SHOWS AND COMPETITIONS
Poodle Show Preparation
Part 1 Equipment, Bathing and Drying
Introduction to equipment and products used
Equipment used in Poodle Prep:
long and regular size Plush Puppy combs
Flairosol continuous spray bottle
Plush Puppy OMG Spray (ready to use)
Grooming table
Plush Puppy Regular Slicker Brush
Plush Puppy Soft Slicker Brush
Wahl Bravura Clippers with Blade on shortest setting
Plush Puppy Natural Body Building Shampoo
Plush Puppy Silk Protein Conditioner
Lainee Ltd Wraps and bands
Towels
K-9 Forced air dryer
Speedy stand dryer
Parting comb
Properly prepare your products for best results!
The Bath Prep
The most important thing to remember when bathing your Poodle is to actually follow the directions on your products. So many times people tell me that a product I have used and/or recommended to them didn’t work for them. This can happen, but I find it is usually human error that is the cause. Most dog shampoos are made to be diluted, and when you dilute them past the recommendations they simply don’t work as well.
I use a measuring cup and follow the directions as closely as I am able to when diluting products. When using a conditioner for a maintenance bath, I even use a hand blender to make sure the conditioner is evenly mixed.
Before the bath: Cutting out Poodle top knot bands.
In the bathtub - product selection
The bath - wetting down and cleaning techniques
With your poodle band- and wrap-free and your products mixed, put your Poodle in the tub and quickly and efficiently get them wet from head to toe.
Starting with the head, apply shampoo and continue down the dogs topline to the tail. Be sure to shampoo the feet, underline, and sides of body as well. Work the shampoo into the hair to create lather. Try to avoid using a circular motion when lathering.
If your poodle is heavily soiled or full of hairspray from the show, he or she may require a second shampoo.
Rinse thoroughly, again starting at the head and moving down to the tail.
For a show bath, I will use little or no conditioner. If I do use conditioner, I typically just use it on the head and neck (to help with damage from the spray) and on the ears (to give them a little extra “weight” in the ring, so they drape and flow nicely).
For a maintenance bath, I dilute the conditioner as little as possible but according to directions. At this time, I use the conditioner all over the poodle’s coat. I leave the conditioner on for 5 minutes before rinsing. Rinse thoroughly.
Using Conditioner - to use or not to use?
How to get your dog dry quickly
Summary: The end of the bath
Once you poodle is rinsed, squeeze as much water out as possible with your hands, starting from the head to the feet. Repeat using a towel. Just squeeze the water out – do not rub the hair in any way as this can be damaging!
Now take your poodle outside or somewhere similar and relatively clean to let them have a good shake. This step really helps to remove excess water.
Making sure you squeeze out the water and let your poodle shake will be huge time savers for you when drying!
Before you start the dry
The Dry: Step One
Before putting your poodle on the table, you need to have a minimum of 6 dry towels. You may or may not use a grooming arm depending on how well trained your poodle is. Safety should always come first!
Place 2 dry towels on your grooming table one on top of the other. Place your Poodle on the table and again squeeze out as much water as possible. Place a rubber band in the topknot to keep it out of the face.
I always dry the show side(left side) of my poodle first. I feel that this is the most important side as the judge sees it. If I do it first then I am at my freshest and likely will do a fantastic job! Also should something happen (power failure, interruption etc), then the most important side is done.
Begin force drying your poodle with the force dryer. I usually do not force dry the tail or force dry it lightly as this hair tends to thin quickly when abused.
Force dry the hair starting with the shortest hair first. This is the rosettes or pack on older poodles, and the rear from pin bones to hip bones on puppies. Get the hair here as dry as possible before moving on. Continue doing the shortest hair to the longest hair, in this order; rear legs, front legs, show side, off side, chest. I typically do not force dry much above the spray line. Lift up the ear and get at the neck hair under there. Be careful not to get the air too close to the ear.
You will move around your poodle a couple times to make sure you have the hair force dried as much as possible.
The typical force drying time of a medium coated Standard would be 22 minutes, Miniature 17, and Toy 5.
Force Dry technique
Using the forced air dryer really does many things. It helps to cut down on drying time but as important is also makes your poodle’s hair really stand out right at the root. Almost like the hair is being pulled right at the root, a poodle that has been properly force dried will have hair that stands off from the body better and easier, and has more volume.
When force drying the hair you are going to not use it on the longest hair of your poodle. On long hair, the forced air often causes the hair to spin and tangle in on itself. I rarely force dry above the spray line on my poodle. I never force dry past the withers and I never force dry the ears.
When using the force dryer, keep the dryer nozzle far enough away that he hair is being forced straight out from the root. If the hair is turning backing on itself, the dryer nozzle is either too close or the hair you are drying is too long for a force dryer.
Force dry the hair, starting with the shortest hair first. Rosettes or pack on older poodles, and the rear (from pin bones to hip bones) on puppies. Get the hair here as dry as possible before moving on. Continue doing the shortest hair to the longest hair in this order; rear legs, front legs, show side, off side, chest. I typically do not force dry much above the spray line. You will move around our poodle a couple times to make sure you have the hair force dried as much as possible. Lift up the ear and get at the neck hair under there, but be careful not to get the air too close to the ear.
While standard poodles typically tolerate a strong force dryer, adjust accordingly for Miniatures and Toys.
Force Dry Technique
First Step in the Technique
Force dry the show side while laying down
Lay your poodle down first on their off-show side, so that their show side is facing up. I like to place a towel over their neck and head (make sure they are comfortable and can breathe!) to keep the hair underneath moist while I am drying the rest of the hair and so that this hair does not dry on it’s own. You want to completely dry the hair by brushing so that it is straight (upcoming video).
Now that your poodle is comfortably laying on their side, take the force dryer again to dry the hair you will have missed when force drying standing up. I start with the show side so that, in the case that anything might go wrong (i.e. power outage, your toddler throws a tantrum, etc.) you maximize the chance that the most important side is as perfectly dried as possible. Make sure to get the undersides of the belly (which will still be very wet) and the bracelets, which are near impossible to get at when your poodle is standing but it much easier from this angle.
This should take you about 7 minutes!
Force dry the show side while laying down
Hot Dryer Technique
Hot dryer technique
When using a hot dryer, be sure to dry from the root out to the end of the hair shaft. Move your brush in the direction of the air flow, never against it. When you brush against the flow of the air, you are not going to get the hair as dry or as straight as you would going with the flow of the air, nor will you get at the root. Going against the flow of the air also promotes hair breakage, is uncomfortable for the dog and causes more fatigue for you.
Using the Hot Dryer
Now that you have completed force drying the show side and belly, insides of legs, etc., you are ready to hot dry.
Starting with the tail and a pin brush, dry the tail straight. Once the tail is dry, move on to the belly hair with a slicker. Dry as much hair as you can get to from this vantage point in this order; belly, underline, armpits, bracelets or legs, (both the outside of the top legs and the inside of the bottom legs) the chest, and under the ear. Then move up to the body section, drying up to the spray line with a slicker and switching to a pin brush as you reach the spray line and beyond. Go in small sections, and dry by moving in the direction of the air flow.
Once you have dried all the hair you can see except the longest hair on the withers, topknot and ears, it is time to start side two.
Elapsed time to hot dry a medium coated Standard Poodle is about 30 minutes, 20 for a Miniature and almost 20 for a Toy.
Hot Dryer First Side
Hot Dryer Side 2
Drying side two
(Remember to force dry again!)
Stand your poodle up, remove the wet towels and replace with two more dry towels. Lay your poodle down on the dry side. Force dry the areas that are still wet, as you did for the first side.
Hot dry side two
Dry as much hair as you can get to from this vantage point in this order; belly, underline, armpits, bracelets or legs, (both the outside of the top legs and the inside of the bottom legs) the chest and under the ear. Then move up to the body section, drying up to the spray line with a slicker and switching to a pin brush as you reach the spray line and dry beyond it. Go in small sections and dry moving in the direction of the air flow.
Completing the Dry
To finish drying, you want to make sure that every inch of your poodle is completely dry. If you can feel any dampness or cold on the coat, it is not dry! If there are any areas that have not dried straight, add a mist of spray and try again. There is, however, only so much you can do once the hair is dry – that is why it is important to keep the hair damp (i.e. by using a towel to cover it) until you can dry it straight with the hot dryer and brush.
As you may have noticed, finding the balance between getting as much of the water out as possible (using the force dryer), and keeping the coat damp enough to dry it properly (with the hot dryer) is key.
This will take some practice to perfect, but once you have it mastered, your drying technique and time will be greatly improved!
Summary of the steps taken in the drying process