# How does one begin to cord?



## MsFancyPants

Hello again poodle people!
Westley and I are venturing out to begin the cording process, however we have a very large set back. I dont know actually how to begin the cording process!!! I gave him a bath and let him dry with just a cage dryer, I assume the force dryer would ruin my chances of starting any sort of matting. I havent brushed him either. He has started to matt on the neck and shoulders but im not sure how to separate or when to separate. The matting is fairly close to the skin too. I hope im not starting off wrong! I just dont know what to expect or when to hopefully see some sort of cord start! If anyone has any information on cording I would appreciate it greatly!
~Kisses and nibbles from Westley & I.


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## mercymoon

Just so you know, Corded coats are difficult to keep clean and take a long 
time to dry after washing. Any poodle with a normal coat can be corded
when their adult coat is in.

If you really want advice on how-to and such petgroomer.com forum
is the place to ask the pros! Good Luck!


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## spoofan

This might help...good luck!

http://www.arpo.net/e_princ.php?page=e_cord_tech


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## WonderPup

Let us know how it goes. I know there are several yahoo groups for corded dogs that would probably be helpful. The extent of my knowlege on cording is let dog mat completely, and then cut those mats into tiny matts all over and let it grow. I think you can probably also seperate the hair with rubberbands to help form cords. Have you ever put bows in poodle ears and then left them in more than a couple of days? Some concept I think. I know I frequently have to cut bows out of ears... I tell those clients that I'll do that for them only twice and then no more bows, bandanda's only.


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## FigaroSturgeon

I have a blond corded toy poodle. He is four and has been corded for three and 1/2 years. Do NOT brush your dog. Do NOT cut his hair. This means you must keep him close until the mats set or you will be picking debris out of his hair by hand: very tedious. If the debris gets really gross you will have to cut that cord off. To separate cords (or mats at first) think of separating cotton or wool. You must rip the mats apart. It does not hurt the dog unless you get mats very near the skin. Be very careful at the ends of your dogs ears. If you can feel your dog's skin with your fingers then the mat is not too close to the skin. My dog has an undercoat of soft hair below the mats. Cording is the original hairdo for the poodle. If you look closely at old paintings of poodles from the renaissance, they all are corded. The afro only got bred in around the early 20th C. If you let the cords grow and grow, you can eventually use the dog's own hair to tie his top knot. You will know where to shave the dog based on where the cords don't form well or get disgustingly dirty. It is not hard to keep clean once the cords are set. But don't let your dog rub himself in stinky sticky goo: then you will have to cut off the contaminated cords. I bathe my dog 2-4 times a month in baby shampoo. He dries naturally after wringing the cords out and soaking a couple of microfiber towels. We sit him in the sun and he's happy as can be. Good luck!


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## FigaroSturgeon

What are the corded groups in Yahoo? My dog's cords formed pretty naturally. I only have to rip them apart after a bath. About 1 - 4 times a month. Never cut his hair as a pup. Just stopped brushing.


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## starkeeper

*FigaroS.*

I would love to see some photos of your corded dog!

It is such a classic poodle look from the past!


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## MsFancyPants

I had been in the process of cording and had got into touch with a woman through one of the other forums and ended up shaving him. I couldnt figure out how to keep the matts away from the skin, and separate them properly. I spent a lot of time sitting there trying different things and in the end most of the hair came off in one sheet with the top looking separated, but not the bottom. 1st attempt=fail. One day I will do it but for now i just want my dogs coat back!!!


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## spoofan

MsFancyPants said:


> I had been in the process of cording and had got into touch with a woman through one of the other forums and ended up shaving him. I couldnt figure out how to keep the matts away from the skin, and separate them properly. I spent a lot of time sitting there trying different things and in the end most of the hair came off in one sheet with the top looking separated, but not the bottom. 1st attempt=fail. One day I will do it but for now i just want my dogs coat back!!!


I have been obsessing about this for the last few days.
If you could post some pictures post-shave,it might help me to get it completely out of my head.


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## txtori

lol:bootyshake: what are you going to do if the dog still looks great?


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## FigaroSturgeon

Your dog has beautiful fluffy hair. Figaro does not have hair that would fluff into an "afro". I had to brush his hair four times a day to keep it from matting. His hair hung in long banana curls almost like a toy afghan hound. How often must you brush it? If it mats quickly and you have to brush more than once a day, your dog is a natural for cording. The longer you can go between brushings, the less it is worth it to cord. To rip cords apart, you start at the hair near the skin that is not matted and rip apart like you are ripping a sheet. If it does not rip at that point, use scissors to cut the mat into the width you want, like cutting felt.


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## FigaroSturgeon

I posted a photo. I'll try again and hope you can see it.


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## FigaroSturgeon

*Corded toy poodle*

Here's Figaro:


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## Sam I Am

Is his topknot not fully corded? The pic is a little hard to see, kind of looks like he is corded in spots and not in others???


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## WonderPup

Awwww look how cute he is!


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## FigaroSturgeon

Sam I Am said:


> Is his topknot not fully corded? The pic is a little hard to see, kind of looks like he is corded in spots and not in others???


His topknot is corded. The cords form about 1/2 inch from his skin, so the bottom of the cords is a bit cottony. Also, as new hair grows, it does not grow out of his skin in cords, so there are short bits that are fluffy and not corded. I suspect that dogs shown in cords get a bit of help with these areas. Also, his top knot in the picture has relaxed. I hadn't just put it in. Over a bit of time, whatever I've used to tie back his hair lets out some and the pony tail flops over allowing some of the new growth to cover his eyes. A neighbor who owns a schnauzer told me his eyebrows grow over his eyes to protect them from the sun. So I allow these shorter hairs to cover and shield Figaro's eyes from the sun. I've had so many poodles lose their eyesight to cataracts. I'm hoping Figaro's will last longer with some shade. (I actually have tried sun goggles as well, but he doesn't tolerate them well.) Figaro's ears are the least corded area on his body. For some reason, this hair doesn't cord as well as others. They are mostly corded, but again some new growth that just doesn't cord.


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## WonderPup

Is he corded all over or is he in a pattern of some sort? It looked kind of like his legs were shaved in the middle but I couldn't tell about the rest of the body because he isn't standing.


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