Poodle Grooming – Ultimate Guide: Head to Tail, Style, Tools & More

Witnessing the oh-so-cute stare and wavy fur, just like a teddy bear’s, you could not resist but adopt the Poodle pup. Still, you cannot help but wonder how to groom a poodle? Will it be costly, or can you groom the sugar plum yourself?

Poodle pups have dense, wavy fur that turns curly when they hit adulthood. Plus, these pooches do not shed, so their hair will grow indefinitely until you trim it. However, this gives you a big responsibility of maintenance as their coat develops mats if not groomed well.

That being said, the good news is you can groom poodles at home all by yourself! Isn’t that awesome? Nonetheless, you got to have a few special tools and trim the baby’s fur cautiously.

So, get all geared-up to learn the best ways of grooming a Poodle from head to toe!

What Age Do You Start Grooming A Poodle?

According to a board member of the PCA (Poodle Club of America), you can start trimming your Poodle’s face at about 4-6 weeks. Though it is not an obligation, grooming early will help your pooch get accustomed to this activity. Plus, it is essential for their hygiene.

As far as other grooming practices are concerned, you can start trimming the pup’s nails as early as 3 days of age. Doing this will keep the Poodle from scratching itself or the mom.

Once your furball reaches the age of 16 weeks, you can take the pup to a professional groomer. Alternatively, you can start all-round grooming of the Poodle all by yourself at this age.

How To Start Grooming Poodle Puppy?

Spikey tools like shears or loud hair dryers can terrify the Poodle puppy. Therefore, you need to take it slow when starting to groom the little one. Plus, you got to ensure that your furball enjoys this activity instead of dreading it.

Begin by lightly brushing the pup at the age of 3-4 weeks. You can then go on to clip your pooch’s face the next week and get to other body parts gradually. This way, you can introduce the doggo to the world of grooming and equipment in a relaxed style.

Do not forget to give your Poodle treats on being a well-mannered pooch!

How Often To Groom A Poodle?

Poodles are one of the faster-growing breeds, which is why you must give them all-round grooming once every 6 weeks.

To keep the soft and wavy fur matt-free, you got to brush and comb the Poodle daily. This will ensure that your furball is always free of dander and debris. However, if you cannot spare time every day, you must give the baby a full brush every alternate day.

Apart from that, you got to wipe the doggo’s face clean every day (or twice a day). Well, that’s all about the daily grooming. You can stay more relaxed about the other grooming activities. Here is a brief about how often to groom a poodle.

• Bathing: every 3 weeks
• Brushing and combing: daily or every alternate day
• Face (mouth and eyes): every day
• Ears: cleaning once a week and plucking once a month
• Nails: once a month
• Teeth: twice a week
• All-round grooming: every 6 weeks

How To Groom A Poodle Step by Step?

According to the American Kennel Club, Poodle is the 6^th most popular breed. Well, with the charming and witty personality and the too-cute-to-ignore expressions, why won’t it be!

While having one of the most popular breeds as your best bud is terrific, it also requires a lot of maintenance. Get ready to walk through the grooming directions for each body part of your Poodle.

Note that you can refer to these grooming instructions for all three types of Poodle breeds—Miniature, Toy, and Standard.

Tip: Make sure to brush, bathe, and blow-dry your Poodle before trimming.

Grooming Head

Hold your furball’s muzzle firm enough to prevent motion but not too tight as that would make the Poodle uncomfortable.

Most Poodle cuts require you to leave a puffy topknot on the doggo’s head. Therefore, comb the furball’s hair downwards and clip it from the eyes to the ears in a straight line. Now comb the hair backward and repeat the same steps until you get a square shape.

To get a rounded topknot, use a pair of curved scissors and evenly cut the fur on the Poodle’s head. Trim off the overhanging hair, and you will have perfectly groomed your furball’s head.

Face Grooming

Take a 10 blade and start by cutting the hair running from the nose towards the eyes. This way, you can clip the entire upper muzzle of the pooch. Subsequently, trim lightly from the corner of the eyes to the ear. You will now have a line made on your Poodle’s face.

Begin clipping from your doggo’s Adam’s apple up to the right ear fold, and repeat for the other side. Now you can cut all the hair around the neck and the lower muzzle section in the same length.

Clip the hair above the eyes, forming a curved line to make the cute buttons prominent. Lastly, leave the fur between the eyes in a U-shape.

Tip: You must wipe around your Poodle’s mouth after every meal or at least once a day to keep the fur perfectly clean.

Grooming Ears

You can choose to trim your furry friend’s ears around the edges or shave them completely to match the face.

Hold the Poodle’s ear such that you know where it ends so you can cut short the extra hair. You can first comb your doggo’s beautiful long ears and start trimming at the bottom. Cut it in a curved shape and lightly trim the hair all over the pooch’s ears.

These lovely ears have a major downside as they are anaerobic, easily becoming breeding grounds for yeast, bacteria, and germs. Therefore, you need to pluck the hair growing inside your pup’s ears. Next, use a dog ear solution to melt the wax and wipe the outer ear lobe with cotton balls.

Eye

If the hair around your Poodle’s eyes gets too long, it will make the munchkin uncomfortable. Therefore, make sure to keep a check and trim into a curved line above the eyes.

Apart from that, the area around your doggo’s eye glands is likely to get stained due to tears. Resultantly, it can convert into a breeding ground of dirt and germs, causing infections. You can use soft wipes to clean the area around your Poodle’s eyes at least once a day to keep it dirt-free.

Teeth

Believe it or not, ensuring your doggo’s oral hygiene is as important as maintaining the coat. Your Poodle’s teeth may often have food residue stuck to the teeth, which settles to form plaque. This often makes way for severe mouth infections.

To maintain your puppy’s dental health, you need a quality toothbrush and paste. Brush the furball’s teeth at least twice a week to prevent any such issues.

Nails Clipping

Pooches have dual shells—an outer and a delicate inner one. Therefore, you need to be careful not to cut the inner fleshy part or the quick. Accidentally trimming it will cause extreme pain and may also lead to bleeding. Clip the nails slowly to prevent any mishaps.

Body & Legs Grooming

Though the exact body grooming style depends on the one you choose, the standard body trimming is pretty simple. Use a 5 or 7 blade and start clipping your canine from the back of the skull up to the tiny bum.

Moving to the sides, groom your Poodle’s ribs from the backline towards the torso. You need to be cautious while clipping the insides, especially around the nipples. With the same blade, trim-off the doggo’s legs one by one, keeping the hair length the same as the body.

Tip: Use blade 10 for clipping the chest and the belly.

Paw Grooming

Grooming the pooch’s paws requires extra care. Start by clipping from the ankle to the biggest footpad, followed by the area between each pad. You can leave the overall shape of those cute little paws well-rounded.

Tip: Keep the Poodle’s feet perfectly shaved while ensuring the ankles are covered with enough fur.

Bathing

With the long fur and an active lifestyle, bathing your Poodle is essential for its overall well-being. Regular bathing (every 3 weeks) cleans up the accumulated body oil, dirt, and debris from your doggo’s coat.

• Brush your Poodle thoroughly, removing all the knots and mats.
• Gently place your pooch in the bathtub and wash with warm water, keeping the ears and eyes closed.
• Apply a quality, moisturizing shampoo from the hair roots to the tips.
• Rinse with warm water from head to tail, avoiding it from entering your furball’s eyes and ears.
• Wrap your munchkin in a large towel, followed by blowing with a hairdryer.

Tip: Do not shampoo or rinse in a circular direction as it will leave your pooch’s hair full of knots.

Poodle Before Grooming

Poodle After Grooming

Poodle Grooming Styles You Will Love!

The soft wavy fur of a Poodle makes the furball so adorable you don’t want to stop petting your furball. Still, you can make it even more irresistible with some attractive Poodle grooming styles!

1. Standard Poodle Grooming Cuts

With their long hair, you can give your Poodle virtually any cut. Plus, this breed is famous for its unique styles, making the standard pooch nothing less than a show dog. Find out about some exotic standard Poodle grooming styles here.

• Lion Cut
• Bikini Cut
• Modern Cut
• Teddy Bear Cut
• The Kennel Cut
• Pom Pom Trim

2. Maltese Poodle Grooming Styles

Do you have a Maltipoo? A blend of two of the most adorable breeds doubles the cuteness. Well, you can take this further ahead by giving them easy-to-maintain yet exclusive hairstyles. Here are some of the best Maltese Poodle grooming styles.

• Flowy ears and legs
• Straight brushed ears
• Shih Tzu haircut
• Soft curls
• Textured ruffles

3. Mini Poodle Grooming Styles

Miniature Poodles are the more delightful versions of a standard Poodle, like your living, personal teddy bear. Couple them with a gorgeous hairstyle, and you have got yourself the most beautiful playmate. Try these adorable Mini Poodle grooming styles on your furball.

• Puppy cut
• Town and Country Cut
• Teddy Bear Cut
• Dutch Cut

4. Toy Poodle Grooming Styles

The Toy Poodle is named the way it is for a reason. These are tiny pooches, and styling them with different cuts will only increase their cuteness. Though you can choose any of the standard Poodle cuts for these smaller counterparts, the shorter styles are more appropriate.

• Topknot
• Teddy Bear Cut
• Lamb Cut
• Continental Cut

5. Pink Poodle Grooming Style

Do you want to try out something unique and vibrant? Why not dye your Poodle baby! Using a pet color shampoo to dye your furball’s hair into pink is an unusual yet fantastic option.

You can top it with one of the attractive Poodle styles like Continent Cut or Royal Tail. Rest assured, your Pink Poodle will be the talk of the town!

6. Teacup Poodle Grooming Styles

The tiniest member of the Poodle family, Teacup Poodle, does not really need haircuts to stand out. Their charm automatically makes the little pooches the center of attraction. Still, you can try these Teacup Poodle grooming styles to amplify their looks.

• Teddy Bear Cut
• English Saddle Poodle Cut
• Continental Cut
• Puppy Cut
• Pom Pom Cut

7. Teddy Bear Cut and Poodle Topknot

Two of the most popular yet classic Poodle grooming styles are the Teddy Bear Cut and Poodle Topknot. Though these styles will not make your furball stand out in the crowd, they are the easiest to maintain. Needless to mention, these styles will significantly enhance your little munchkin’s appeal.

The Teddy Bear Cut requires you to trim your Poodle’s hair into 1-2 inches throughout the body. It also includes the face, making it different from other Poodle grooming styles. This style makes your canine look like a sweet puppy, irrespective of age.

The Poodle Topknot, on the contrary, is the standard style for these canines. It is a style wherein you leave your furball’s head fluffy and evenly rounded with a shaved muzzle. You can easily pair it up with any of the other Poodle styles.

What Grooming Tools You Will Need For Your Poodle?

This lovable and energetic furball deserves the care and attention of the best grooming tools in the market. Let’s take a look at what those are!

Brush

You should really have a curved slicker brush at your disposal to get all unseen knots and dirt off their furry coat. That is why Hertzko Self Cleaning Slicker Brush is the ideal choice for poodle owners.

Its fine bent wires will get all the mats and dirt out of your doggo’s fur without scratching their skin.

Shears & Scissors

Professional shears and scissors set will ensure detailed work on your poodle’s body and sensitive areas. RUBOLD Professional Dog Grooming Scissors Set comes with a combo of three scissors and a straight comb.

The rounded scissor tip makes them safe for use as you do precision cutting to make your poodle look fab!

Hair Clippers

For sensitive areas like eyes, ear flaps, and backside, you need various blades to cut at different lengths. You should get a professional toolset like the Oneisall Dog Shaver Clippers Set.

This particular clipper kit comes with a cordless clipper and six blades, each made razor-sharp for an easy cut. Moreover, the cordless clippers have an ultra-quiet design. So you and your dog can feel at ease with incredibly low cutting noise that does not scare your poodle.

Nail Clipper

Regular nail cutting should not be taken for granted. Otherwise, your poodle will experience issues like difficulty in moving. For proper nail hygiene, BOSHEL Dog Nail Clippers will not disappoint.

Its blades are sharp enough for a smooth cut in one go but also ensure safety. The safety stop blade makes it practically impossible for you to cut the nails too close to the skin!

Tables

You may not think you need one, but a special grooming table comes with essentials like a noose and elevated tabletop. These come in handy when you need to keep your furry friend still for grooming.

The Flying Pig Foldable Table is your go-to grooming table. The adjustable grooming arms are useful for when you need to adjust how delicately you restraint your poodle.

Dryers

A good hairdryer will fasten the drying time and thereby the grooming routine. That is why you should spring for iPettie Pet Hair Dryer. The dryer not only has two heat settings, but it also comes with a slicker brush.

So you can dry and brush out mats and tangles at the same time!

Shampoo

Your poodle is precious cargo! So for the sake of their health, you should invest in a good shampoo. Veterinary Formula Dog Shampoo uses veterinary-grade ingredients to deal with common poodle skin conditions and dandruff.

However, this shampoo has a very strong formula. If you are looking for something more gentle with similar efficacy, then go with Wahl Pet Shampoo.

Poodle Grooming Tips

• Pluck the poodles’ ear hair regularly for better air circulation
• Brush the doggo’s hair daily with a double-sided stainless steel comb
• Dab a dampened cotton ball on the furball’s face and eyes to remove dirt and matter
• Give your furry friend a sanitary trim every 2 weeks to keep the hair short and clean
• Schedule regular dental checkups with vets to prevent infections

Q&A

Question: Why is my poodle licking paws after grooming?

Answer: This is equivalent to a person’s reaction to a close shave. Your poodle may be licking to reduce itchiness or irritation from the trimming. It is normal for your poodle to do it right after grooming, but excessive licking calls for concern.

Question: What to do if my poodle is itching after grooming?

Answer: This happens either due to a close shave or a matted coat that was not brushed properly before the bath. You can calm the poodle’s itchy skin with a medicated anti-itch bath. After this, administer an anti-itch spray or cream to soothe the itching skin.

Question: What to do when grooming an anxious poodle?

Answer: Your poodles represent one of the most lovable breeds, but even they experience anxiety about being groomed. This is because your fur babies find it uncomfortable when you use grooming tools on/near sensitive areas.

Best way to help your doggo get over this anxiety is to have them get used to being touched in these sensitive areas.

When you are playing with your poodle, make them feel comfortable and relaxed. Once you do that, grab their toes, have your fingers run along their face and rub their ears.

All the while, you should be providing them with positive reinforcement like kind words and treats! They will respond well to this and, over time, feel more comfortable getting groomed.

Question: How do you do the edges of the poodle’s inner ear when grooming?

Answer: With a pair of scissors or trimmers, lightly skim through the hair on the lining of ear flaps’ underside. Make sure to be gentle with your doggo’s ear hair here as the skin is sensitive in that area.

Question: How do I get my poodle puppy to stay still while grooming?

Answer: If your poodle puppy is exhibiting excitable behavior, you can calm them down with a few treats. When they start to become calmer, gently secure them with a harness attached to the grooming table.

The harness can be made with an oversized collar or slip leash. It should go all the way through till their middle body. This ensures that they stay still and do not play around with your tools.

Question: Do I have to bathe my poodle before grooming hair?

Answer: You must bathe your poodle, dry them and brush the coat before grooming hair. This way, you get a clean and fluffy coat that allows you to do the trimming properly.

Moreover, if you trim before a bath, the oils from the poodle’s hair will prematurely dull your clippers or scissors. So you will not be able to do a precise cut.

Question: How high should I go on a poodle’s neck when grooming?

Answer: This usually depends on the style of clipping you are going for. The standard finish to a neck trimming involves connecting the clipped area of the throat to the clipped area beside the ears. The result is an almost V-shaped cut!