Poodle Show Preparation

The Comb Out

In my opinion, the most important part of your preparing your Poodle is actually the comb-out; and more specifically, combing out your Poodle the same way every time. If you comb out your dog the same way every time, the trim lasts longer and looks better. Even if someone else combs them out the same way you do, but it is not actually you yourself, the final product is going to turn out a little bit differently.

The technique we will use is line combing – named such because we will be organizing the combing in a line-by-line fashion. We will never brush or comb dry hair; instead, you should use a spray like Chris Christensen ‘Bottoms Up’ to get a little light mist over everything. Then, take your CCS ‘Big G’ slicker, and start as far down your Poodle’s underside as you can (with them laying on the table on their side). You are actually going to make a horizontal line across your Poodle’s side with the slicker brush (or using the tail of your parting comb). Once brushed over with the slicker, the most important part is to comb the layer through. Start by going over the line with the wide-toothed end of the comb, and then move on to using the fine-toothed comb. Then, brush down a new line or layer of hair over top the layer already done (working up the Poodle’s side, still making a horizontal line). I typically make each new layer by taking a finger’s length of hair. Remember to keep misting as you start new layers (you can do every second line, or every line, depending on much hair your Poodle has and their coat texture). Again, go over the line first with the wide end, followed by the fine end of the comb. You really need to comb through the hair, even when short, to make sure you get every lump out of the hair.

This technique is used everywhere – the chest, neck, rosettes, and bracelets. Even if you do not have time to scissor at the show but you have combed (and later scissored) them at home, your Poodle will still hold a shape and generally look the way you want them to look, if this is done properly!

You really cannot comb your Poodle too much! This technique, when done properly, should not damage or take out too much of their coat.

Once you get all of the hair combed out properly, now you can take your longer toothed comb and comb up the hair. You should already be able to see how plush and nice the hair looks, compared to the portions that have not been combed, just from using this technique!

Nails

How to grind the toenails

One of the things that makes me cringe when I see people grinding their dog’s toenails is when neither dog nor human’s hair is out of the way. Safety first! Make sure all hair is tied back (your own hair as well as your poodle’s), and that there is no baggy clothing or jewelry hanging in the way.

Remember that the dremel is a very fast, spinning tool – getting anything caught in it is problematic! If your dog needs to be tied on a grooming arm for safety, please do so (the model dog here is a well trained show dog who is used to having this done – this set up should not be your default!)

I like to have my body between the dremel and my dog so that she cannot come forward to lick or bite the dremel – that would hurt.

Keep in mind you want to end up with a nice, smooth and round shape at the end. Do not go straight on to the front of the nail, move the dremel around to cover all sides, especially the top.

To begin, separate the toe you will be working on from the rest of the foot. Hold any hair away from the foot as much as possible. Use your fingers to elongate the toe so that the nail is as far from the foot as possible.

Each toe should take about 20 seconds, and then you can move on to the next.

You do not go right to the quick (the nails should not bleed) but this will push the quick back. When stood up, your eye should be drawn to the middle of the toe, rather than the end of the toe, which helps achieve the overall look of poodley feet!

Shaving the belly - it is so important!

Front Leg Clipping

This technique will help you to stop your trim from migrating up and down. It is similar to outlining a drawing and then filling it in. On the front legs, you want to use the clippers like a ‘pointer’. From the bottom of the jacket, go in to the leg in at a straight line, making the first ‘outline’ clipping away from the coat. Next, repeat this coming up from the top of the bracelet. Do this all the way around the leg, and then ‘fill in’ between the lines (clipper this hair off in small strokes).

Clipping the Face

Feet and Legs

Feet

A common mistake is when people only clipper to the top of the toes - you need to clipper the whole foot! However, do not go too far up! Start at the back of the foot at the stop pad - clipper a finger’s width above it. Use this line all the way around the foot (this is the foot). Use the corner of the clipper blade (or about 25% of the blade) and clip in short bursts/strokes. Next, switch to the mini clipper. Push the toenail out with your finger to get all the little hairs out. Gently pull the foot to get into all the nooks and crannies, by clipping against the grain.

Legs

When clippering any part of the poodle, we want to make sure we do so in small strokes, and against the grain. This is especially important in larger areas like the rear legs on the continental trim, because most people have the tendency here to use large strokes. The problem with this arises when you or your poodle move suddenly (i.e. something startles either of you, someone rings the doorbell, etc). If this happens when you are clippering towards the rosettes or jacket, you will likely make a HUGE hole. If you are going along with smaller strokes, you are less likely to end up with a big hole. If you use this technique consistently, you will build the muscle memory and it will become second nature.

When clippering, our goal is for the leg hair to be short and even for the dog show. You may need to plan out which day to do the clipper work for it to look best at the dog show (i.e. a few days before). Planning is especially important on the face!

The adjustable blade on the Wahl Bravura Clipper is a great tool for this. Do not let the blade get too hot (the Bravura typically stays cool longer than other clippers). When it starts to warm up, simply place your clippers on the floor (a cool and safe place for them to sit). Use different blades for different lengths! You should also use one blade for show clipping, one show for maintenance baths, and make sure you have one blade for clean hair ONLY.

Clipping Conclusion

One of my pet peeves is seeing poodles who are matted around their clipper lines. This can easily be prevented but it is often overlooked.
Once you have clippered your poodle all over, take your softest slicker brush and slicker through the coat that meets every clipper line. Keep in mind that they may be sensitive from being freshly clippered.
When you do this, you are simply picking up all the small hairs that were clippered off and fell into the coat. It is a very easy step that will save you a lot of time down the road, and save your poodle’s precious coat!
Do this on ALL OF THE CLIPPER LINES!