kukukachoo

...are they pretty much always in bands once they get to that point?

i'm oohing and aahing over Rain's gorgeous locks and I'm just wondering what the day-to-day is like with a long topknot such as his.

Dude's TK is now to the point where it could really stand to be clipped out of his eyes, but if I'm ready to commit to growing it, then I need to just deal with this stage until I can band it, right?

Then, once it is long enough, I am assuming it requires banding pretty much all the time?

Do tell! Thanks!

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Quossum

Yes, once it's "that" long, it will need to be banded all the time, or the dog will be completely unable to see.

I posted this on Sugar's 52 Weeks thread, but since it's pertinent, here's what he looks like with no bands, then with.



There is a very annoying stage where it's barely long enough for bands, and keeps coming out of even devil horns, and little whispies are always sticking out, and you sort of despair...but then it gets so long that you can pop a human hair band on it easily, which I now do a lot.

As far as maintainance, I take down the topknot and carefully brush and comb through it every two or three days, minimum. Right now we seem to be experiencing some coat change issues, so I'm trying to do it more often, and since I'm not working with a show dog here, I'm okay with taking a small slicker to the occasional tangle, which are getting particularly bad on the back of his neck. I use Crown Royale spray on it. Probably once a week I carefully section and band the hair "properly," with tiny bands as in the picture; the rest of the time, it's in a couple of ponytail holders.

It's a bit of a pain, but I really like the look. To me, it's the essence of Poodle-ness. lol

--Q

kukukachoo

Thanks so much! I love your photos! I'm going to try and wait it out. We shall see!

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nu2poodles

I agree with Quossum, and Rain always has bands to keep the hair out of her eyes.

I would have shaved her TK were it not for my concern about denuding her of all her "wild hairs" (eyebrows, in particular). As it is, we are trying to get them to grow and, hopefully, be functional. These would help Rain manage the heavy underbrush in the places we frequent. I do not know if we will succeed in this experiment.

I have also noticed that Rain seems more sensitive to the sun on her back when I have her clipped short. So, since we are out in the sun a lot, there may be another benefit to leaving a substantial TK ... in lieu of a hat ~~~

Since Rain has completed her coat change, she no longer mats. I comb through the TK about once a day, use puppy (no tear) shampoo about once a week (though she often gets rinsed several times in between baths -- salty, muddy dog), and air dry.

Her hair was a little overwhelming after 30+ years of Weimaraners, but I think we are managing fairly well.

Cutie Pie Rain :

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