# When to get puppy's first "real" trim?



## redcricket (Dec 5, 2009)

Clover is almost 5 months, and so far has only had her FFT done. She is one fluffy puppy, and her coat is getting pretty long. I plan to keep her in a puppy clip, but when should I get her her first trim all over? What should I ask the groomer to do for her, and what length? Does anyone have any grooming pics they can share from when their poodle was Clover's age? Will her coat change once it's cut? Should she be clippered or scissored? Sorry for all the questions. We got Cricket when she was already starting to go through the coat change, so we didn't have to deal with a puppy coat. Thanks everyone!


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## akbritt (Aug 10, 2009)

I waited a little while to get Misa's first real clip...although for those who remember, finding a groomer who i like was the hardest part. 

I wanted to see this new groomers work...so I let her have her way with Misa's clip...I need a pet clip...and she delivered very well IMO. She clipped about 1 1/2inch. down the body with the FFT ...and reshaped the topknot...the last groomer i had didn't know what scissor work was...so the topknot was in bad shape. Misa used to have that big fluffy puppy coat...and I loved it!!! It was so easy for me...and then when her coat started to change...she started to matt more than ever. 

If you love the look of the full puppy clip keep it...but it becomes hard to maintain after a while if you dont have the time to keep it up.

Once warm weather hits....Im going to experiment with a summer clip or a bikini clip...  One of the best thing about poodles...there are so many clips to choose from!!


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

90% of your questions really depend on what YOU want! 
'when?' is whenever you want her trimmed; for some people they want to keep the full puppy fuzz, others are happy to get it trimmed back when young.
'what length' depends on what you want the length to be! I hate when customers tell me to just do what looks good, cos what looks good to ME might not be the same for THEM! lol. I always get an actual idea of the length they want, because invariably 'short' never actually means SHORT. lol!
'pics?' there are lots of pics on here already, but it depends on what you're wanting too...
'will her coat change?' it won't _change_, no, because it wont' change what is already there, but it WILL look different, because shorter is generally plusher, and the newly cut tips of the hair will be flat and flush and in general will look denser and thicker simply because the tips of her hair at the moment are invariably broken and 'wispy'. It won't change her coat at all, but it will probably make it _appear_ different.
'clipped or scissored?' depends on the length you want. If you want an inch or less anywhere then it'll probably be clippered with a snap on comb attachment simply because it is sooooooooooooooo much easier than fully hand scissoring (note that scissoring is still required with snap on combs to tidy it all up & finish it) if you want it LONGER than an inch anywhere (usually the legs) then it'll probably be hand scissored. Also taken into account for the answer is how much you're willing to pay; a fully hand scissored dog takes a lot longer and a lot more skill, and will invariably cost a lot more than one I can use clippers on. Let alone trying to get a puppy to stay still for a long hand scissoring session... lol!

Hmm, I don't think I helped much. hahahaha!!

I suggest you search this forum and the internet for a poodles first groom and see what you like and don't like so YOU know what you want rather than have us tell you. lol!


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

I think your feedback was good FD because so often us poodle owners that are not groomers expect things and are not sure how to relay that. Good groomers are hard to find BUT the more preparation going in the better we can communicate that and come out with a better result.

RC - Clover went through the coat change already? Wow Olie is almost 8 months and I am just now seeing some tighter curls around his lower back area. I personally like the puppy clips.


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## redcricket (Dec 5, 2009)

Thanks everyone!  I think I'm going to print out some pictures of what I like and take them to my groomer. We FINALLY found a groomer that we like! She is reasonably priced, and knows poodles--she has 2 of her own. It's only taken us over 3 years to find her! LOL! Alot of the groomers we went to were fine, but must not have been too familiar with poodles, because something was always wrong--topknot too short, shaved all over, messed up the tail, etc. I always go to the groomer armed with pictures, and I am very detailed with what I want and don't want, and I was getting frustrated paying over $100 per groom, and walking away unhappy. I just felt like I was paying top dollar for someone to just clipper all the hair off, kwim? I am so happy with our new groomer! Olie--No, Clover is not going through the coat change yet, thank goodness! LOL! I think I worded it wrong, but what I meant to say was that we never really had to deal with a puppy coat before Clover, because when we got our other poodle Cricket, she was already older, and was already going through the coat change. I think I might just get Clover trimmed down a bit, and just have her topknot shaped up a bit, and her rear area shaped up a bit. I don't really think I want her clippered short, just a bit more manageable and tidied up. Thanks for the responses everyone!


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## marywillow (Feb 7, 2010)

Well I would talk with your groomer on what you want done with your puppy. Find out what you need to do to have the look you want. Keeping up with a longer coat has it's own rewards. I love my Poodles in a longer clip. 

If you prefer a longer look you can talk with your groomer to help maintain in between. I offer a blowout/brushout to my clients who prefer to keep their dogs longer, as well as Face/Feet and tail.


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