# Grooming poodle mix?



## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

We adopted a cute little 7month old poodle/chihuahua mix for my son. He adores her, they are doing very well with training, house breaking (I think she probably already was housebroken just needs to adjust to our house) and everything else but I'm not quite certain how to groom her. She doesn't really have a poodle coat, but she doesn't have a chihuahua coat either (short or long haired). Her coat is long, thing, wavy and very silky. She has a beard and tons of hair around her feet. She is anything but a "froofy girly dog". She and my son are running around the backyard as I type and it has been humid and wet lately so she is prone to coming in soaking wet and muddy up to her stomach. I wound up trimming the fur on her feet with a tiny pair of scissors, this took over an hour (she was so good) and didn't do a ton. I used to do this with my shelti but I don't think it had the same effect for Dove, she still has hair all down her legs that get soaking wet and of course her face gets wet whenever she drinks (she also tends to shove her legs into the water dish). I can bathe her and comb her no problem but how would you groom her? Clip her down like a poodle? More of a maltese cut? My in-laws used to have a Shihtzu (I can never spell that right) and they shaved his entire body except his tail and head but my son doesn't want to do that to his dog. I've considered more of a sanitary cut, just shave her legs a bit and around her "tushy" (she can have some poopies hanging on her fur) but with her whole leg getting soaked I don't know how much it would help. Also with it so hot and humid she gets a very "doggie" smell going between baths, something she and Blue have in common. Not sure if shaving her down would help or not. Her fur is so soft I hate to loose that though. 

So any thoughts or experience?



This is really all the pictures I have of her right now. I have taken a few more but haven't uploaded them yet. Like I said I trimmed her feet (like a poodle but with scissors so not as clean). I don't think anyone had ever done any real grooming on her. I'm still trying to get her used to the sound of the dremel so I can do her nails.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

I would probably go with a shih tzu or schnauzer look. Shave the body, clean up the face and head, brush out the tail.
Or just give her a good brush out with baby powder/bathe her more often if the smell is all that bothersome.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

She smells the day after her bath so I don't know if I can bathe her often enough to improve her smell. Blue has the same issue I don't know if it is breed related or what. Blue is a random chihuahua/terrier mix. Remus on the other hand can have a bath and go months without smelling unless he rolls in something or goes swimming in the lake (which happens a lot in the summer months). He just doesn't ever smell doggie. I will look at the Shih tzu clips and schnauzer look. My son likes her just like she is, mop like but I think we need to do something.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

I had a really tough time with this too! Our dog's coat isn't really strongly poodle or schnauzer. It's very soft and wavy, curly when wet. I researched grooming for both breeds individually but that didn't really help. I basically asked her to shave him up (but not super short) and trim/tidy his face. Overall I was pretty happy with it. You might have to experiment a bit with it until you find the perfect cut for her.

I also try to keep up with trimming between the pads.. ugh it's a process with scissors!


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

My Chihuahua doesn't have the doggy smell and he gets bathed once a month. 

Is her coat more fur or hair (does she shed or not?). 
If the coat is more hair (like a poodle and other hypoallergenic breeders) it's not issue to shave her down as much as you want (a nice summer cut maybe?), but if she has an undercoat you are not suppose to shave them (it damages the coat and can damage the skin).
A cut I really like is the "Japanese style cut":








It's very neat and not too froufrou. 
Here's a video on how to do it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdV5BOEh63E


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

See and chi is the only thing they should have in common. I don't remember my parent's chi smelling either. Perhaps it is a non-shedding breed thing? My in-laws shih tzu would get "doggie" too, so did my grandparents pekinese but I don't think they are non-shedding. 

She does not have any kind of undercoat, just the top silky coat. So far she doesn't seem to shed though she has only been with us about a week and a half. I would think if she was going to shed she would be doing it now, the other dogs are as it is "shedding season". Blue doesn't actually shed either (the terrier in her I guess) Duke does though it is only barely noticeable (he is short haired and single coated) but Remus is blowing coat like crazy (think Husky shedding). I don't know how she would look in any poodle cut because her coat is so thin and delicate I guess is the word I'm looking for. I'm going to look at it though. I want something that keeps her looking neat and clean. I don't know if her fur/hair will keep growing like a poodle or just stay this length either.


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

Remaru said:


> See and chi is the only thing they should have in common. I don't remember my parent's chi smelling either. Perhaps it is a non-shedding breed thing? My in-laws shih tzu would get "doggie" too, so did my grandparents pekinese but I don't think they are non-shedding.
> 
> She does not have any kind of undercoat, just the top silky coat. So far she doesn't seem to shed though she has only been with us about a week and a half. I would think if she was going to shed she would be doing it now, the other dogs are as it is "shedding season". Blue doesn't actually shed either (the terrier in her I guess) Duke does though it is only barely noticeable (he is short haired and single coated) but Remus is blowing coat like crazy (think Husky shedding). I don't know how she would look in any poodle cut because her coat is so thin and delicate I guess is the word I'm looking for. I'm going to look at it though. I want something that keeps her looking neat and clean. I don't know if her fur/hair will keep growing like a poodle or just stay this length either.


Yeah Shih Tzu and Pekingnese are both normal shedders.
My cat is shedding now too, so if she were going to I think she would.
Most first generation poodle mixes tend to be non-shedding.
I think at this point I'd just trim and see how things go until you have her longer.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

My poodle/schnauzer mix never smells "doggie" so I'd be surprised if it's a non-shedding thing since both of those breeds are non-shedding. 

My aunt has a beagle/poodle/misc.? mix with a very similar coat... very soft, slightly wavy, and thin/fine. She has her trimmed up when her fur gets unruly and starts looking ragged. Her face gets trimmed but not super short and her body gets shaved (but not on a super short setting). Basically just a "cleaned up" version of what she looks like now.


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## katbou (Jan 24, 2012)

I had a shih Tzu that had food allergies. Allergies can make a dog smell.


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## kdawnk (Mar 26, 2014)

The only thing you can really do is try a few things and figure out what works and looks good for your dog.
We had a Pomeranian poodle mix who had hair just like yours except it was _just_ slightly curlier. When we shaved her down I always thought she looked silly so we just kept her with an inch of fur throughout her body, in sort of a puppy clip. Kept everything trimmed short and her legs either shaved down or just trimmed even shorter so that they wouldn't pick up as many burs and she wouldn't drag mud everywhere.

But it'll be very trial and error for the first while with your new dog until you find something you like and something that looks good too!
Don't forget to upload pictures when you do try something!


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## LoMD13 (Aug 4, 2010)

I think Lola has a pretty similar coat. I like to leave the tail and ears just a little bit longer and have them cut everything else pretty short.


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