# poodle grooming



## KintaroLove (May 21, 2008)

Im trying to grow out my dogs coat so i can cut it into a puppy lion cut or a full lamb cut. Should i take him to the groomer to get cut this way till it grow out the way i want it or have him grow out wihtout any cut and take him in and get him cut.

Also his coat doesnt have much body. (he's soft wavy/curly) not coarse. is there a way to boost more body especially on his ears?

Also I use a fine metal tooth flea comb to groom him. I go a couple strands to a couple strandsat a time when im conditioning him and then when hes dry i go in with a slicker brush. Is this an okay way to do this? do i need a leave in conditioner? Also can poodle fur get shiny?


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Its really up to you whether you want to have the pattern set in now, or wait till he is grown out more. With a puppy lion trim, you are going to have to make sure that an experience groomer does it, and it will probably need some tweaking here and there each time to get it just perfect. The puppy lion is ALOT more hair than a lamb though, and TONS of maintenance at home also, with regular 2 week professional groomings. 

You need to be conditioning the coat every time you wash him. Bathing weekly grows coat faster, just make sure you are using a mild shampoo, not a clarifier, etc. Then condition. I would never recommend using a flea comb on a dog you are trying to grow coat on. It is too fine, and is going to be damaging coat, making it more prone to breakage and matting. Use a pin brush, and then a greyhound comb or poodle comb. 

Depending on his age, his coat may be soft/wavy because its not adult coat yet, or because that is just how his coat is going to be. There is MUCH variation in poodle coats, and most of the pets I see have soft,wavy coats, rather than the coarser curly coats (which are MUCH easier to scissor..lol) Never brush his coat when its dry without misting a coat spray over the area you are brushing. I really like Crown Royal #2 myself, but there are tons of them. Dampening the coat reduces breakage and helps keep damage to the cuticle to a minimum. 

If you decide to take him to the groomer to get cut in, make sure your groomer knows how to do the cuts. A puppy lion is not a cut that most pet groomers ever do, and I have seen many really bad lamb trims too.


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## KintaroLove (May 21, 2008)

thanks so much Graco! can you recommend any other products? I was looking at the site for crown royal is there anything else that u recommend?


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

I've used Crown Royal products and like them very much, but my overall favorite is EQyss - all of their products are great. The shampoos rinse out easily, and I use on myself as well! 

I've also used (human) Infusium leave-in spray conditioner to help with fine, or puppy coats, to add body. 

You'll need a steel Poodle comb, to use after brushing with the pin brush or slicker. The flea comb teeth are really too close together, and you'll likely end up pulling out hair.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

There are millions of other coat sprays out there that you can use while brushing/combing. I have tried tons of them, and just prefer Crown Royal #2. Some people prefer their #3. You can try some of them, and see which ones you prefer. I love the smell of Crown Royal, so that helps too..lol I do also like The Answer, from EZ Groom as a second choice. Diluted 15:1. If you want to speed up coat growth, you can get a product called Halo Dream Coat. Its a oil that you put as topping on food..its get coat growing like nothing I have ever seen. Amazing stuff, and its all just good oils. Its reasonably priced as well. For shampoos, if his coat is limp and wavy, I would probably use EZ Groom's Structure every other bath, and use a regular shampoo on the others. I prefer Coat Handler conditioner, and use it as a leave in when I use it. Don't condition him if you are scissoring/cutting him that day, as it softens the coat. For regular baths though, you want to condition. Keeping up a full coat on a poodle is alot of work, kudos to you for giving it a try.  I just shaved my boy in my avatar down a month ago. A year of keeping up full jacket show trim..did me in..lol His next trim will be a german. Going to be awhile to grow in.


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## KintaroLove (May 21, 2008)

lol thank you. I will look into all the sprays. EQYSS seems great so does the body crown royal. Planning to scissor him myself but i don't think im ready to clip him myself yet.hes been a really great sport about my funny grooming and getting used to it. I really love how these poodles look and im aiming for this look. any tips? My poodle looks like the short haired awkward one in the back. made me laugh. 










Is halo dream coat okay to use with angel eyes? 

BTW Graco your poodle looks beautiful


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Thanks Kintaro. I love my boy, and he sure was beautiful then when he was in show coat. I placed 2nd with him that day in a grooming competition in Atlanta in March. Right now he is so short... But keeping up all that coat on a standard, and grooming for a living, was just getting to be too much for me. 

As for your boy, if you are wanting the complete look with the banded topknot, etc. you are going to have to just get that coat growing. It will take a year at least to get his coat to where those dog's coats are. You will have to learn how to properly band up his topknot on a daily basis, and learn how to wrap his ears also. There is a great book by Shirlee Kalstone-Poodle Grooming that explains it all in good detail so you can learn how to do it as he grows out. I wouldn't scissor anything on him at this point if he is that short. Just let it grow, keep his feet,face and tail set shaved in, and just let it grow. Do you have any pics of him? When it comes time to set in the pattern, you will need an experienced groomer or breeder to help you. In the meantime, brush, comb, bath, and get the coat growing. Yes, you can use Dream Coat with Angel Eyes.


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