# Grooming if you DON'T want a poodle cut?



## ApricotsRock (Jan 10, 2014)

I don't think your are too far off, especially if you are going to keep pup longer in the winter. I just had Rookie groomed and I will try not to groom him again until late Feb/early March. It just depends on how much he matts. My other dogs were fine with this but Rookie has very silky hair that gets tangled and matted very easily. My others were more wiry.


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## coffee&curls (Nov 18, 2015)

I think if you talk with your groomer they can advise you on a good schedule for your wants. You're probably not too far off with your plan but it's hard to say definitively because your poodle's coat, depending on what it's like, may have a different need (i.e. coarse or soft, how fast the hair grows, etc.).


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I find the biggest issues are with the face and feet - much more than nine weeks and Poppy is struggling to see and tending to get muddy clumps on her feet, and that is starting with clean shaven nose and toes. I think a shaggy, teddy bear look may actually need more regular grooming to maintain, as you are trying tostay between longish and too long. Starting very short means more weeks to the can't-see-through-the-frings stage.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

My groomer decides the cost... and it depends on the frequency. A grooming every six to eight weeks comes at a moderate cost.

If I let it go longer, brought him in all long-haired, shaggy and matted... I'd be paying for it!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I think 4 times a year might not be enough, unless you do a bit of grooming yourself in-between professional visits. Feet, sanitary (and face, for my taste) need to be done at least every 6-8 weeks. The rest of the body can wait more.


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## mamalion (Aug 8, 2014)

After she changed coats, I used to strip my first mini with a ten blade every May, including ears and tail; she was really nicely made. I'd do her face and feet once or twice, strip her again in July or August, and let her grow out for the winter, oing face or feet every month or two. The kids showered with her, washing so that she was always clean enough. 

If you do face and feet, strip down for the summer, grow in the winter( and brush then), I bet you can get by on 4 grooms/year after the puppy coat comes out.


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

Ok first thing: it's impossible to make a Poodle not look like a Poodle. Shaven naked, dreadlocked, left semi-long for a "Doodle" clip -- a Poodle will look like a Poodle thanks to its proportions, distinct playful gaits and uplifted tail.

All clips on a Poodle are Poodle clips. Poodles have TONS of clips outside the very limited, very exaggerated show clips. Many people don't want muffs/pompoms. Many people don't want a muff-style topknot. Some even prefer unshaved faces.

So when you say "not a Poodle clip" or "not look like a Poodle", it's hard for us and any groomer to get what exactly what you mean. We can safely assume you want a fuss-free clip with no muffs on ankles, but what about the details? TK, ears, tail, FFT?

The easiest you can go is a short-all-over clip which you can do on your own very easily with a clip-on-comb for your clipper. You'll need a proper clipper tho. You won't need any professional grooming in this case, just a regular bath, dry, and clipping. A Poodle's coat grows about 2 cm per month so how often you'll need to groom depends on how short and how long you are willing to have the coat. If you want to have longer ears and/or a tail pompom, those are very easy to do even for a complete beginner.

if you want to maintain a longer all-over length in the coat (around 3 cm or more), you'll need fluff drying and scissoring skills, in this case a pro groomer. Exact pro *groom intervals will depend greatly* on the weather and your activities, as well as the dog's age (blowing puppy coat?) and coat quality. A cottony coat will require much more work than a tougher, wiry coat. And of course your own tastes and interest in learning basic grooming skills.

Feet will require clipping on the bottom at least, in between the pads (for health reasons mainly), but you'll be able to keep the top looking unshaved if you prefer and neaten it with scissors.


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## newpoodlenoodle (Dec 2, 2015)

Sorry i should have been clearer. When i say "no poodle clip" i mean the same length all over. As to what that length is, i don't really know! About 1-1.5cm at shortest? And "as long as it gets before it's not manageable" at longest? I am happy to trim between pads of feet and hair out of eyes/around mouth/back end as needed. I will ultimately clip all over myself, i just want to know how often/how much it will need doing for comfort (i understand lots groom as often as every 2-3 weeks but they have a clip "shape" to maintain). Even if i'm doing it myself i'll be aiming at 4-6 "big" clips a year and the rest of the time just a trim here and there.

I have to disagree about the "poodles look like poodles no matter the clip" - i met a gorgeous curly dog in the park once, he looked almost like a heavy set greyhound, with a broader muzzle and heavier muscle. He had short curlyish hair which (it was raining) was hanging in ringlets. I was so captivated i immediately approached his owner and asked where he was from and what his breeding was. He was a poodle. I had never seen one without fuller legs, shaved feet/face/base of tail and some sort of topknot and no, he didn't look anything like that! Yes when i looked closer i could see of course, he's a poodle, but most people think of the clip, not the dog under it, when they think of a poodle. I think if you have owned/groomed poodles for a long time and of course are very experienced with those dogs you "see" poodle whatever they look like, but if you're a layperson then the clip is absolutely the first clue about the breed.


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

My dogs are both puppies, and are therefore in a very easy to maintain coat age. I keep them very short other than their tails, ears and topknots, and keep their faces shaved in the typical poodle style. 

It takes about 8 weeks for their body hair to become long enough to be a hassle to brush, and that's about when i take them in to get them shaved down again. 

I have a feeling every four months is not going to be often enough, unless you're alright with spending progressively more time as the four months pass brushing every day. at eight weeks it takes me about half an hour to brush each dog, so I'd assume at least an hour daily once you get to nearly four months. 

Basically - the more frequently you take him to get him shaved down, the less time you'll have to spend each day brushing him. For me the more frequent trips are worth the time saved each day, but that is a personal preference (and cost) issue. 

also, since you seem to want same length all over and can do some grooming things yourself, why not just shave him down all over by yourself every 2-3 months? Easy maintenance and no groomer cost


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think that the look you want - a short retriever cut - is both extremely attractive, and very easy for the home groomer to achieve. As a very amateur groomer myself, to keep the coat short and tidy I would plan on grooming every 8 - 10 weeks - longer than that and the muzzle and feet will be getting uncomfortably long, and the coat will need more and more time to brush through properly. You would need professional quality clippers (reckon on around £100 - 150, although there are often very good deals on eBay), stainless steel combs (less than £20), decent steel Greyhound style comb and a good pair of scissors. You would need much the same equipment just to tidy up between professional grooming sessions, so I would plan on doing it yourself from the start.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Yes, a short all over sporting/retriever clip is easy to do at home. I have to agree that is you want an unshaved face that actually is more work than having a clean poodley face, same for feet.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

My dogs go every 4 weeks and she uses a 7 on the body, a 10 on the face and private ares and I leave bell bottoms with shaved feet, very easy to take care of. I trim their face and bum every 2 weeks and shampoo every 2 weeks between grooming. I cut all the hair from in front of their ears also


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

You might want to think how well your dog will react to grooming sessions 3-4 times a year. The dogs need to get used to being groomed or they will be very stressed at these sessions, which could affect how well they are groomed. Some dogs might get very feareful.

So unless you plan to groom the dog yourself, you might want to take him to a groomer every 6-8 weeks the first year.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

MiniPoo said:


> You might want to think how well your dog will react to grooming sessions 3-4 times a year. The dogs need to get used to being groomed or they will be very stressed at these sessions, which could affect how well they are groomed. Some dogs might get very feareful.
> 
> So unless you plan to groom the dog yourself, you might want to take him to a groomer every 6-8 weeks the first year.



Good point MiniPoo! Something that is routine for the dog is much less stressful.


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## Critterluvr (Jul 28, 2014)

I know what you mean when you say not a "poodle cut". You mean you don't want a typical poodle cut, I imagine, just a longish shaggy look all over, without shaved areas or pom poms? 
I clip my goldendoodle myself because I just want her to be lightly shaggy all over, but an easy to maintain coat that is kept mat free. I bought a set of Wahl 2 speed clippers that have detachable metal combs. I use the comb that leaves the coat the longest (1 inch) and find it extremely easy to use. 
I am sure you could do the same with a Poodle coat? That's what I plan to do when I get a mpoo someday, because I too just want the natural shaggy look.
Although I do love the clean shaven face!


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## PoodlePossessed (Dec 8, 2015)

peccan said:


> A cottony coat will require much more work than a tougher, wiry coat.


I wondered about that. Pi's coat never did turn wiry, so she's still a fluff ball like a puppy. In a longish cut, two weeks is about as long as she goes before I start seeing knotting. The softer fur seems to get dirtier faster too.

Someday I will figure out how to upload a profile pic.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

You also must remember that the longer the coat gets, the more often you need to bath and brush. The thing that you absolutely don't want to be is one of those people who brings in a matted dog every 3-4 months and has to have the dog shaved down to the skin. And when you have your poodle in long coat, you must maintain the sanitary areas or you will wind up with a dog encrusted in waste - not pleasant for anyone!
Also, don't forget about nails - they really need to be done every 2-4 weeks. Especially if you are going to keep long hair on the feet, it is very easy to miss that they are getting long enough to hit the ground and cause the feet to splay out, or worse yet, painfully grow into the bottom of the feet!


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## AngelAviary (Aug 12, 2014)

I keep Stella in a longer "not traditional Poodle trim" because I like the long hair. I only take her to the groomer about once every 3-4 months. But in return I do give her a bath, force blow dry, trim face/feet/tail every 2 weeks. And I brush and completely comb daily! And I mean daily. Any lapse in daily care and I will find matts. Especially in the areas that "move" armpits/behind ears/front of her knees etc. It is a ton of work everyday, but I love it, I love the long hair. She is long but still has a "shape" I know when its time to take her in because she starts looking "heavy". I will post some photos of her groomed and one the morning of her grooming apt looking "heavy"
The first photo is when she was only around 1yr old. Just shortened from her show puppy cut during coat change. The second one is looking good about 1/2 way between needing grooms. Then the last one is the long look that I love but she looks "thick and heavy" Hope this helps.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

There is no way around it, poodles need a lot of maintenance no matter what style you prefer. But what you get in return, is not having a carpet of shed hair coating your world.
Oh, and the smartest, most loving, athletic dog on the planet! For all of us here, high grooming needs are well worth what we get in return!


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## Lori G (Sep 19, 2014)

Angel, your Stella is beautiful! I admire her "do" and also all you do to maintain it!


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## AngelAviary (Aug 12, 2014)

Thank you! Lori G for your kind words for my Stella! I too think she is beautiful but she is just as beautiful on the inside! I truly love to groom her, she loves to be groomed. Im sure it would have to be different if she did not like all the grooming, but Im lucky. I could sit and brush all day and she would lay there and sleep! But then nothing else would get done! As TinyPoodles said, we don't have the shed hair to deal with so I don't have to vacuum as much! LOL


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

I'm still working on the right balance for Archie - he's got super soft, cottony hair that will be just perfectly fine until it reaches this one specific length and them boom! It's mat city. I'm still trying to work out where that threshold is so I can get him in to the groomer _before_ he actually hits that point, but I know he can't make it four months even if he's coming off of a total shave-down. I do think you can manage every three months on most dogs if you're willing to practically shave them at each groom. Or maybe your dog will have harsher hair that doesn't tangle so easily, and you'll be fine.

I'm planning to try home grooming sometime in the next few months...it's a combination of not having a good space to do it, and also feeling very intimidated by his black nails. Seriously, you'd think a peaches-and-cream dog would have light nails, but nope. And long quicks to boot. Sigh...

Anyway, I'm sure you'll find a good solution. My groomer does have a sign up in her shop that says something like, "A dog who gets groomed every 4-6 weeks sees grooming as part of life; a dog who comes in every three months thinks they're being punished each time." So you'll want to do something to keep up the routine in between so it's not too traumatic.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

lisasgirl said:


> I'm still working on the right balance for Archie - he's got super soft, cottony hair that will be just perfectly fine until it reaches this one specific length and them boom! It's mat city. I'm still trying to work out where that threshold is so I can get him in to the groomer _before_ he actually hits that point, but I know he can't make it four months even if he's coming off of a total shave-down. I do think you can manage every three months on most dogs if you're willing to practically shave them at each groom. Or maybe your dog will have harsher hair that doesn't tangle so easily, and you'll be fine.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Get a grinder - if you keep checking as you do it, you will see a little indent in the center of the nail right before you would hit the quick. And honestly, quicking a dog is not the end of the world - groomers to it every day.


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## Axeldog (Aug 29, 2014)

Coldbrew said:


> I have a feeling every four months is not going to be often enough, *unless you're alright with spending progressively more time as the four months pass brushing every day.* at eight weeks it takes me about half an hour to brush each dog, so I'd assume at least an hour daily once you get to nearly four months.


This is what I was thinking while reading through this thread. One of the benefits of more frequent clipping of the coat is a much easier time of preventing mats. The longer the hair, the more frequent and longer brushing/combing time required.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I groomed (bathed, clipped, shaved etc etc) right before Thanksgiving and I just did Matisse yesterday...probably do Maurice today. I like them in short hair cuts and their shaved places kept neat. So, about once a month, give or take, I'll clip them. And a bath in between. I use to bathe every week, but I've gotten so it's more like every two weeks generally.

I don't have to brush them much...just their top knots and tails a little bit and maybe all over just to fluff them up if it's getting curly and sort of make their skin feel better... about 2 minutes spent before or after a walk. But they're pretty short. I not only like the ease of maintaining, I also like the way they look...shapely, tidy, perky... So it's all personal preference. I wouldn't go too long between grooms because it just makes for more chances of mats and tangles and it's just a p.i.t.a. 

I like that I do it myself. But if I were using a groomer every time, I'd have to take them every 6 weeks. That would be the longest I could stand to let them go. I would think they'd get very difficult to maintain going much longer than that. Maybe you could use a groomer sometimes and do a little yourself in between. There are You tube videos that are just great to help you learn.


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## Coco86 (Oct 23, 2014)

My mom grooms all four of our poodles herself. Two of them need a full body clip about every eight weeks. The smallest one can go up to three months without a full body clip, and the youngest about every nine or ten weeks since we're still easing him into it. His body hair doesn't appear to grow as fast and is more...wiry? Is that the word I'm looking for?

In between these clips, my mom does regular maintenance grooming of their face, eyes, bum, ears, between the pads of their feet, and neck hair. Pretty much everywhere needed for sanitary reasons. We try to keep the neck hair trimmed short all year so it doesn't become matted or tangled in their collars. It looks cute in winter when they have trimmed necks then a fluffy body :aetsch: We always keep their topknots short too. 

For their full body clips, we keep everything short all over (not shaven, just short) during the summer, and just kind of trim them in the winter, leaving the body hair a little longer so they stay warm. 

With four dogs it is a lot of work, but we space them out in their groomings and I keep track of it on my calendar so we know how long they each go between a full or partial groom, and when they were each done last.


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

Zoe can not go more than 5 weeks and I trim in between. 

If you are not going for the shaved muzzle it is more difficult to maintain. Your dog will get very shaggy and messy looking, especially around the eyes and mouth I find. Zoe starts to look messy at 2 1/2 weeks or so.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I was interested to see the comments about a soft coat matting more than a correct coat. I've found just the opposite.

Jazz has a fairly soft, wavy body coat, with a topknot, long, full ears, bracelets, and a poufy tail. I keep her body fairly short, between a half inch and an inch, and she never mats. Blue has a much better, thick, curly coat (the groomer says it takes a loooong time to dry him), a topknot, a bottle-brush tail (we're letting it grow out), short ears, and no bracelets. Even though his body coat is as short as Jazz's and he has less hair overall, it tangles, is much harder to comb out, and grooming him takes much longer. 

I use a dremel on Jazz. We're working on teaching Blue to tolerate that, but he still gets antsy after a few nails are done, even with my husband giving peanut butter.


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## animalcule (Apr 19, 2015)

I prefer to do it myself because I know what I like. I have rudimentary dog grooming skills, but every time I've taken a long haired dog of mine to a groomer they do something I hate. I cut my own hair for the same reason.

I usually only give my boy one or two real haircuts a year - trim his muzzle, sanitary and feet in between. Last time I clipped everything down to an inch (longest comb I have - might buy a 2" one) except his tail and head/ears. I love his tail big and poofy. I leave his ears longer but shape them, and about a 2-3" top knot, trim his muzzle by hand because he hates the clippers there and I like his face a bit rounded and fluffy. Outside of that I brush him out at least weekly or as needed, he does not mat easily. Bathe as needed (we live in the desert on a dirt road and have two other dogs who pound him into the ground every day, so I've given up on him being truly clean). All my dogs get nails trimmed every 2 weeks or so with snip clippers. I've never tried a dremel.

It's actually less work than people assume and I think he looks cute, though not always as clean as I'd like.


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## BigRedDog (Mar 2, 2011)

*"Non-Poodle" clip*

I have had customers ask me for this in the past and what we usually settle on is a long,Puppy Clip ( as per the dog show terminology). with unshaved face, base of tail and feet. I guess in current type it would be the way you would groom a "doodle" fluffy all over. Since everyone seems to have their own term for this, it would be best if you take a picture to your groomer of what you have in mind.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I have a standing appointment every three weeks. I factored monthly grooming going in, because I severed a tendon in my index finger and I just don't feel my skills with sharp implements improved. Buck's always in the same short groom; Poodley enough, low maintenance for me and cool in our hot climate. I get my fancy fix on PF and on the pages of Poodle Variety


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## stook1 (Mar 21, 2014)

Not sure if this is really relevant at this point but figured I would tell you our progression with our SPoo.

We started off having him groomed by a Pro exclusively when he was a puppy for a while just so he was comfortable with the process before a newbie (ie. me) took a shot at grooming him.

Then, after a while, I forget when exactly, I started clipping him every other time. He started off with a more traditional clip puppy clip with big ears, tail, lower legs and we've gradually moved to a what I think is called a German clip. I have also begun doing all of the grooming on my own. Maybe we'll do one per year professionally (I'm not too sure at this point honestly, we'll see how it goes).

In any event, with the German clip, it's frankly pretty easy to do and it is fairly low maintenance since the ears and tail are cut close. With this clip, I have been able to do pretty everything except the top knot since I don't have sheers (yet). So basically just a clipper, a #10 blade, a set of metal blade combs, and a brush.

The benefit of this clip is that you can go a pretty long while before the top knot gets REALLY unruly. I probably clip him every 6-8 weeks. When we were doing the every other pro groom we were probably doing that maybe once every 3.5-4 months or so.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

My miniature poodle is 5 months old and because of lock down we haven't been able to take her for a proper cut so she is currently just like a teddy bear and I am already finding it quite hard to keep her hair from knotting. I don't think I could manage it if it got any longer so I can't wait until we are able to get her clipped. We too do not want to go for a poodle type clip and will keep her shortish all over. I do plan to learn to clip her myself as I do think you will end up doing it more than 4 times a year. Once they start getting muddy and dirty from walks it's much more work with a longer coat.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

WinnieThePoodle said:


> My miniature poodle is 5 months old and because of lock down we haven't been able to take her for a proper cut so she is currently just like a teddy bear and I am already finding it quite hard to keep her hair from knotting. I don't think I could manage it if it got any longer so I can't wait until we are able to get her clipped. We too do not want to go for a poodle type clip and will keep her shortish all over. I do plan to learn to clip her myself as I do think you will end up doing it more than 4 times a year. Once they start getting muddy and dirty from walks it's much more work with a longer coat.
> View attachment 471818


This is quite an old thread, and the original poster hasn't been back in a few years. I'm going to close it to further replies to avoid confusion, but feel free to start a new thread about your grooming efforts during covid. I've learned so much here! Many of us have. 

And that photo of Winnie is so cute.


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