot of hiking in densely wooded, grassy areas, keep their dogs in a very short kennel or hunting clip because of the ease of which poodle hair picks up burrs and grasses etc. I prefer to keep my girl in a VERY long jacket and so she has to be brushed every day! (her coat varies from 1-3" in length (after clipping)) No matter what length you chose to keep your dog in, the need for brushing/combing is important and should start as soon as you bring your pup home. Being comfortable with grooming/brushing can be a enjoyable and bonding time but it does take time from your day!
Here's a sporting clip......as you see, there are still ears and tail to brush.....unless you also shorten that hair too, like in the other pic!!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I had my minipoo in a very short lamb/mouton clip last summer that was easy to care for - I mostly focused on her top knot and ears. This summer she is in a Miami/bikini with bracelets. I love the Miami but the bracelets on her legs do require more maintenance than the short lamb clip.

If I had a male poodle, I would love a German trim - I think it's so cute, very functional and sporty. German Trim on a Standard Poodle - PetGroomer.com Magazine For ease of care you would want a very short version, but here is a stunning dog from a member here in a longer version. http://www.poodleforum.com/9-poodle-grooming/2762-german-trim.html


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

My black Spoo is always in a sporting clip. His ears and tail are fluffy and he has some topknot, but the body is short. He never had a mat during coat change. It is almost always hot in Houston and this basic groom suits him. A white poodle would never work for me. On rainy days, it might look like a brown and white parti poodle! Buck loves his puddles! Not a fan of the tear stains or visible urine drips on legs, either.


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

white is tough to keep clean. i love my parti boy, but keeping him looking nice during the summer months when there is so much lovely mud to run through can be a hassle! 

i do my own grooming, which consists of shaving him down with a 10 blade every two weeks, leaving only the tail, ears, and topknot untouched. i also reverse shave his face with the same 20 blade: Easy to do, easy to keep clean. I do the same with my doodle, though she also has bracelets.


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## ItzaClip (Dec 1, 2010)

Hello, I'm a professional groomer of 15 years. I have two spoos in lots of hair that still go outside in every weather..
Black seems to attract bugs more, but white will always look dirty, even trimmed short. Cream or silver might be better. What I like about silver is that they have such pretty color as they clear that they look good even short. 
The last pic you showed as ( the white dog standing on stump) would require daily brushing and weekly bath and proper blow dry and brush out.. And still probably be a mess if burrs or swimming is involved, unless your getting a groomer to do the weekly bath for you. 
Cost here in Canada would be $120 hair cut,( every 8 weeks), $60 bath & tidy,( every 2-4 weeks), $ 40 bath only weekly. 
Versus a shave down $ 90 clipped every 8-12 weeks, $45 bath tidy ( depends on length hair)$ $25 bath only weekly ( depends on length)..

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I have had a very light apricot, a white, and a blue and white parti. Every time I get a pup I swear I am not getting white again. With the parti, I joke that I am half way there. My daughter has a silver. Fifteen minutes running in the yard and hers looks fine and mine looks like a filthy pig. I think white legs are dirt magnets. Now when I wash her silver dog, he is every bit as dirty as my parti, he just does not show it. It is much easier to find ticks,fleas, or wounds on a light colored dog. If I planned to do lots of outdoor activities, I would get any color but white. I would avoid the creams and light apricots also, just because of the dirt magnet quality.


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## rj16 (Jan 30, 2017)

I find it's all a matter of your tolerance for off-white! After every bath I'm amazed at how white Monty is. I'm happy to let him play in ponds, puddles and mud so he can get very dirty. Once he dries everything seems to fall off but he's left with a bit of a grey or brown tinge. 

The thing that bothers me most is how obvious his tear stains are. It's a battle I just can't seem to win. 

When I get another dog, I'll probably aim for anything but white and end up with another white dog.


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## Kelfin (Mar 31, 2017)

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all of the responses. 

I am thinking that a short sporting clip will make the most sense for me, especially during the warmer months. Maybe in the winter we could go a bit longer. This is all a learning process for me and I just want to make sure I've done all of my research before bringing home a puppy. 

Based on responses, I also think that it will make more sense for me to get a darker colored dog (I do currently have a yellow lab who likes to try to turn himself into a chocolate lab, so I am somewhat familiar with what white poodle owners may deal with lol). Being new to the "Poodle world" I think that white and black just seem like the quintessential poodle colors to me, they're the colors I've seen on tv and movies, at the Westminster, etc. However, as I'm reading and learning more about different colors I am beginning to really appreciate all of them! I particularly find myself drawn to red spoos, and I quite like blue as well. Black is still a favorite too. Regardless, color will be secondary to finding the right breeder.


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## BigMoppyHead (Jul 2, 2015)

I have very outdoorsy spoo in California. We hike daily and go dog-camping once a month (beach, deserts, mountains). I keep his body super short for brambles/easy maintenance and to avoid over-heating (important in our 7-8 mile hikes). But I like a big moppy head and tail and find this combination is a nice compromise--best of both worlds. I think he looks athletic--it's both functional and fancy (granted in a funny, Dr. Seuss way). Sometimes I have cuffs on his legs, but they do tend to collect stuff on our hikes. So if you want a little poodliness combined with the gun dog look, consider a wild top knot and tail. I find it easy to manage. Just noticed he's grown a little long in the lake pic. That was six weeks of grow-out and he got clipped short in the body right after this pic was taken. Enjoy your spoo--best decision I ever made.


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

Price around here is $80 to $100 for a simple groom. I keep my dogs in a short cut, with longer top knot, ears and tail. They get groomed every 6 to 8 weeks and I do very little maintenance in between. 

I completely agree with you that color should not be a primary consideration. All things being equal, I think I prefer black or blue. But all things never are equal and I now have two gorgeous cream poodles. I used to have two blacks. I actually do not find it more difficult to keep the cream poodles clean. In fact, I find it quite amazing that Sam can come home with dirty legs or grass stains, and when he is completely dry, his legs look fine. Maybe I'm not as fussy as some other people! LOL. And when Cammie rolls in something disgusting at the park and comes home with brown blotches on her back, I actually like to see that so that I can quickly wash it off (just a quick wet washcloth, not a full bath).

Cream, by the way, is what people at the dog park will call "white." I actually like it a lot better than white.


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## Kelfin (Mar 31, 2017)

BigMoppyHead said:


> I have very outdoorsy spoo in California. We hike daily and go dog-camping once a month (beach, deserts, mountains). I keep his body super short for brambles/easy maintenance and to avoid over-heating (important in our 7-8 mile hikes). But I like a big moppy head and tail and find this combination is a nice compromise--best of both worlds. I think he looks athletic--it's both functional and fancy (granted in a funny, Dr. Seuss way). Sometimes I have cuffs on his legs, but they do tend to collect stuff on our hikes. So if you want a little poodliness combined with the gun dog look, consider a wild top knot and tail. I find it easy to manage. Just noticed he's grown a little long in the lake pic. That was six weeks of grow-out and he got clipped short in the body right after this pic was taken. Enjoy your spoo--best decision I ever made.


I do like this combination! Thanks for sharing. Your boy is very handsome


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## Kelfin (Mar 31, 2017)

peppersb said:


> Price around here is $80 to $100 for a simple groom. I keep my dogs in a short cut, with longer top knot, ears and tail. They get groomed every 6 to 8 weeks and I do very little maintenance in between.
> 
> I completely agree with you that color should not be a primary consideration. All things being equal, I think I prefer black or blue. But all things never are equal and I now have two gorgeous cream poodles. I used to have two blacks. I actually do not find it more difficult to keep the cream poodles clean. In fact, I find it quite amazing that Sam can come home with dirty legs or grass stains, and when he is completely dry, his legs look fine. Maybe I'm not as fussy as some other people! LOL. And when Cammie rolls in something disgusting at the park and comes home with brown blotches on her back, I actually like to see that so that I can quickly wash it off (just a quick wet washcloth, not a full bath).
> 
> Cream, by the way, is what people at the dog park will call "white." I actually like it a lot better than white.


Interesting, thanks for sharing your perspective!


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## Kelfin (Mar 31, 2017)

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has replied to my post, and to those of you who have shared pictures - everyone has gorgeous poodles! I am learning so much here and I can't wait to bring a spoo into my life


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## BigMoppyHead (Jul 2, 2015)

You're welcome! You will love sharing the outdoors with a spoo. Best dog EVER and I've had many lovely dogs and numerous breeds--all wonderful, but nothing really compares to a Standard. I find the crazy head and tail very easy to maintain. If you forgo the leg cuffs, it's a cinch (they are a bit of bother and get dirty/full of brambles easily). But maintaining just topknot, ears, and tail are a cinch. Here is a pic of a very outdoor ready, can do spoo--not mine, but the same look. Notice the short body. As long as you don't have to worry too much about sun burn, it's a great outdoor clip. My boy has a sweater for cold but I rarely use it. He's much more sensitive to heat than old. (Granted, I'm in CA, but the deserts go below freezing at night and we've seen sprinklings of snow). You might also consider the top knot with short cut ears (ala German clip) and close body shave. Very handsome and masculine on a male, should you get one.


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