In all of the years that I have been grooming, the one comment that I have heard the most is...
"Don't make him/her look like a Poodle!"
One of the worst thinks about this comment is that not only do Poodles owners say this, but owners of just about every breed with long hair has said this to me.
Really?!
Don't make your Schnauzer, Shih-tzu, Lhasa, ect. look like a Poodle?
I don't think that I could if I wanted to. lol
Yes...Poodles have a certain look to them.
A lot of that 'Poodle look' comes from the type of hair a Poodle has.
If you own a Doodle, Cock-a-poo, Schnoodle, Pekeapoo, or any other Poodle cross, there is a very good chance that your dog will have Poodle type hair.
Poodle hair is a single layer of a mixture of soft and wiry fur that curls.
Some Poodles coats curl tightly, some are curled loosely and wavy.
Poodle hair sheds very little.
Poodle hair does not shed out of the coat.
The shedding hair stays in the coat and twists around the curls causing matting if not brushed regularly.
Because Poodle hair is a single layer coat and curly, it will fluff out and become poofy when cleaned, brushed and blow dried.
The poofy, puffy look of a clean Poodles coat is necessary in the grooming process for a groomer to give the dog a nice even cut.
If you like your Poodle to 'look' like a Poodle, there are several basics of Poodle grooming that makes the Poodle look stand out.
Lets start with four basic parts of the basic Poodle trim that makes the Poodle cut different from every other breed cut.
The Feet:
The basic Poodle trim calls for the feet to be shaved clean on the top of the foot and between the toes.
The foot is shaved up to the ankle joint.
This Poodle foot has been clipped with a longer blade because the owner did not want them shaved, but she still wanted them very, very short and tight.
The Face:
A Poodle face is typically shaved clean from the ears, down the side of the face, to the nose and chin.
A mustache can also be left around the nose if an owner wishes.
The sides of the face and under the eyes are still shaved.
The Topknot:
The pompom on the top of a Poodles head.
The Tail:
The typical Poodle tail is a pompom on the end of the tail with the top of the tail being shaved.
Those are the four basics of a typical pet Poodle trim.
~Shaved feet.
~Shaved face.
~Pompom on the top of the head.
~Pompom Tail.
If you don't want your Poodles face to be shaved, there are other ways that the face of a Poodle can be clipped.
The Poodle face short but not shaved.
If you like this look for your Poodles face, tell your groomer that you would like a Poodle type face clipped with a #4F blade and scissored to shape.
The owner of this Poodle wanted the face short, like a Poodle face, but she did not want the typical 'shaved' look.
This poodles face was clipped very short without shaving it.
This Toy Phantom Poodles face has been hand scissored into a round shape.
A full hand scissored face with peek-a-poo eyes.
A Poodle with full round feet.
If you don't want your Poodles feet shaved, they can be scissored in proportion with the body length.
If you don't like the Pompom on the tail...
A Poodle tail can also be clipped to match the length of hair on the body, with no pompom.
If you don't like a pompom on the top of the head...
The top of the head can be scissored short and very tight.
The topknot can also be scissored short into a dome shape.
Pet Poodle trims are named differently in different parts of the country.
Below is a collection of some pet Poodle trims.
The names of these cuts are what they are called in my shop.
This is a basic short Kennel clip.
This dogs body has been clipped the same length all over with a #4F blade.
This is a very easy clip for a busy owner to maintain.
Suggested professional grooming to maintain this clip is every 4 to 8 weeks.
This Poodle has a Lamb cut.
The body is clipped short and tight.
The legs are scissored slightly longer to keep the legs looking a little fuller.
Suggested professional grooming to maintain this cut is every 4 to 6 weeks.
This is considered a Puppy cut in my shop.
A 'Puppy cut' is an even length all over the body, hand scissored longer than a blade can cut.
A 'Puppy cut' can be anywhere from an inch or more hair left on the dog.
This is a high maintenance cut.
Regular brushing must be done at home between groomings to keep the coat from matting and having to be shaved off.
Recommend professional grooming is every four weeks to keep this cut maintained.
The Retriever Clip.
The body is clipped very short and tight.
The legs are hand scissored full, and left high on the hip and shoulder.
This is a high maintenance cut.
Regular brushing must be done at home between groomings to keep the coat from matting and having to be shaved off.
Recommend professional grooming is every four weeks to keep this cut maintained.
The Town & Country cut.
(or Bikini, or Summer, or Pom-Pom)
Depends on the shop and what they call it.
(or Bikini, or Summer, or Pom-Pom)
Depends on the shop and what they call it.
The body is clipped short and tight leaving pompoms at the bottom of all four legs.
This clip is a fancier clip that is fairly easy for the pet owner to maintain.
The pet owner should keep the pompoms brushed out between groomings to keep them from matting up and having to be clipped off.
Recommended professional grooming is every 4-6 weeks.
Below are some Poodle mixes.
A Labradoodle.
In a Lamb cut with full legs, full face, and full feet.
This dog can't help but look like a Poodle no matter how her hair is cut.
A Schnoodle with a round face and head.
A Yorkie-poo.
He doesn't look like a Poodle, does he?
A Cock-a-poo.
He doesn't look like a Poodle either.
So, the answer to the question at the top of the post...
No, your poodle, or poodle mix does not have to be clipped like a Poodle, but they will always have a little of that Poodle look, no matter how their coat is clipped, because of the type of coat that they have, and because that is the breed that you own.
The closest you can get to making your Poodle not look like a Poodle, is to shave every bit of hair off of them.
Face, head, body, ears, and tail...all off.
Hopefully,this post will help pet Poodle owners explain to their groomers just how they would like their dog to be groomed.
A Note From Your Friendly Groomer, MFF