# How often do you clip your poodle?



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Ideally I do Poppy every six weeks or so - I keep her short, but if I leave her much longer than that bathing, drying and clipping becomes much harder work!

It is worth learning how to do it yourself if you have the time - cheaper, easier to organise, and only yourself to blame if you don't like the results!


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## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

Ideally, six weeks is usually the minimum for poodles. I think that waiting 7-8 weeks is ok if you are good at making sure the dog remains bathed & brushed out completely between grooms. If she is mat and tangle-free, clean, and bathed regularly, I think it is just personal preference on when to get rid of the scruff!  

I bathe Desmond and shave his face/feet at least every 1-2 weeks and I cut his hair about every 3-4 weeks. However, I know that if I don't bathe him every two weeks at the absolute least he will mat up like crazy and start to stink!


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## Marcoislandmom (Mar 15, 2012)

Karat is groomed every 3 weeks. She is bathed weekly primarily because she loves the mud.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

I bathe Atticus weekly and depending on which clip I'm going for determines how often I clip him. The past couple of months I let his feet, face and tail grow out and have just been clipping his body with a #5 every 3 weeks and touch up his face where he needs it. When I'm growing him out I go WEEKS without clipping his body and will clip his feet, face and tail every 4 weeks. 

I don't see a problem going 7 weeks in between visits as long as your keeping her bathed and brushed! There's always at home grooming too :wink: its alot of fun and gives you some great bonding time with your pup.


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

My Poodles are on different schedules. My Spoo I usually bathe every 2-3 weeks. He get's haircuts every 3-6 wks. Depends on whether I am getting ready for competition or not. My OT I usually bathe weekly & haircuts every 6 wks because I am working on improving my competition time. I get 1 1/2 hrs at comp & right now I prefer 1 hr 45 min. to get her looking great. Anyway- for a pet 6-8 wks is just fine. I wish more of my poodle peeps would I have anywhere from 4 wks- 16wks that I see my clients.


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

Beau sees Madeline every three weeks. He gets bathed, FFT, nails, scissored -- the works. He really could go longer between actual haircuts, with a bath and FFT in between, but so far this schedule is working well for us.


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

Is it okay to bathe Charlie weekly? He is a toypoo mix terrier. Please advise. Thanks!


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## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

Joelly, if you are using a gentle shampoo it shouldn't be a problem! On a good schedule I bathe my Standard Poodle every week, but a small dog might not need that so often. Especially a terrier mix, if he has wiry hair I would avoid such frequent bathing, as, on some dogs, it can dry out the skin and can alter the texture of his coat.


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## Lily's-Mom (May 31, 2012)

Thanks everyone, so it sound like I am on a good schedule at 7-8 weeks between clippings with a couple of baths in between and brushing/combing about 5X per week (not quite daily). You all made me feel better, but I am jealous that so many of you do your own grooming. I'd save a ton of money if I could do that...Maybe someday, but not now - yikes.


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

Lily's-Mom said:


> Thanks everyone, so it sound like I am on a good schedule at 7-8 weeks between clippings with a couple of baths in between and brushing/combing about 5X per week (not quite daily). You all made me feel better, but I am jealous that so many of you do your own grooming. I'd save a ton of money if I could do that...Maybe someday, but not now - yikes.


If you learn to comb her out properly you can stretch the professional grooming out pretty far and save money. But if your dog goes to the groomer with mats expect to pay quite a bit extra for dematting or have your dog shaved naked (or both!).

Comb her out before a bath, for sure. Using a rich conditioning shampoo and creme rinse will help reduce matting. My breeder uses Pantene conditioner - not diluted on their dogs. I use Groomer's Edge The Solution Conditioner.

I have yet to see a dog's coat get dry from extra bathing, and I'm seeing daily bathing with seriously harsh prescription shampoo. If you're using something decent and correctly diluted, there's not an issue with it. (This is assuming you are not relying on your dog's natural coat oils to protect her from weather and water.)


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## Lily's-Mom (May 31, 2012)

The last time Lily was professionally groomed (the first time since he came to live with us) she did have some small knots in her back end near her tail. She never liked me to brush her there. My groomer did a great job and since then, it has been very easy to maintain her coat and she has no knots or matts at all. And she's getting more cooperative with me brushing her entire body. I could go a bit longer between groomings if I had to, but I really like her clipped and FFT shaved. On the other hand, my husband prefers a fuzzy dog, so that's why he doesn't think Lily needs to be cut now. Of course I am the one doing the brushing/combing so my vote counts more.


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

In the warmer months, I have Lexi booked out at the groomers every five weeks. She is booked till November. Heck, I don't even had a standing hair appointment! She is kept in a Miami during the warmer months. The first short cut, she is cut short on her body(don't remember the blade length) so the next time she goes in it is just FFT, a bath and trimming her bracelets, topknot and tail. So, every other time her body is trimmed. I do not bath her at home, but I keep up the brushing of all her fluffy parts very carefully.  During the winter months she goes every seven to eight weeks, again with me keeping up with her brushing. Her first winter she was kept in a longer lamb type cut, don't really know what I will keep her in this winter. My groomer tells me all the time she wishes more people would brush out their dogs like I do. I just don't want Lexi to have to go thru more than she needs to plus it's just not good to be matted with tangles. Dh and I joke all the time that the only reason we do not have another spoo is we couldn't afford the grooming for two and I really have no desire to learn to groom!


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