The Poodle’s Unique Coat

Poodles have a single dense coat of curly hair that is unique; no other breed in the world has a coat quite like it. Humans are fascinated by it; we trim or clip it into dozens of different styles, pluck, shape, cord and even dye it into rainbow colours.

In the dog world, there are fewer finer sights than a beautifully groomed purebred Poodle in full flow – but this comes at a price.

Poodles of all sizes are extremely high maintenance when it comes to caring for that unique coat.

Although the Poodle sheds hardly at all, its hair grows all year round.

And no matter how good your intentions are about learning to scissor and clip your Poodle yourself, the chances are that you will end up sending your dog back to the grooming salon every four to eight weeks due to the sheer skill and time involved.

Home Maintenance – Grooming doesn’t just mean giving your Poodle a quick tickle with a brush once a week!

Regular grooming helps keep your dog clean and skin-related issues at bay. Grooming is also time spent bonding with your dog.

Once they have got used to it, most Poodles LOVE being groomed, just watch how their eyes glaze over when you brush them!

Deborah Knight, of The Bristles Dog Grooming, Oswestry, Shropshire, UK, has bred Standard and Miniature Poodles.

She says: “Poodles are great to groom as they have such a versatile coat that can be clipped, scissored, coloured, etc. Some of the best things about Poodles are their love of being pampered and patience when being groomed.”

Toy Poodle breeder Elaine Thorpe, of Magicjetz Poodles, Lincolnshire, UK, has six Toys; four red, one chocolate and one black. She said: “My dogs have a Lamb cut with a scissor finish at the groomer’s every eight weeks. The Lamb cut is quite easy to maintain and I haven’t had any problems.

“I also make extra time for ear cleaning and plucking as well as trimming around the eyes, anal areas and the hair at the top and bottom of the feet.

“Adults have their nails clipped, anal glands checked and ears plucked at the groomer’s, but might need their ears plucking at home as well.

“In between, I spend around 15 minutes grooming each dog at home without a bath, ideally every other day.

“You can bath your Poodle every three weeks if required, which helps if they get knots in their coat. Puppies need brushing every day; it also gets them used to being groomed.”