# Poodle in full show coat shaved down



## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Luna completed her AKC grand championship last week (yay!!!) and she has been shaved down. Now I have been asked if people shave down show coats because they are matted underneath (thinking that matting the hair helps it to stand in the show ring.) But no, that is not the reason they are shaved down. Owners keeping up show coats know how much time and effort goes into keeping those beautiful coats matt free. 

They are shaved down for several reasons - the main one in our case is to give the dog and owner a break from that coat maintenance. Another reason is so that the conformation of the dog can be easily seen to make breeding decisions. And the other reason that they are taken *so* short is so that switches or wigs can be taken to use for future show dogs. Luna had very thick hair and never had to use switches. Her hair was not very long though, so I’m not sure how useful her switches will be. She only had 6-7” of hair.

I was in a huge rush because of all the traveling we have done so we only took off the head, mane, and jacket for right now. I have been getting some grief for leaving on her rosettes hahaha but I couldn’t bring myself to take them off at the same time. I am very open to suggestions and in the meantime I am just decking her out with all the bows she couldn’t wear while in coat lol!

It is very bittersweet to me. I am still trying to wrap my head around it, and I very much miss her glorious hair. But I think with time I will begin to like it more.

Enjoy these couple of pics. I will also attach some taken the same day, right before we shaved her.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

LOVE that pic of her in front of the red rock and that is the prettiest shave down I've ever seen :adore: Just gorgeous!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you so much ZM!! We took lots of pics of her on the red rocks before her hair came off but of course haven't had time to get them edited yet. I will have to post her photo shoot once they are edited. And thank you for the sweet complement on her shave down! She looks like a little saluki to me plus butt poms haha.


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## rkj__ (Dec 24, 2017)

Lots of Poodle Forum poodles getting a shave down lately!


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

She is a beauty for sure!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

The bows in her butt poms crack me up hahaha! She is a good looking girl, but I still prefer a nice long topknot & fluffy ears on a miami if you gotta do a shave down! 
How did she react to her loss of hair....she must've felt so good and freeeee! LOL!


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Luna was a beauty in her show coat and as far as I am concerned she is beautiful shaved down. I really like her ears. If she were mine, those butt poms would go -LOL


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

She is beautifully shaved down. You and Luna will appreciate the easier coat care, but I wish you had left more top knot. I guess you took some of that hair for wigs too?

I don't blame you for leaving the rosettes - they remind you of her show coat. You can still grow back a modified, shorter continental.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I wish she had more of a top knot, but that will grow quickly. Luna can really flaunt that great body now. I find the use of wiggies ridiculous and unethical. It’s a physical alteration which should be NQ if the AKC really wanted to follow their own rules. High five for keeping Luna “real” and winning.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

This is why the Miami clip was invented, I think. The quick removal of all that show coat. I think I would have a hard time with the poms, too. But, you know what, she'll grow coat before your eyes and you'll groom her into a beautiful clip that's easy to maintain. The best of all worlds for your lovely Luna.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

She is so beautiful, but PomPoms don't so much and the topknot a little to short for me. I do not put pompoms on Sage jut the coat, she has the cutest little butt, and she gets compliment on her butt all the time


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## Eclipse (Apr 26, 2010)

Mfmst said:


> I wish she had more of a top knot, but that will grow quickly. Luna can really flaunt that great body now. I find the use of wiggies ridiculous and unethical. It’s a physical alteration which should be NQ if the AKC really wanted to follow their own rules. High five for keeping Luna “real” and winning.


Absolutely agree with you 100%. Not that I care haha, but I have been ripped apart and ridiculed for posting similar opinions on other poodle forums and by some who also post here. Amazing how posting something like that gets the breed people all bent out of shape. Among the responses I have received are that "everyone does it", "I should shut up because I don't have a breed dog", etc. In my opinion it is ridiculous that conformation presentation has evolved to a style so extreme that so many dogs need to be wigged to show and finish. And unethical that the fancy completely ignores it's prohibitions for artificial enhancement, spray, etc. Kudos to Luna for being presented naturally and finishing that way. Heaven forbid people should strive to breed for better coat instead of wigging, etc.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you everyone! I definitely will be working to grow back her topknot now, haha it is so short, and as you can tell from pics, very uneven because of the way it was shaved off. I believe I will be taking a lot of her ear hair off and either taking off the rosettes or putting them into a different shape. I also will probably take some hair off of her bracelets and tail. It also may be time to start playing with dyes hahaha. It is fun being able to do anything that I want now!


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

Wow, what a transformation! Luna is gorgeous!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

You do have beautiful bracelets for setting a Miami for sure. It is nice to see her structure!


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

Luna is lovely, that’s the long and short of it.


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