haylesbury on poodle grooming! (Poodle)

Name: haylesbury

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Product:	Poodle
Date:	31.10.06 (2213 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: They are lovely animals and great to work with

Disadvantages: It takes a long time to style a poodle!

Grooming requirements in the Standard poodle

When grooming dogs the resources and equipment used varies due to their coat types. This occurs with all different breeds of dogs, and the dogs I have worked with so far are only scratching the surface on the different coat types and how they vary when grooming an animal and the things which should be expected.

The first thing I am going to do is to quickly explain the use for the equipment which all coat types of dogs will need when grooming before looking at the variations there are.

The Bath is needed to wash a dog and all dogs need washing, though some dogs need washing less often than others. This should be done in a large bath and the idea is not to bath the dog at all, it is just to shower the dog.

For a large dog you are likely to use a walk in bath as they are big enough to walk into it, whereas with a smaller dog a standard bath may be used as they can’t easily jump into the walk in bath.

Bathing a dog can be quite stressful for the dog, so it is important to make the experience as easy as possible for the dog. This can be done by making sure the water pressure is not too high, a gentle but steady flow is ideal to use on a dog, as they can not tell us when we have the pressure too high.

The ideal temperature is also important when bathing a dog. The water should be luke warm on the dog. If the water is too hot or too cold on the dog this can cause problems with circulation and burns. The dog may even go into shock so this is very important to look at.

A towel is used to hand dry the dog after bathing. It is important to save time that the dog is vigorously dried and the majority of moisture which is in the coat of the dog is brought out by the towel, so that less time needs to be taken with the blaster.

The towel is used on all breeds of dog although the smaller breeds may use fewer towels than the larger breeds for obvious reasons.

A blaster is used on large breeds of dog to dry the dog. The blaster is used at a distance of at least 50cms from the body to protect the dog from overheating. The blaster should always be used by a person who is wearing a pair of protective glasses to protect their eyes as the moisture will fly of the coat and be most uncomfortable if it goes into someone’s eyes.

People should ensure that their hands are completely dry before using the blaster to protect against electrical problems or shocks. Also the blaster should be kept away from the baths etc.

A dryer is used on smaller breeds of dog to dry them. This is because it is less powerful and a strong powerful rush from the blaster can be a lot scarier to a small dog! It is also used on dogs with skin conditions or which are very sensitive or easily scared although it takes longer to dry the dog using this, so additional towel drying may be needed.

A comb is used on many breeds of dogs to assist with hairs naturally coming out with moulting, but not on the poodle because the poodles coat type is very different to most breeds as it does not moult, so the comb can be a little too harsh as it will pull the hair out and may be harmful, where it is used for the other two as it pulls the lose hairs out gently and the dead hairs.

Scissors would normally be used on all dogs. On the poodle scissors were used to shape the tail, legs, head and ears. I have also used the scissors on the feet although usually the feet would be clipped, but my own pet poodle does not like clippers on her feet due to a bad experience at a professional groomers around 5 years ago.

The Clippers are used on the poodle. The clippers are used on the poodle all over the body, on the face, on the base of the tail and on the feet usually. This is because the style of the breed standard for the poodle requires short fur in certain areas compared to others and a gradient is produced across the poodle with different lengths in different areas.

The reasons behind this style is originated from when the poodle was a working water dog, and the cut was put on the poodle to allow the water to run freely from the fur to prevent pneumonia in the dog as many of these water dogs were suffering from this after working in the water.

The Bristle brush is used on many dog breeds but it is not used on the poodle as it would be too harsh on the wool coat and may result in pulling some of the fur out of the poodle which could be quite painful for the dog.

The soft metal slicker brush is used on the poodle, because it is quite a soft brush and will untangle the poodle’s fur without pulling it out.

The Handling and restraint Methods used

I handle a standard poodle usually with the assistance of another person to lift the dog up onto a grooming table, although with my own poodle Sophie, I have the confidence and trust to lift her alone. Always lift a large dog such as the standard poodle with your back straight and bend at the knees. It is important to use a slip lead on the dog during grooming for additional restraint.

I believe that all animals can find it stressful being groomed, even if they are groomed daily and are well adjusted to it. The key to reducing stress is to be firm without risking any harm to the dog and to talk to the dog throughout. Well, that’s my opinion! I always talk to dogs when I am grooming them, it also allows you to get everything of your chest!

When clipping the poodle it is important to pull the skin taught before clipping an area. This does not need to be done with force and never pull the skin outwards from the body to do this. Simply placing a flat hand on the poodles body and gently pulling the skin away from the area about to be clipped is the best method in my experience.

When bathing the poodle keep talking to and being confident with the poodle. I have always found that they hate to get into the bath, but calm down once the water is on them and they become accustomed to the situation. In the case of my own poodle Sophie, she will also start shaking water all over the place at numerous intervals during the experience!

It is really important that, despite the fact that you may well end up covered in water and shampoo and numerous other things, you do not shout or shriek at the dog when this happens! Sounds silly, but you would be surprised at how many people do! It is natural for the dog to do this, which means that the dog is relaxed enough to express natural behaviour, you suddenly shout or let out a scream and you could be back at square one.

Above anything else, wear old clothes to bath and groom your dog and certainly don’t do it in a rush as this will leave both you and the dog stressed! Take it slow, be calm and gentle, and don’t put yourself in a situation where you will get mad at the dog for making a mess or getting you messy, the dog is behaving normally and shouting will only make the dog want to be groomed less next time!

Additional Treatment Needed

My poodle has no additional treatment except for shampoo. Sophie is not a show poodle, so she was not given a special certified form of shampoo treatment but was given standard black coat shampoo which is ideal for a house pet poodle. The black shampoo does help the dog to maintain the breed standard as it enriches the coat to maintain its colour and condition.

The further additional treatment which can be given is conditioner for show dogs as poodles are not prone to dry skin, but do not have a naturally well conditioned coat. Also a lot of poodles suffer from ear problems, so regular treatment should be given and often the hair should be pulled out of the dog’s ears to prevent further problems.

All dogs should also have their nails cut and their teeth brushed regularly. Darker nailed dogs can have their nails shortened with a nail file if this is easier for the owner. Also all dogs can be given treats which are formulated to protect against bad breath and plaque on the teeth as well as medication such as worming.

Summary: Poodles are amazing pets, but its often easier to take them to a groomer