Spiffing up the fashion icon – ‘Poodle’
Chic n’ smart…that’s how a Poodle looks. Here’s how to make her the showstopper!
Once a Poodle parent, always a Poodle parent! Well, that is the Charisma a Poodle has, as fanciers of this specific breed rarely become fond of any other breed. Being an interesting companion with her captivating, watchful, clever, playful and winning ways, a Poodle easily makes home in one’s heart.
Curls delight!
Poodles come in three officially recognised sizes: Toy, Miniature and Standard. Toys are the smallest and Standard the largest amongst the three sizes. They normally have dense wooly coats with springy curls which grow without shedding, making them one of the most recommended dog breeds for people with allergies. They come in cream, brown, apricot, black, white, silver and rarely in blue colour. Poodles have a very high maintenance coat and need to visit a professional groomer at least once a month to keep the beautiful coat in tip-top shape, especially if she sports a professional clip or look.
Groom n’ care at home
Here are a few things that should be paid attention to whilst grooming your Poodles at home:
- A slicker brush with curved, dense pins should be used for the bracelets and short hair and a padded base pin brush for the longer hair. Rounded teeth combs are recommended to check the knots and tangled hair.
- Everyday brushing is necessary for all size/length coats but mandatory if maintaining a long coat. In case of pets with long hair, brushing more than once a day is welcome. Use coat conditioner, if available, or water mix before brushing. This will provide ease for the brush to move freely through the coat.
- Tear staining is more noticeable in pets with light colour coats. The removal or reduction of this reddish-brown stain has become much easier with various products now available in the market just for this purpose. One can use tear stain remover pads or liquids available for this purpose. Still be very careful while treating the eye area of your pet as you can easily harm the eyes if not cautious. Use wet cotton ball or wipes if tear stain remover products are not available in the local market.
- Check the ears frequently for ticks and mites and use a cotton ball and ear cleaner to keep the ears dry and clean. Dry cotton balls should be used in case ear cleaners are not available.
- In as much as brushing your Poodles teeth with a toothbrush and paste (meant for pets) is an option if introduced in the puppy stage, one should give hard chews everyday to keep the teeth clean, tartar and odour free.
- Poodles should be bathed regularly to maintain the fine, harsh-textured hair. If your pet sports a ‘Professional Clip’ then maintaining the look or style should be done every 4–6 weeks.
- A combination of shampoo and conditioner must be used in case of all long-haired breeds to maintain the density and texture of the coat.
- A Poodles coat must be dried properly after a bath and one should ensure that there is no trace of shampoo or conditioner from the bath, which may later cause irritation or infection to the skin.
- Do not dry your Poodle with the human hair dryers on a heat mode as these are not meant for pets and cause skin burns easily. Use only pet dryers or generally towel and sun dry your pet.
- Your Poodle should be daily brushed right from the puppy stage so that she becomes used to the idea, as anyways Poodles love being pampered in this fashion as well.
Clips…in style!
The traditional clips were created to generally lighten the weight of the coat while swimming, but in today’s date a Poodle is more of a fashion icon amongst all dog breeds. There are several types of clips, cuts or styles that a Poodle looks great in. Popular ones are the Dutch Clip, Kennel Clip, Lamb Clip, Puppy Clip, Royal Dutch Clip, Summer Clip, Town/Country Clip, English Saddle Clip, Continental Clip among others.
Trims blessings!
Regular trims keep the Poodles fur healthy, de-tangled, knot free, not to mention fashionable. The plush, curly coat can be unruly, but allows a lot of styling versatility, which is one of the reasons a Poodle is a groomer’s delight. A groomed Poodle normally likes to show-off her style and is always prepared to stand dedicatedly for long durations for it to be made a fashion star, this definitely makes this breed our favourite as well.
| Samantha Laws |