|
|
Past issues of Poodle Variety, a magazine dedicated to Poodles have had several excellent articles on the process of maintaining a show coat and grooming for the show ring. This magazine can be ordered from P.O. Box 30430, Santa Barbara, CA 93130. The Complete Poodle, by Del Dahl, Howell Book House, 866 Third Ave. New York, NY 10022, 1994; has a nice section on Poodle grooming and and show preparation. The Illustrated Poodle Breed Standard which can be obtained from Poodle Club of America. This describes the various coat types and required clips for conformation competition.
Poodle Coat: The Poodle coat is composed of individual hairs which never stop growing, similar to that of human head hair. The Poodle puppy has a soft hair coat which usually falls in gentle waves to soft curls. As the puppy grows the coat grows. Sometime between 9 and 16 months the coat begins to undergo a change in texture. During this "coat change" time the coat tends to mat easily and if it is maintained for conformation showing requires freqent brushing to keep the mats out and the dog comfortable. Once the coat change is complete the brushing can often be decreased to once a week, depending upon the activities of the dog and it's individual coat type. Most adult Poodle coats will naturally form cords if not burshed out after a bath. It is usually very difficult to care for a corded Poodle coat as it takes a very long time for the cords to dry, especially in a humid climate. A coat maintained for conformation showing which is in cords must be hand hand picked of vegetation seeds if the dog is allowed to swim or run in fields. The Poodle grooming books which are obtainable at most canine book sources have detailed photos and drawings of the various Poodle clips.
Brushing
Bathing
Eye care
Ear Care
Teeth Care
Nail Care
The Clips
Blow Drying
Scissoring and Shaping
Growing a Show Coat
Further Study
|
