[nagdu] poodle ponderings

[Tami Jarvis]

Meghan,

I brush Mitzi every few days, depending on her coat length. Supposedly, 
she should be brushed for an hour a day, but... I found that this 
actually increased tangling because of broken hairs. Still, it is 
important to remove dead hair from the coat and to keep ahead of tangles 
as much as possible, especially tiny tangles by the skin.

I've experimented with various grooming tools, and I keep coming back to 
an old paddle brush of mine from when I had long hair. The nylon 
bristles seem to break the hair less and to work good oils through the 
hair better. I also use human combs with nylon teeth, preferring larger, 
more spaced teeth to get through the curls.

I gave up on expensive, fancy grooming sprays and the like and have 
taken to using aloe vera gel for cleansing and conditioning, alternating 
with olive oil. I don't do either on a regular basis, just when she 
seems to need it. A lot depends on how long her coat is at the time.

Given my druthers (and a healthier budget) I would have her groomed 
every 6 weeks, except for very warm weather when I would prefer every 4 
weeks. So the groomer does a lot of pulling the ear hairs then. In 
between, I pull what I find under my fingers. It's important not to push 
hair down into the ears, so it took me awhile to get the hang of it and 
be comfortable doing it.

When Mitzi's hair is short, I do hardly any brushing and can just wipe 
her clean with a washcloth for a couple of weeks after grooming. Then I 
have to get over being so lazy and start brushing with a bristle brush 
until it's time to go to the paddle brush and comb.

Oh, I also either wash her face around the eyes for the gunk around the 
tear ducts or just gently work it off with my fingers. And when the 
muzzle hair gets long, then it's important to wash that and keep gunk 
brushed out. The non-shedding is made up for by a tendency to gather up 
the great outdoors and bring it in on her coat, too. /lol/

Don't know if that helps. Seems to me that she is low maintenance for a 
couple of weeks every couple of months or so. Then she gets to be really 
high maintenance. Then she's expensive, then we start over. /lol/

Tami

On 03/25/2013 02:43 PM, Meghan Whalen wrote:
> What can folks tell me regarding poodle maintenance? How often to you
> brush your poodle, and what grooming tools do you use? Do you need to
> pluck ear hairs? How about anyone who has worked poodles and other
> breeds? Compare and contrast? Sorry to be vague. I just need to know
> more about them. I've done a lot of research, but I would appreciate
> some first hand perspective.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Meghan
>
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