Even if you intend to leave the poodle haircuts to a professional
groomer (which is usually a good idea unless you have been trained
to clip poodle fur), you'll still have to do a fair amount of
grooming at home to keep your poodle looking its best. To provide
the best poodle grooming care, you'll want to pick out quality
grooming items. This article lists a few of the necessities.
Good Quality Clipper and Blades
You don't want to pinch pennies on a clipper for your poodle.
The blades on cheap clippers become dull, making it difficult
to groom your dog and possibly putting your poodle at risk for
cuts and clipper burns. Premium clippers will probably cost you
between $150 and $200, but they're worth every penny of it. Take
good care of your clippers, replacing the blades when needed (blades
cost approximately $25 to $40), and oiling and greasing the clippers
regularly.
Scissors
Grooming scissors can help you even up rough spots on your poodle's
fur between professional groomings. Again, this is not a good
place to skimp. Get high quality curved scissors, and keep the
blades sharp.
Brushes and Combs
The type of brushes and combs you'll need depend on what type
of clip you've decided best suits your poodle. Most poodle owners
seem to prefer a metal brush, but ask a professional groomer for
recommendations. Your poodle should be brushed and combed daily
to remove the dirt, mats, and tangles from its fur.
Nail Clippers and "Quick Stop"
Most groomers recommend clipping your poodle's nails a little
each week. It is important not to clip them too much, however,
or you may cut into a blood vessel. Although the bleeding is easy
to stop with ointments and sprays sold in most pet stores, cutting
into a blood vessel causes the poodle pain and makes it that much
less likely to cooperate with future groomings and nail trimmings.
Long Shower Hose
If you're bathing your poodle in the tub, you'll need a long
shower hose to thoroughly rinse off all the shampoo. Groomers
state that not adequately rinsing the shampoo is one of the biggest
grooming mistakes pet owners make.
Hair Dryer
After a bath, you can dry your poodle off with a hand-held hair
dryer. Give the poodle a chance to get used to the noise of the
hair dryer before you actually use it to dry the poodle's fur.
Although it's not wise to skip professional grooming for your
poodle, there is still a great deal of poodle fur care you can
do at home. The next article looks at expert
grooming tips for your poodle.
Attention: To discover how
YOU can have the Happiest, Healthiest and Best Behaved Poodle,
get a copy of this Poodle Guide
NOW!
