Poodle owners - grooming routine & tips

[Doodledangle]

I've had my poodle nearly a year now & felt like I was finally on top of grooming after a bit of a rocky start 2 very shameful full shave grooms later but now we're back into mud season & bathing far more often, & I can feel it slipping again so interest to hear how you all manage to keep your poodles fluffy & matt free without spending hours everyday & causing dog distress. We use a standard pin brush most days as DDog is happy with this then the slicker brush for a full fluff up a couple of times a week but is quite labour intensive & takes 2 of us as he's really not keen and it seems to hurt his skin especially around his groin & legs. We prefer the look of a longer cut but know this takes more at home care so might have to rethink over the winter that if we can't get on top of it & buy a few jumpers for him!

Do yours just go to the groomer every 5-6 weeks or do you book an in-between mini groom? What brushes & combs do you use day-today? Is de-tangle spray worth it? I've avoided as I thought it might irritate his sensitive skin but it could be useful especially after a bath when he feels quite knotty. Any tips on doing the face & ears also appreciated as I never seem to get this quite right.

Hi, not a Poodle owner but I have a long hair breed...
Mine does go to the groomer every 6-10 weeks mainly to get them a proper bath.

For grooming In-between I have a pet grooming table for one, the other one is happy to lie flat on the floor... she usually falls asleep whilst I brush her.
I also use a slicker brush, but I also have a metal comb & under coat rake to ensure all tangles are out. Bigger matts get dealt with the scissors- as brushing them out can be uncomfortable- it doesn't leave noticeable holes in the coat.

I usually work in a good quality grooming spray or use human hair oil if I haven't brushed in a few days. This helps with brushing tangles out.
I have to brush mine every 3-4 days to keep on top of it. I do once a week a proper brush, checking them over (things like ears, pads around eyes & mouth and trimm accordingly).

If your dog has a fire coat, I highly recommend the use of thinning out scissors, preferably after they have been to the groomer (most won't do this...but worth asking!). This will reduce the thickness of the coat, making it easier to brush.

I had a miniature poodle for 18 years. After his puppy cut I went for what is now called a Miami or Bikini cut. The body is kept short, it's easy to look after, the dog can just have a lovely life without being pulled around or hurt unnecessarily. He was clipped every 6 weeks, which he loved as he went back to the lady who bred him. And yes, we had a full range of funky knitted coats for winter, which I knitted myself.

I'm not hugely keen on the really short cuts especially as mine is such a skinny minny but could ask for his underbelly & legs to be shorter as this is where we seem to struggle with matts and might be easier to clean!

@Ylvamoon it's not the thickness of the poodle coat but the tight curls that you need to keep on top of (very regularly!) I definitely need to invest in a comb and will try out a detangling/grooming spray too. Setting aside one day a week for a full go over is probably sensible so at least it never gets bad and any little matts I've missed can get sorted then rather than leaving until his groom when it's too late and needs cutting out.

Dog groomer and poodle owner here, my advice if you like the longer styles would be 6 weekly full grooms and a bath and tidy up in between at the 3 week mark.
So week 1 full groom, 3 weeks later bath and tidy of feet, face, tail and hygiene areas, 3 weeks after that back for a full groom. Rinse and repeat.
It should mean that the knots never get bad enough to require a shave down, even if you're not able to keep up with the maintenance all the time.

For at home what you are doing sounds good though investing in a good quality poodle comb with long teeth will really help to get down to the base of the coat.
Brushing an "unwashed" (not freshly bathed) coat can cause breakage meaning the hair is more likely to tangle again. Using a good quality detangler or brushing spray can help to protect against damage (Chris Christensen's range is particularly nice) though use them sparingly to avoid product build up which can make the coat greasy.

Also make sure that when drying legs etc.. After wet walks you're only running the towel in one direction/ squeezing the water out. Rubbing will knot the hair up faster.

And if all else fails and you're really struggling with upkeep but still want some length, put all your focus onto head, ears, tail and legs and worry less about the main body. It takes a bit off your plate and means your groomer can take the body short to remove knots and keep everything else longer, so you end up with a lovely lamb trim, which incidentally is my preference (though I would also shave the ears, it looks so smart)

I don't know if it would work on poodle fluff, but my kept long Shih Tzu hates the slicker brush and won't let me use it on him, but he enjoys being brushed with a normal Denman brush, keeps him tangle free and run over him with a metal comb to double check.