Poodle wrangler

I found word of mouth the best way to find a groomer. Plus, I know they're kind if my dog accepts (not necessarily LIKES) being left with the person. I've had a bad experience using someone new- dog had a badly cut paw- accidents happen, but I should have been told. My dog would have SCREAMED! Poor cavmad- your cavs had poodle feet I'm clipper-mad at times (short cuts, not a groomer) and not even I would do that.

For my poodle, I just use a soft slicker brush and stainless steel medium-size comb. Brush first, using the other hand to part fur a little to get to the skin, then comb thru after to get out the dead hair. ETA- he's a pet and doesn't have very long fur. I also use a slicker on my sister's dog who's med-large short-haired dog (coat like a boxer)- it's great to get rid of fur so it's on the brush not on me or the mildly allergic kid. Don't buy a cheap slicker as it's too "scratchy" on the dog's skin and they will hate you using it on them.

I agree! One lot of in-laws have an obese Maremma and grossly obese Labrador. The lab is almost as wide as he is tall. With the Maremma, they say, "It's all fur!" Fur my They also talk as if it's nothing to do with them... Glad the elkhound is getting some good care..

:D I don't live in your area- wrong state! My mini poodle's a bit stand-offish with people (b4 he gets to know them) but very laid-back with other dogs: His best mate at the local dog off-leash beach is a big boofy GSP. He'd have loved to meet your std poodle. This is a great opportunity for someone else to socialise their young dog/ pup, too...

I admire the abilities of both human and canine "special forces", but after the job's done some pay a high price. I'm thinking of life outside work for both human and canine. Once retired, what happens to these dogs?

Great to see these dogs doing their stuff (please don't stereotype me from the avatar "attack poodle" ). Friend at work showed me this and wondered what the breed was. Thought maybe Malinois, but wasn't sure. Would these dogs normally live with their handler? In what circumstances?

+ I'm guessing these owners are the first to loudly complain about their coat being cut too short. My mother-in-law has a Maltese X, doesn't get him clipped often enough and buys expensive hypoallergenic shampoos INSTEAD of brushing and combing down to the skin (she's been told how important it is). It's not hard to do!

I've used the dog clippers on my son with no problem. The dog's probably cleaner . Sorry if I've missed it earlier, but which brand did you get? I'm asking as my old clippers just died.

I've got a black miniature poodle (pet) and have been clipping him myself for the past 1-2 years. Prior to that, he used to go to a groomer regularly. I used to go to the groomer every 6 months or so, then home clips in between. The clippers, scissors and blades are not cheap and it takes about this time to get your money back. I like being able to keep him shaved closely around the feet, face and base of tail. Looks good AND clean and practical. I got lots of help on DOL, bought the Shirlee Kalstone book (that poodlefan mentioned) and practised. For some reason, I decided to shave off ears and pompom and clip closer all over for summer. He looks like a bad home-done job, but poodle fur grows back quickly and we love him for personality, not so much looks. I used to pay $40 for the basic poodle clip with bath and nails done. Given the time it takes me to brush, comb, bath, blowdry, brush, comb, clip and scissor it's good value IMHO! It's just a hassle for me to do the drive, drop-off, pick-up every 6 weeks and nice relationship-building to clip your own dog.

Human clippers are useless for fur on poodles, for example. I cut my son's hair with cheap clippers (no problem), but they do about 2cm worth of not-very-long poodle hair. Badly. The cheap pet clippers aren't much better. Decent pet clippers are about $200+

Hi Natashja. I use Advantix for ticks/ mosquitos/ fleas and Interceptor Spectrum (monthly) for heartworm/ most intestinal worms. Oscar sometimes sleeps outside, so mozzy protection seems a nice idea. I used the yearly heartworm injection once, but have read on DOL that the injection is more liekly to cause serious side effects. Some won't use it for their dog. Does anyone know much about the anti-tickcollars? If you touch it, does that mean you get a small dose of anti-tick medication, too?

I'm reading with interest as I sometimes clip the mother-in-law's MalteseX. I DON'T recommend trying to trim her like a poodle The finer fur is much harder to trim nicely. The mother-law-wanted the legs shorter but "not like chicken legs". Not possible .

You're not alone! It's tedious at times, but all the "No"'s (and "Yes"'s) add up to a trained dog who'll be SO much better to have around! Keep up the good work. It's not too long b4 you start to see rewards. Physical exercise, chew toys/ bones and very short bursts of training help keep pup more civilised as his/ her brain and body are tired. Ask your breeder for advice with exercise as you don't want to overexercise a pup, either....e.g. running, long walks.

I use Advantix as it works for fleas, mozzies and ticks (for ticks it's fortnightly). pricelesspets.com.au is the cheapest I've found for most of that sort of thing and I've found the service good, too.

Seizures/ epilepsy were something that came to my mind, also. My mini poodle is an occasional screamer- awful noise- but it's only in response to pain/ fright e.g. treading on his paw, telling another dog to get lost etc. Is your poodle being rewarded for screaming? It'd be an awful habit to continue, having started for another reason. Are you happy with your vet? Like all things, some are better than others. Perhaps a DOLer in your area could recommend a vet for a 2nd opinion if the screaming recurs. It doesn't sound like normal poodle behaviour. Best wishes .

Yes!!! Sydney is prime tick territory. Sorry, Pampa, don't know about Melbourne. Plenty of long grass around Centennial Park and on the Bondi coast walk, also. I've got a black mini poodle and FEEL the tick thru the coat. They seemed to like his ears (the leathers/ inside) and around the eye- easy to see there. The only ticks I've found on him have been greyish or brown (I used to only use tick prevention in summer, but that's now changed). Feels like a tiny lump/ hard pimple. Would be difficult to see or feel a tick if you kept your poodle with a long coat and it was matted. My dog likes when I check him for ticks- extra pats involved .

Yes!!! Sydney is prime tick territory. Plenty of long grass around Centennial Park and on the Bondi coast walk, also. I've got a black mini poodle and FEEL the tick thru the coat. They seemed to like his ears (the leathers/ inside) and around the eye- easy to see there. The only ticks I've found on him have been greyish or brown (I used to only use tick prevention in summer, but that's now changed). Feels like a tiny lump/ hard pimple. Would be difficult to see or feel a tick if you kept your poodle with a long coat and it was matted. My dog likes when I check him for ticks- extra pats involved .

Can't speak for all poodles, but my mini poodle has always loved his bones/ chew toys. I think it's part of all dog's instinct to want to chew. The right bones and toys are great for their teeth, as a bonus Something I have noticed, though, is that if stressed/ very excited, he likes to chew more so than other dogs I've owned. He has a chew toy or bone if my son's young raucous friends come over and I give him a toy to chew when greeting him in the morning (otherwise he likes to steal a sock to have in his mouth, instead).

I usually don't have problems with ticks during the cooler months (South Coast, NSW), but found 3 yesterday on my dog. Is it the wet weather? Just to warn others. He's got his Advantix on now.

I don't envy you. I'm not a groomer, but clipped a friend's labXstandard poodle. Even though he was brushed regularly, it was alot harder to manage and clip than poodle coat. Most people think a poodleX coat is EASIER to manage- NOT TRUE!

You can see Chomsky's coat is well-cared for. First time I saw his photo (b4 reading post) I thought he was a labradoodle, too. I often let Oscar air-dry if it's warm and like the curly/ rastafarian look he has afterwards. No knots or matts allowed here, either. You'll be suprised how quickly the coat will grow back when u clip him for the coat change (I learned this when making mistakes with the clippers). My ideal would be a nice, blowdried coat in puppy trim. Once I was asked to babysit a black standard pup that was at a dog show for practice- I've never felt such a soft, fluffy coat- he was gorgeous! Closest comparison I can think of is our alpaca rug (sorry alpaca). I've not been able to replicate the fluffiness, but it'd only last a day or so b4 Oscar'd be sandy or wet, anyway.

I'm glad to hear your friends take good care of their dog . We're all protective of our dogs. You saw the photo of the matted photo poodlefan put up.. it's incredible what people CAN do thru neglect &/or ignorance. I have a disgusting poodle also- likes to roll on seaweed and dead fish at the beach and eat kangaroo poo. Here's my Oscar at the beach: (photo off the web- I can't groom that well!) This is shaved feet, face, base of tail- still think this looks nice, especially for an urban poodle. Would be great for a primarily indoor dog. For more sporty/ active/ outdoor poodles.... I like this head shot of poodlefan's Ted (sorry I can't find the link, but it's Ok to re-post?): I'm glad poodlefan had a lie down b4 doing a baby doll clip on Lilly :D If you want to scare your friend, there's this seriously wierd Star Trek poodle: "The final frontier".. in poodle grooming. Hate that rounded-head look. Hope the poodle LOVED being groomed. That's the kind of head some groomers do if you DON'T say " I don't want him to look too much like a poodle" (some groomers more talented than others, of course):

Yep, you have to trim a poodle, it'd be cruel not to do so. Perhaps there's some miscommunication? Some people said to me not to "clip" when my poodle was a pup- that the coat should be "scissored" instead. I don't know if this is just an old wive's tale? Most breeders suggest getting your pup used to the clippers ASAP. It's in no way cruel or painful for the dog to be clipped. Clipping is less time-consuming than scissoring. Different clipper blade sizes leave a different length of fur. One of the many great things about poodles is that you can keep their fur anyway that you like. I wouldn't blame them if by "clipped' they mean the run-of-the-mill pet clip- it tends to be short all over with rounded head and pompon on tail . Here's a link to some more poodle trims. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...c=61432&hl=. poodlefan's dogs look good, too, especially sporty Ted. More fur= more work (brushing & combing). Shaved face, feet, base of tail and scissorred legs and body looks good and is very practical (similar to the puppy trim). Shaved feet don't bring the dirt inside (much), face stays clean when eating, and no poo left at base of tail!

Hi. Yep, it's true, poodles smell alot less than most dogs, perhaps due to their non-shedding, wool-like coat. I've had pound dogs and a boxer as our family dogs in the past, pre-allergic OH. There's no difference in outdoor/ indoor time to explain the difference between these dogs and our poodle. The poodle probably gets dirtier, in fact. Fleas don't seem to like poodles' coat much, either. I still wash dog bedding every 2-3 months as it's fabric/ cushion. Have to admit a wet poodle will smell a little if it's been raining a few days in a row: Nothing like eau de wet dog ;) . Accidents: use a non ammonia-based cleaner to get rid of the urine scent otherwise dog likely to re-use the same spot. Sprinkle around some bicarb soda as a carpet deodoriser. Cheaper throw rugs are easy to wash if you like your dog on the lounge with you. A bit of doggy smell is a small price to pay for a wonderful companion. Definitely less doggy smell with a poodle.

What type of skin disorder is it? Have shampoos/ conditioners suitable for sensitive skins been any help? Change of diet? Linseed oil/ Fish oils etc.? Fortnightly hydrobaths- is it too much for sensitive skin (sorry, not sure for your situation)? I normally bath my poodle monthly, unless he rolls in something feral. He's an active indoor/ outdoor dog. If possible, trying b4 buying clippers would be good- see if you're OK with clipping. I've recently started clipping our mini poodle and was surprised how time-consuming it is- brush, comb, wash, dry, clip. Clippers need to be oiled often. I don't go shorter than a #5 for the body, #10 for belly. Keeshond would look funny with shaved feet, face and base of tail (#15-#30). Depends on the skin condition, really. Best wishes