[johnboy]

I've got another newbie question for everyone. I seem to remember hearing I should wait till my Lucy is 6 months old before her first haircut. Is that correct? I ask because I usually take her out for a walk in the morning ending at the dog park before returning home. By the time we get home she is black half way up her legs from the black soil around here usually resulting in a leg bath. Maybe I'm lazy but I don't want to do this every morning. I can't help but think the dirt wouldn't stick so easily if he hair was cut short.

 

[Spottytoes]

Bobby at 12 weeks. You absolutely do not have to wait! 😊 Actually, the sooner the better so as to get Lucy used to getting her hair cut and the total grooming experience. Go make an appointment as soon as you can. 😉

 

[PeggyTheParti]

These puppy pics need a warning label! Cuties!!

I see no reason to hold off on cutting Lucy’s hair. Just do it in sessions that are tolerable for her, so she doesn’t develop negative associations with the grooming process.

 

[Liz]

Agree with above posters. Most poodles get clipped every 4-6 weeks, so waiting until she's 6 months old could cause matting and hot spots. You definitely want to get her in sooner!

Also, Lucy is adorable! And Spotty, thanks for the bonus pic of young Bobby!

 

[Johanna]

Reputable poodle breeders clip puppies beginning at about 5-6 weeks. I am horrified that someone thinks they should wait until 6 months! Poodle puppies need to be accustomed to grooming early in life so it does not bother them at all.

 

[cowpony]

No, you don't need to wait until six months. I waited until six months to get Galen's body trimmed simply because I just didn't want to say goodbye to that soft puppy coat, but there's no need to be sentimental like I was. Event though I was letting his coat grow I still took him into the groomer to get his muzzle trimmed and to get the whole spa day experience as a puppy.

 

[CieCie]

I've been using the clipper on Winnie almost every day. Feet, sometimes one at a time, face, neck, bottom... sometimes for 5 minutes other times for 20 to 30. She has gotten so much better as the weeks go by. This weekend she had her puppy fleece clipped off except for her legs. It's amazing how much older she looks. AND brushing in the morning is so much easier....WOW! Say good bye to that precious puppy look and go for it. You can be sad for a few minutes but you'll be happy day after day.

 

[johnboy]

I've been using the clipper on Winnie almost every day. Feet, sometimes one at a time, face, neck, bottom... sometimes for 5 minutes other times for 20 to 30. She has gotten so much better as the weeks go by. This weekend she had her puppy fleece clipped off except for her legs. It's amazing how much older she looks. AND brushing in the morning is so much easier....WOW! Say good bye to that precious puppy look and go for it. You can be sad for a few minutes but you'll be happy day after day. View attachment 474219 View attachment 474220

I love that! So pretty!

 

[Rose n Poos]

I seem to remember hearing I should wait till my Lucy is 6 months old before her first haircut. Is that correct?

Definitely not true. There may be some types of non-poodle coats where that could be an issue but a poodle coat grows like human hair and will keep growing if it isn't cut . (If a groomer tells you not to cut til 6 months, they don't know poodles.)

Additionally, her coat will start changing to it's adult version in the (possibly near) future and that time is a real challenge to keep mat and tangle free, unless you go shorter.

 

[Basil_the_Spoo]

You just need to pick a poodle trim that matches the level of effort you want to put into brushing or washing. Nothing wrong with that, I'm in the same boat. Less hair = less maintance = more time for other stuff. Give me the minimalist poodle trim.

If the muddy feet is a source of frustration, then maybe consider no future pom poms... And maybe get feet shaved up to the dew claw.

I spend maybe 10 minutes tops brushing Basil out a week. We keep a pretty low profile activity wise, and I groom her at home.

If you want this trim, here the details;

"1/2 inch on the body, topknot, and ears. 1 inch on the tail and pom poms. Front and back Pom poms height matching the same height as the rear hocks. Shaved feet up to her dew claw. Clean fanny. Base of tail shaved just below to where her anus is. Shaved face. Neck line no lower then her top line."

I do it myself because it's not fair to expect someone can do this in under an hour without me forking over a lot of $$.

We can help you if you want to take on grooming. No one said having a poodle needed to be expensive.

 

[RobynG]

All of these puppies are beautiful!! I love seeing pictures!!!

 

[johnboy]

You just need to pick a poodle trim that matches the level of effort you want to put into brushing or washing. Nothing wrong with that, I'm in the same boat. Less hair = less maintance = more time for other stuff. Give me the minimalist poodle trim.

If the muddy feet is a source of frustration, then maybe consider no future pom poms... And maybe get feet shaved up to the dew claw.

I spend maybe 10 minutes tops brushing Basil out a week. We keep a pretty low profile activity wise, and I groom her at home.


View attachment 474226
View attachment 474227

If you want this trim, here the details;

"1/2 inch on the body, topknot, and ears. 1 inch on the tail and pom poms. Front and back Pom poms height matching the same height as the rear hocks. Shaved feet up to her dew claw. Clean fanny. Base of tail shaved just below to where her anus is. Shaved face. Neck line no lower then her top line."

I do it myself because it's not fair to expect someone can do this in under an hour without me forking over a lot of $$.

We can help you if you want to take on grooming. No one said having a poodle needed to be expensive.

That's what I'm talking about! The minimalist! I don't think I will even have the pom poms. Shaved to the dew claw. I want to be able to take her out and play without worrying about her getting dirty. I'm sure dirt will wipe off so much easier with the legs shaved to the dew claw.

 

[Spottytoes]

We keep Bobby fairly short so he’s pretty easy peasy to keep clean but the last two days, not so much! The snow is melting like crazy and the sidewalks and roads are filthy with dirty water, salt and sand. After his walks we have had to do the leg washing thing the last couple of days despite the shorter hair. It’s the curls. 😉

 

[johnboy]

I've been using the clipper on Winnie almost every day. Feet, sometimes one at a time, face, neck, bottom... sometimes for 5 minutes other times for 20 to 30. She has gotten so much better as the weeks go by. This weekend she had her puppy fleece clipped off except for her legs. It's amazing how much older she looks. AND brushing in the morning is so much easier....WOW! Say good bye to that precious puppy look and go for it. You can be sad for a few minutes but you'll be happy day after day. View attachment 474219 View attachment 474220

Just curious where you live. I live down in SE Georgia. One of Lucy's siblings is named Winnie.

 

[CieCie]

Just curious where you live. I live down in SE Georgia. One of Lucy's siblings is named Winnie.

We're in the Tacoma, WA area.

 

[kontiki]

I would not even purchase a poodle that had not already been groomed a couple of times before I bought them. They need to be come accustomed to being groomed as soon as possible, just like any other training.

 

[Basil_the_Spoo]

We're in the Tacoma, WA area.

Hey we're in the West Seattle/Fontluroy area 👋 and @PeggyTheParti is some where on the Olympic peninsula (I think).

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Hey we're in the West Seattle/Fontluroy area 👋 and @PeggyTheParti is some where on the Olympic peninsula (I think).

Yep! Hi!

 

[Fenix&Felix]

/ 1

Yep! Hi!

Small world, I live in Lynnwood, just north of Seattle! Odd, because it’s rare that I see other poodles in the area, especially standards.

 

[CieCie]

Well it's a small world! The Poodle Forum has a wonderful Washington State group! 🙋‍♀️