How to groom a toy poodle?

You'll want to have her professionally groomed every 6-8 weeks. Your groomer will REALLY, really appreciate it if you don't cut at her in between (and she'll look better!). You can bathe her in between with regular dog shampoo, and keep her nails trimmed and ears cleaned. Use an ear cleaner made for dogs. I wouldn't put aloe gel in MY ear, and certainly not a dog's. Aloe isn't a cleansing agent, anyways.  

I would also brush and comb her with a soft slicker brush and a greyhound comb at least once a week. Keep on top on the tangles before they become mats.  I would take your Poodle to a professional groomer, he/she will show you the proper and effective way to use these tools.  You can also discuss the style you want to keep your Poodle in, and how to maintain it.

I groomed three Toy Poodles today, all three are in low-maintenance "kennel clips".  The hair was clippered the same length on the body and legs (between 1/4-1/2";), the face/throat were shaved clean, as well as the feet and the base of the tail.  I scissored a ball of hair on the tail, and topknot on the head.  One of the Poodles comes in every five weeks, the other two come in every 6 weeks.  Another clip called the "Miami" or "Bikini clip" is similar to the kennel clip, but pompons are scissored around the ankles.  For Toy and Mini Poodles, I charge 35.00 for the complete grooming, which includes the bath, haircut, ears, nails, and anal glands if necessary.  These two clips are what I reccommend for most pet Poodles.  I personally prefer more extravagent clips (like the lamb, modern, german, as well as ALL of the European clips) but they take more time and effort to complete, and take more time to correctly maintain.

The Kalstone Poodle grooming book is a great refernce tool for professionals as well as pet owners.  I would definetly purchase it if you are considering grooming your Poodle yourself.  It will take money, time, and practice to do it yourself, and it may be that seeing a professional groomer every 4-8 weeks is more realistic for your lifestyle.

 Edited for clarity.

Epi Otic is great cleaner for the ears. I always groomed my poodle and I groom my Shih Tzu now. You need to learn how to do it safely. Maybe a groomer can teach you. I did that, worked great.

im quite curious where you got this dog. i know many poodle rescues and breeders, and they do not normally give their dogs away to people with so little education about the dog. they would tell you straight up that they expect the dog to be groomed regularly (ever 6 weeks, minimum), and would be willing to teach you the proper way to groom them at home as well as preparing them for the financial aspect of owning a poodle. im just saying that maybe if you knew this, you would have decided against a breed that is so high maintanence.

 and no you cannot use aloe vera gel in the ears, or anywhere on the dog for that matter. you need to buy ear cleaner, as well as ear powder. i highly suggest you get some sort of grooming book to help you out, b/c none of this is easy (if it were, there wouldnt be so many groomers). poodles need their ear hair pulled pretty regularly, depending on the dog. poodles are also very prone to ear infections (are you prepared to take your dog to the vet for that, it can be very expensive). you need a slicker brush, a greyhound comd, and a double sided comb. i never suggest to any beginner to ever use scissors, clippers, or dematting tools on their dog unless they can be taught how to use them. people have no idea how dangerous these tools can be when used wrong. you will also need to spend some money on high quality shampoos and conditioners, as well as getting a blow dryer for the dog.

in short you really need to get this dog groomed regularly. you should talk to your local groomers. if they trust that you are willing to come in regularly, and the dog is pretty well behaved, they may cut you a deal. if you put the dog in a short kennel clip with  anything shorter than a 5 blade, and you brush every single day (not once a week, that is not enough for a poodle), then im sure you can wait about 6 weeks in between haircuts. i also know for a fact that a toy poodle haircut at petco is about 30-35 bucks.

You can get the Kalstone book here: http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DGR110 

Brushing video (not such great quality, but...) http://www.expertvillage.com/video/8474_dog-grooming-basics-brushing-two.htm 

Probably a good idea to have your groomer show you how to brush and remove mats properly.  It's easy to brush burn a dog (ouch) and make the dog dislike being groomed.   But, once you learn how, your groomer will love you and you will pay less for grooming, because there will be no extra charges for brush outs. 

lvdgs24

if you put the dog in a short kennel clip with  anything shorter than a 5 blade, and you brush every single day (not once a week, that is not enough for a poodle), then im sure you can wait about 6 weeks in between haircuts.

Um, brush a 1/4" or less of hair every day?  That is unnecessary.  I used to think the same thing, then I emailed one of the top Poodle grooming competitors in the USA.  Veronica Frosch told me that she bathes and brushes her competiton Standard Poodle "Pixel" once a week, maybe brushing a second time during the week.  If that is adequate for a top-quality Poodle with competiton-quality coat (one that is grown out for months before a competition), it is certainly more than enough for your typical pet quality Toy Poodle in a piddley little kennel clip.

If you really want to do a minimum of maintenance, I would have the dog totally stripped- including topknot and tail- with a 10 blade. Yes, it will be NEKKID. Comb 2-3 times a week (may be able to get away with none, depending on coat texture- if the dog has good coat texture, you'll not need to do as much; if it's cottony, you'll need to do more coming into the next groom)- the dogs I know who get done like this can go 8-12 weeks BUT they do get brushed out properly in between- and they get pretty scruffy looking.  

Find you a traing video on how to groom poodles either in a store or on the web. If you google poodle grooming dvd may work or check for traing videos on ebay. You should be able to find a training video for about $20.00 to $50.00 Dollars. I bought some videos my self the ones I bought were very informative. If you need any more advice contact me. Happy valentines day to you and good luck.

The Poodle Daddy

Dogs make the nicest People

thanks all for the advises. I'm looking into books to buy for my eduation on poodles.

  lvdgs24 :

To your curiousity, I've mentioned that I took over this dog from a friend. My friend was unable to take care of a poodle. Obviously it was her first poodle as well. But she's too busy and left the dog ran free in the house when she's not home. And of course, this make it so hard for me now to potty train Tippey. I admit that I have minimal education on poodles, and that's why I'm on here looking for answers. Everyone's is a first timer for something...

I just found out that Tippey has so many other issues: ear infection, tear strain issues, no potty train whatsoever, fearful, afraid of everything and it's hard to get her to come to me. She always run away from everyone. I have no idea why. It could be from bad breeder. She bought Tippey from the flea market (yes, I know, I'm so against backyard breeder, but everyone has their own mind).

Hi again

I found it is very important to keep the ears very clean and to keep the hair plucked out of thier ears make sure to use a good ear cleaning solution also. I had let Eijon's ears get out of control and he got a terible infection cost me hundreds of dollars to get it under control. again contact me if you have any questions about this. I don't know how old your poodle is but when we got Tisha she was not quite 8 weeks old yet my wife played the potty game with her every morning taking her out to potty and rewarding her for doing so. Poodles are very smart and will catch on quickly. I made every thing a game with her like giving her a bath I made that a game drying her with the towel useing the towel as a toy Please don't use a hair dryer on your poodle as they get so hot but you can use the exhaust of your sweeper or buy a inexpensive sweeper with a exhaust port to hook up the hose to these work a whole lot like the units used by professional groomers. I also feed my Poodles special food I give them Eagle Pack holistic which do not have all the sugars and wheats and other things that can feed ear infections. Hope you had a nice Valentines day I did from my wife and my babies when I got home.

 The Poodle Daddy

Dogs make the best Friends

hi VIP.

Thank you for your advices! Yes, I figure the ear infection has something to do with the food she eats before. I used to have a chow mix that has terrible ear infection and itches and I changed food so many times until we found the right one.

Since Tippey is so little I decide to home cook for her. Hopefully this will help clear some issues. I have to agree with you poodles are smart. I taught Tippey to sit and lay down in just about 2 hours and she already understand the commands the next day! Giving that she was never potty trained before, it only took her about 4-5 days to understand that she needs to go when i walk her outside. She's no longer peeing in her crate!!

I'm so happy that I took over Tippey from my friend. I know poodles require lots of work and grooming...but I'm happy doing it for her..it's like taking care of your own baby...LOL.. I truly think Tippey is happier now having a crate to go in at night and have someone to care for her... I'm looking forward to make her bright and pretty:-)

spiritdogs

You can get the Kalstone book here: http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DGR110