Pardon me, poodle lovers…did you know that trimming your furry friend’s coat isn’t as hard as it looks? Since we’re used to seeing poodles on the big screen prance around in fancy, time-intensive hairstyles, some people may think that it takes oodles of time and a highly paid pet groomer to keep a poodle in style. The truth, however, is that most poodle owners don’t keep their pups in ‘show’ clips, and, in fact, it’s pretty simple to achieve a great look on your own at home. Here are a few basic poodle hairstyles that almost any poodle lover can master – we promise!
To start you off on the right paw, one of the most easily maintained clips for your poodle is the popular puppy cut, where your dog’s face, throat, paws, and base of the tail are shaved, but the rest of their coat is just trimmed evenly, maintaining the same length everywhere to keep the hair looking neat. Most poodle lovers prefer to keep a bit of a pompom on the tail as well, just for that extra ‘cute’ factor!
Like other clips, you’ll want to start off with your pup freshly combed, bathed, and fully dried so that the hair is easier to work with. You’ll also want a few different clipper blade sizes on hand (most groomers prefer a #10 or #15 for the face, some grooming scissors, and a slicker brush to fluff the coat while you trim so that you don’t miss any wayward hairs. Attach your #10 blade, and carefully trim your pup’s face (starting just above their eyes), muzzle and throat, as well as their paws and around the base of the tail. The goal is to have a very short layer of hair on their face left – not bare skin! After that, grab your scissors and slicker brush; as you fluff up their coat, trim any stray hairs around your poodle’s body, legs, head and ears to an even length.
Another quick and easy variation that many owners find simply irresistible is the teddy bear clip, which involves leaving the hair on your poodle’s face and head longer to give them a soft and cuddly plush appearance. Depending on how short you want their coat, attach a blade comb to your clipper – that helps keep the blade an even distance from your dog’s skin, making an even grooming job much more achievable. Clip your poodle’s entire body, including their legs, tail, and sanitary area. Use the scissors only (instead of a clipper) to shape the hair on your poodle’s face into a rounded silhouette, trimming hair away from their eyes and cutting their ear hair to follow the shape of the clip on their face. Finally, you can use your scissors to get rid of any longer hairs the clipper missed.
You’re done! That’s all there is to a basic groom job for your furry friend. While it might seem intimidating to for some beginner poodle stylists among our readers, with a bit of trial and error and some practice to perfect your skills, you’ll soon be home grooming pros, keeping your poodles looking great and feeling even better!
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