Poodle coat maintenance tips for newbie owner?

[pureblood84]

A month ago today we brought home our new miniature poodle. He’s such a joy, and I want to make sure I’m taking care of his coat properly.

His breeder groomed him multiple times before coming home at 9.5 weeks, including shaving his face/feet/sanitary, bathing, high velocity drying, and regular brushing. She puts so much effort into making sure her puppies are ready for grooming, and I want to make sure we continue that.

I have his first professional groom since coming home booked already for the 21st, and he’ll be starting a regular grooming schedule with her. In the meantime while we wait for that I’ve been brushing him at least every other day if not daily, and he’s had a few baths because apparently he’s decided “eau de urine” is this season’s hot new scent and enjoys rolling in it, which is not a fun smell. I use a Chris Christensen ice slip brush, coral slicker brush, and ice on ice spray, then finish off with an artero comb. I guess I’m worried that I’m missing mats, because I’ve only ever come across one tangle and I hear so many stories of people not getting the deeper mats, but I feel like my comb is getting all the way to the skin? Is this just because he still has his puppy coat and it will get more difficult later?

Pic of the little stinker himself:

https://imgur.com/a/GAFRtwG

 

[livelifeliving33]

@pureblood84 Puppy hair is very forgiving and doesn't have the full density that an adult coat will, so it is much easier to take care of and manage. As your puppy grows, and especially when his puppy coat begins to turn to adult, it will be harder to keep the tangles brushed out.

It sounds like you're doing an awesome job, though. Continue with that routine to make sure it stays easy for both of you.

 

[pureblood84]

@livelifeliving33 Ok that’s good to know. I’m just anxious he’s going to end up one of those puppies who shows up for his first groom somehow terribly matted.

Easy might be a bit of a stretch, he gives me a run for my money because he does not enjoy brushing yet, but at least it hasn’t been a lot of detangling. I’m hoping he behaves better for the groomer, like how he’s an angel when the vet trims his nails.

 

[chaz1268]

@pureblood84 Oh my gosh when poodle puppies get “adult” grooms it almost makes me want to cry because it’s so darn cute.

Look up line brushing tutorials on YouTube. They will ensure you don’t miss any mats.

Also, if you take a regular hair dryer, you can use it to gently separate the hair so that you can visually see any matting. That’s what I do at work!

 

[pureblood84]

@chaz1268 He looked so sweet. I swore I didn’t want a clean face, but he’s won me over to it. Still not going to do the clean feet though, I don’t know why but I just don’t like the look.

Other than that, simple is going to be the game plan for his grooms. One even length, fairly short, nothing fancy, goal is easier maintenance and comfort for him if one of our kids has a medical emergency (a semi-regular event for our kids) and I fall behind on brushing a bit.

 

[jeager016]

@pureblood84 Grass seed season may change your mind. I'm going to ask my groomer for clean feet on my poodle mix because he loves long grass and those burrs STICK. He'll look funky and I'm fully here for it.

 

[pureblood84]

@jeager016 Oh I’m more familiar with burrs than I’d like to be. As a kid we had a dog who was a Great Pyrenees/golden retriever/god knows what else mix and he used to get into them all the time. I haaaaate them. I’d spend hours picking them out because my parents didn’t believe dogs need grooming.

This little guy though is going to be kept pretty short to begin with so I’m hoping it won’t be too bad. If I can pick burrs out of an 80lb dog with a long Pyrenees type coat I’m hoping I can handle a one-ish inch coat on a 20lb or less mini poodle

 

[jeager016]

@pureblood84 Ah you definitely sound like an expert! I'm on my first dog, and he got about 100 the other day and I get so grosses out by their egg like nature!

 

[chaz1268]

@pureblood84 A clean face is definitely an extreme look that’s not for everyone. I bet he’ll look super cute with a nice short teddy bear cut as well.

 

[pureblood84]

@chaz1268 I do like how the clean face lets you see his eyes better. He has such soulful eyes.

https://imgur.com/a/bUGaJoo

 

[chaz1268]

@pureblood84 Look at his little clean feeeeet .

Those eyes are why I can’t own a puppy. My dog would grow up to be a turd because I’m incapable of disciplining a creature with a face like that.

 

[pureblood84]

@chaz1268 I am also a sucker for the eyes and have to remind myself about the many scratches and bite marks on my body as a reminder of why I need to say no even when I want to give him all the things.

 

[jirahssic]

@pureblood84 Sounds like you're doing good so far, love all the brushing. My only additional recommendations as a professional is to not over bathe him, once every 6 weeks or so won't dry his coat out and using a good conditioner is gonna help prevent matting.

 

[pureblood84]

@jirahssic It’s not my intention to regularly bathe him at home unless I decide to move to home grooming. The times I have are because he was so covered in urine from rolling in puddles of it (we’re still house training) that the smell was just intolerable. When I have had to bathe him I’ve made sure to use conditioner to try to keep his coat from drying as much as possible.

 

[cornopean]

@pureblood84 I agree with the comments about line brushing since it seems you have the brush and comb needed to maintain his coat for now. Adult poodle hair can be difficult at longer lengths, so a good routine now will pay off in the future! Definitely make the grooming experience fun for him with positive reinforcement so he's more likely to be calm while being brushed.

As an aside since this could help with grooming appointments, grab an item like an electric toothbrush (something with a motor that has a little bit of vibration) and get in the habit of just slowly moving it around his body. I saw you said you're probably not going to keep the clean feet, but between the clean face and possible short body cuts, it can help him get desensitized to the clippers and make it less upsetting for him. The calmer he is, the more options you have for his grooming!

 

[pureblood84]

@cornopean Brushing time always comes with lots of high value treats in our house. We do training with a positive reinforcement/fear free trainer so we’ve gotten pretty used to the exposure/reward routine.

Yeah he’s definitely going to need to be used to clippers. We’re planning on such a basic clip that I assume most of it will be done with clippers even if we don’t do clean face. My spouse has a pair of hair clippers for his hair that’s similar in sound to pet clippers, so I’ve use that around the little guy here a few times (obviously not clipping him, I know they’re not appropriate for that) and held the handle up against him a few times for the vibrations. Hopefully that helps too

 

[pureblood84]

Thank you for reassuring me all, he did great at his appointment today! She said he fell asleep while she was shaving his face

https://imgur.com/a/kpHk2l4

 

[stayler]

@pureblood84 7f field cut- every 2-3 months.