# Cording poodles



## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I feel really drawn to the look.

I would like to know how to do it.

Do you start after the puppy coat is gone? Do you grow the hair out long before you start cording? 

How do dogs like being corded, does it pull at their skin at all, do they chew at them?

Are poodles that are corded harder to maintain/keep clean, and while it's obviously very tedious to start, is it more time consuming than keeping a pet cut?

I don't think the DH would ever go for it (not that he can change my mind anyways) because I think he is afraid of getting his manliness caught walking something "silly" or froo froo looking. 

I am just not sure if this is a something a non groomer should attempt or not.

Tell me what you think, do you like the look? 

If you have a corded poodle do you get harassed ever (seems like a silly question but I get a lot of strangers prying at me if I am going to do something stupid with his hair-just wonder if cording is ever met with hostility)?

Thanks


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

my female poodle is corded (topknot/tail and neck) and i get a lot of rasta comments ... but people are generally intrigued as it's not a common poodle look. but then again, standard poodles are attention getters anyway.

i started her tk and tail during coat change and she's 3 now. it's a bit of work getting them started, because you don't want mats, but you want formed cords ... it looks like a hot mess in hte beginning, but about 9 months in you can tell that they are cords. 

it's different to maintain than a pet clip. you can not dry with a hv dryer, you have to blot dry and not rub the cords. you don't want to condition the cords. but you want to use a good moisturizing shampoo. 

once formed you have to occasionally check the cords and make sure they aren't forming together and do some separating and once in a while trim up the ends to not be scraggly (although i kind of like scraggly LOL)

btw, some people shave the ears but i keep some of the fringe, but that's extra maintenece in that i don't want her ear hair to cord (it's too heavy) and so we have to brush and dry during grooming. 


She's all that. At least to me. #spoo #standardpoodle #poodle #dogs by faerie made, on Flickr


Untitled by faerie made, on Flickr


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

Thanks for responding, I had hoped that you would!

I really think I want to go through with it, I think maybe I should try and find someone in my area to teach me how though. It does seem a lot more complicated then one would imagine, although I am relieved to hear they don't seem to be more complicated to maintain. 

It's hard because I love both the traditional (continental/miami) looks, and the corded, but from what I understand when it comes to cording it takes a long time and it's a commitment.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

it is a commitment. because it takes a while before it looks like something besides a matted mess. 

no one taught me how to do the cording. i did research online and did it that way.


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## Bunny (Jun 14, 2012)

I *love* the corded look, too and I think Temperance looks fantastic! I'm just way too lazy to make that commitment. I think Cookie's tk doesn't like to grow, either. It seems to stay short even when the rest of her is growing.


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## Anntig (Jun 9, 2010)

Here's my scruffy little daffadilly (aka Zeph) we've been playing with the hose as it's scorching today.
I started with long hair and banded Zephs hair to get the cords started but you can start with short hair as well, Zeph chews the front of her tk as we raw feed and she won't wear a snood but other than that she leaves them alone and they never seem to bother her, the bracelets are the only part that seems to get very dirty and full of things and I'm often tempted to take them off entirely. 
We get lots of attention when we go out, more than the others do and so far it's all been positive, most people are fascinated by the style (we got very mixed attention when Shadow was in a conti). 
i don't see cords as being particularly silly or fru fru and the guys I know seem to prefer the cords to the fluffier styles.
As far as keeping them clean goes Zeph gets bathed on a three week schedule and I've had to adapt a slightly different style with washing and drying but I don't find it as hard as I thought I would.
I think if you're willing to commit to the work in getting them established and you can tolerate having a dreadful looking dog for 6 months or so it's something anyone can do and once they're established they're much easier to maintain than a more normal style.


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## bookwormjane (Dec 18, 2011)

Here's a website that talks a lot about cording. They'll cord your dog for you for a boatload of money.
Cording the poodle - The corded poodle - Jolettes Corded Poodles - Cords - Cording - Cording the standard poodle - Poodles corded - Standard poodles corded - Jolettes Kennels Cording Poodles - Let me cord your poodle - Cording your poodle


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i just downloaded this book for free on my kindle (i have amazon prime)
i'll be back with a review.

i will tell you this, it's not too hard. when you start you just bathe, don't blow dry and don't brush. then you start with this:
mist (don't soak) and scrunch 
as the mats begin to form, then you do this:

mist and scrunch
and separate (not daily) just during grooming time every few weeks.

shampoo (don't condition), blot dry. you want them to dry so they won't mildew. don't rub because you want them to form.
when they form, you don't scrunch any more. you don't need to. 

i haven't updated this in a while, but i have some pictures and information on when i started temperance

Poodle cording project take one - a set on Flickr


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## poo lover (Nov 7, 2012)

faerie said:


> i just downloaded this book for free on my kindle (i have amazon prime)
> i'll be back with a review.
> 
> i will tell you this, it's not too hard. when you start you just bathe, don't blow dry and don't brush. then you start with this:
> ...


GREAT JOB she looks awsome


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

Wow thanks everyone. And thank you Faerie for your effort, I would love to know how that book is.


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## brownlikewoah (May 3, 2012)

awesome pictures! I love the look of corded topknots on poodles, I'm not sure if I could ever do it with my own girl tho... maybe some day! Do the cords stink at all? I've heard of people starting dreads in their own hair with wax etc, I wounder if the same rules apply to dogs?


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## ArcadiaX (Sep 17, 2012)

Wow, Temperance is SUCH a beauty!!! I really like the corded look, too. I first saw it demonstrated in a picture of a male show poodle; from the late 1800's, I believe. He DID NOT look dainty or foo foo! I bet my DH would go for that on our Lou Bear. It's a wild Rock N Roll look for sure.


ps: It was a LOL moment when I saw the pic of the corded poodle in the tub!!!


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

I think I'm going to do it.

The DH is all "no, no, no, no!" But honestly, it's not like HE is going to groom the dogs. :alberteinstein:


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i checked out the book on my kindle since i hacve it free for a bit.

the first half ot he book was a list of his accomplishments and a bunch of pictures of dogs he's shown (not just corded poodles)

the info on cording and the pics were okay, but to be honest it could be done in a few blog posts. 

he showed how to float the cords (basically bathing them in a tub fully filled with water to make sure the cords and skin gets fully saturated which i dont do since temperance isn't fully corded)

he talked about cording in a grid pattern. 

one thing that kind of freaked me out was his tip to put 1/4 cup bleach in the bath water to help prevent the cords from mildewing. i think there are other ways besides bleach. 

i spent about 45 minutes on the book.

i mean there is some info in there, but there is also some good info free online too.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

brownlikewoah said:


> awesome pictures! I love the look of corded topknots on poodles, I'm not sure if I could ever do it with my own girl tho... maybe some day! Do the cords stink at all? I've heard of people starting dreads in their own hair with wax etc, I wounder if the same rules apply to dogs?


my son had dread locks years ago so we discussed some of the methods including wax. the problem wiht using wax is how dirty the cords can get with dirt getting up in the wax.


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

I don't think I am okay with putting a dog in diluted bleach. Maybe I am being over sensitive to that idea, but there just has to be a better way.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i agree.


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## SnorPuddel (Jul 8, 2010)

I have a corded standard in a conti ... and I recently chopped off around a foot of cords 

Cords do not smell if you bathe your dog (Faerie can attest to the fact that Foxxy does not smell as she has met her and I have had the pleasure of meeting Faerie and her poodles), and if you do not allow the ear cords to soak up water from the water dish ... water is your friend as well as an enemy with cords.
I would NEVER bleach my dog ... I have used vinegar to keep the mildew at bay, but with the shorter cords now I do not have to worry about it.

I used to "float" the cords as suggested in the book, but holy crap that takes so much time and Foxxy never got so clean using that method. I now use a bathing recirculater and that gets the cords wicked clean, saturated and rinsed.. takes me less than half the time of "floating".

I have had negative comments about Foxxy, from poodle people whom think it is inhumane and cruel to matt a poodle. These are usually people whom have never touched a corded poodle. The cord matts about an inch from the skin and it weighs next to nothing. Mainly Foxxy garners a lot of favorable attention, and she loves it she is an attention slut galore.

There are a few different methods on cording and it all depends on what works best for you and your poodles hair. and you have to be prepared to take at least twice as long to get anywhere in public, because you will be stopped and have people ask all kinds of questions.


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## brownlikewoah (May 3, 2012)

okay, I too am seriously considering this! I wouldn't be up for full body cording, but I love the topknot & mane look of it..... My puppy is only 4.5 months right now, so I'm thinking maybe when coat change starts to happen, maybe I'll just cord her topknot? Does it take a lot longer to wash & rinse the cords than normal coat? I like to wash my dogs every week or two, would this be possible with the cords?
I'd also like to compete with Zora in grooming competitions some day... I wonder what the rules are as far as cording?


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## ArcadiaX (Sep 17, 2012)

There are a few cool drawings of Poodles in corded coats from the 1880's or so in the Shirlee Kalstone book ('81 edition, non international). Also, I noticed that the pic on page 10 has a Poodle without a docked tail. Probably to allow more cords! :act-up: 

Mary Lynn: If you do decide to cord your pup(s), please, please, please do a picture doc.


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

I will document our cording journey for sure. He is only 6mo though, and I think we're going to wait for the coat change which should give me lots of time to continue my research. I need to learn some of the grooming basics still, so I also need time for that. I am getting clippers etc for christmas, which I realize that I am going to have to be self sufficient with once I start cording. I have spoken to my groomer, and looked around but no one in my area seems to be familiar with cording, and since drying them is different I think I will be flying solo once I start.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

brownlikewoah said:


> okay, I too am seriously considering this! I wouldn't be up for full body cording, but I love the topknot & mane look of it..... My puppy is only 4.5 months right now, so I'm thinking maybe when coat change starts to happen, maybe I'll just cord her topknot? Does it take a lot longer to wash & rinse the cords than normal coat? I like to wash my dogs every week or two, would this be possible with the cords?
> I'd also like to compete with Zora in grooming competitions some day... I wonder what the rules are as far as cording?


I'm not a groomer but proper corded coat takes several years. So I'm not sure you can do competitions with a corded dog? 

For us bath time takes same amount. I force dry temperance with the exception of her corded area. That's blot dried with towels.


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