Getting a new puppy is so exciting, and it's grooming needs are one of the many things owners are faced with working out. If your puppy has poodle or poodle/ bischon mixed breeding, coat care is going to be a very important part of your and your puppy's routine, so here are some hints and tips for new owners:
1: Familiarisation with the grooming salon asap.
There is a myth perpetuated somehow, that a poodle pup doesn't need grooming or a cut until 6 months or more. This is incorrect, and the sooner your pup gets to the groomer, after their vaccinations, the easier they will take to the process. Their are a lot of new sights, noises, smells and sensations to get used to, and 4- 6 weekly baths and brush outs, along with sanitary trims, clearing the eyes, and the all important nail trims, will help ensure that your pup sees grooming as enjoyable and routine, and nothing to fear. Initial grooms taking about an hour, will be a managable foundation for th e longer grooms needed as their coats thicken at 6+ months.
2: Poodle mixes DO shed!
I know, you were thinking you wouldn't have all that hair around the house. You might not have as much hoovering to do, but you have a different chalenge, because your puppy does shed its coat, but it doesn't drop- you need to comb it our, regularly. I advise that you get into the routine of gently combing through small part of your puppies body each evening, hopefully when they are relaxed on your lap. Do a different part each night, keep it short and sweet, reward and praise, and make it just part of the routine. Pay special attention to the high risk areas behind ears, legs, under the collar, armpits, and the harness area....
3: Poodle mixes are high maintenance.
Your puupy's coat will need attention, as they matt easily if left ungroomed; if you are to avoid the dreaded circle of matting, and clip offs, then you need to be practical and think through what is apractical groom for you as well as your dog. So before you go searching cockerpoo images on google, your choices as your puppies owner, are varaibles such as
how much grooming you are prepapred to do at home
how long you want their coats to be
how well you acclimiatise them to grooming yourslef
how often youintend to have them porfessionally groomed,
what groomer do you choose / how do you choose them? (are they qualified? Check at thegroomersspotlight.com).
4: Groomer choice.
There are a few variables here, but do try and thinker wider than just proximity and cost. Your puppy's experience us crucial at this stage, and a cheap or very local groom, perhaps squeezed inbetween adult dog grooms, with other dogs about or a pressured environment, could be disastrous for your pup.
Choose carefully, ideally through recommendations or testimonials, re view websites and facebook pages carefully, and if you choose a qualified groomer, as above, you can feel a little more confident that a groomer has been externally assessed and benchmarked, so your pup will be in safe hands.
5: Preparing for puppy's first groom