# What about shaving my standard poodles ears?



## Angie's Bella (Dec 28, 2008)

I am thinking about having Bella shaved down for the summer and getting the hair in her ears shaved down too. My only concern with this is how long will it take for the hair to grow back in? She just turned a year old and I have never had the hair in her ears cut. Her ears aren't real long but they have really filled in over the last few months. I love them and they are so beautiful, however, she LOVES to play outside and she gets everything caught in the hair on her ears. I am getting the rest of her shaved next week to help her stay cool and clean this summer, but if it is going to take forever for her ears to grow back then I am going to leave them long. Anyone know about this? Should I just leave them?


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Sometimes with dogs like poodles, a shave off can really help the coat come in more full. Not sure why, but it can help alot. It can look really cute too...it won't take 'forever' for them to grow back, but don't expect them to be full length by the time her next groom comes round, that's all...

My puppy...he doesn't get 'shaved off', but his cut entails ears that are shaved short...


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## Angie's Bella (Dec 28, 2008)

So, do you think that by winter her ears would be back? I don't know why I am so weird about it, God knows that even if she was bald I would think she was beautiful! I just love the way theirs ears look when their face is shaved and they have long soft ears. I am hoping that by winter she will have matured a little more and letting her ears be long will make more since than it does now.


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## Chubs (Oct 4, 2007)

First off, Shugs isn't a full blood poodle, she's a doodle. But she has a poodle coat. I get her pretty much shaved, I just like the way she looks that way. I think it's a #4 clipper at the pet smart groomers. I keep her all one lentgh, tail and all. no poof there or on her head. Anyways...Her coat is pretty much back within six months. About 2 inches long or so. Here are a few pics....Take care.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Shaving the ears is a very nice easy to maintain cut, and its cute too. However, its going to take awhile for them to grow back, and there is a stage where they are just very poofy and sticking out..the longer they get, the more the hair lays down on the ear. I shaved my boy's ears March 4th, with a 5 blade..and here is the length they are now...I am expecting 9 months or more before he really has a nice long poodle ear again...don't mind the rest of the cut..its hideous, but I didn't want to maintain all the coat while I waited for his ears to grow back.


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## Angie's Bella (Dec 28, 2008)

Thanks guys for showing pictures with your comments, it really helps to have a visual. I think I am going to go ahead and get her ears shaved too. My groomer is trying to talk me out of it because Bella's ears are really pretty. All the hair is almost the same length and is about 3-4 inches longer than her ear. They are a lot of work to keep up, I have to brush them everyday and she gets EVERYTHING caught in them and half of what she eats on them (and that is just gross ).


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Cool...post piccies! I think she will look adorable with clipped ears; you don't have to go super short either...I will take snap on combs to clients ears if they want them short and managable, but not necessarily 'gone'...takes length off but still leaves something there.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Of they are 3-4 inches past the leathers, you could just wrap them to keep them clean and out of food and water. It takes awhile to get the technique down, but wrapping them will keep the length and keep them nice and clean too..But then when they are wrapped, you don't see how long and pretty the ears are...lol


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## Angie's Bella (Dec 28, 2008)

Graco22 said:


> Of they are 3-4 inches past the leathers, you could just wrap them to keep them clean and out of food and water. It takes awhile to get the technique down, but wrapping them will keep the length and keep them nice and clean too..But then when they are wrapped, you don't see how long and pretty the ears are...lol


Wrap them? Please tell me what that means, I've never heard of that.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Angie's Bella said:


> Wrap them? Please tell me what that means, I've never heard of that.



Wrapping ears and topknots, jacket hair, etc is a necessity and norm in poodles being show, or grown out to be shown. For ears, otherwise, they will never grow long enough, as they break off, get in their mouths, food, etc. Lainee makes great wrappers for dogs, in every color you could imagine, as well as the bands. What you do is start with a clean, dry, combed out ear. You take a 1inch wide piece of papertowel, and wrap it around the ear, just below the bottom of the leather. Holding that, you take the wrapper, and position the papertowel/earhair where you can fold the wrapper from both sides around the hair...from the left and right. Once you have that neatly folded, you fold in half from the bottom of the wrapper, then in half again, and secure it with bands at the top and bottom of the wrapper. Then you take a comb and slide it thru (just above the top band) to be sure you haven't banded any of the leather. If the comb goes thru the hair and sticks out the other side of the ear, you are good. If it hits leather, you will have to rewrap them. Usually once you get the technique figured out, and they aren't sliding out on you, they will last a week or so before needing to be redone. 


http://pets.webshots.com/album/557714090FlMkWC?start=12

The above link shows wrapping coat, not specifically the ears..but same technique...and you can see the picture of the dog with the ears wrapped too. 

http://onoshipoodles.com/showgrooming.cfm

This above site shows more specifics of the ear itself, and does show the front edge of the ear just banded first..that is done to enable that hair to grow as long as the rest, so it fits in the protection of the wrappers.


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## Raggs (Jan 10, 2007)

I love the shaved ears look.. I'm gonna keep my Poodle with full ears, but I would shave my Lhasa's ears.. I kept her in full coat with bald ears.. She was so dang cute.


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## comix (May 27, 2009)

if you are concerned with your dog getting things tangled in the ears - you might try using a do-rag or stocking cap.

plus it's considered fashionable in an urban hip hop sort of way.


I use a stocking cap on my dog during the winter because the ears tend to pick up mud and dirt from all the sniffing at the ground.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Oh yeah, the above post reminded me of Snoods...they are made specifically for dogs with long floppy ears...to keep them clean. You see them on alot of show springer and cockers...but can use them on poodles too, especially if the hair on the back of the neck isn't really long. (otherwise it can cause matting)..Google them.


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