# Poodle Whiskers



## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

Ok this has been (not) keeping me up at night. But it does keep cropping up in my mind from time to time. I wanna know. When you clip a Standard Poodles face do you clip off all of their whiskers? Do dogs feel with whiskers like cats do? Does the dog.... well..... miss the whiskers?

Obviously it's a non issue. I have been raised around Standard Poodles all my life my Aunts have had them. But it's been on my mind lately. I don't have a poodle to visit locally. So I can't recall if the Aunties Poodles had their whiskers or if they got clippered off in the face grooming process.


----------



## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

All sizes of Poodle have their whiskers shaved off if they are getting a "clean" face. Many other breeds and mixes also have their whiskers shaved off during grooming, including short haired breeds for show. Dogs don't really use their whiskers as much as cats do and I don't believe it hurts any more than other hair when they are shaven.


----------



## MoosMom (Sep 15, 2009)

Typically dogs get those all shaved off for show anyways. I shave Yoshi's and I typically ask when I groom large dogs if they want the whiskers shaved. It doesn't do the same thing to them that it would for cats.


----------



## grab (Sep 26, 2009)

She doesn't show, but I do shave off Newt's whiskers when I do her face. She doesn't see to miss them


----------



## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

lol, thanks. I don't know why that was stuck on my brain for so long. Just for clarity's sake I wasn't implying that it was cruel to take off the whiskers or anything along those lines. I do like the look of a well groomed poodle. (My Schnauzer obviously has her whiskers but they are well buried under her beard.)

It's the same in the horse world. Horses get their whiskers shaved for shows. Some folks keep them off as part of normal grooming and upkeep. I let my guy go au natural until a show day. He's pretty whiskery now since he's been on re-hab for a ligament injury. I sort of think they need their feelers at night when they are turned out. But then again I can not recall an increase in turn out accidents after shaving a muzzle......


----------



## Locke (Nov 3, 2008)

Yep, my poodles have their whiskers shaved off when they get their faces shaved. At first I was concerned about it hurting them, but the groomer said it makes no difference for them. I hope that's true.


----------

