Friday, November 12, 2010

Grooming a Poodle

A local groomer has promised me that she will show me how to do a simple puppy clip on Parker, which is all I’m interested in, although he certainly has the kind of coat that would stand up well with one of those ridiculous Poodle do’s.

I got a book out of the library about clipping Poodles and it, just like the annual announcer at Westminster, insists that the modern Poodle clips are based on the Poodle’s history of being a sporting breed. I say, “Bah!” Especially as that same book went into detail on how the clip evolved after years of silliness with the aristocracy experimenting on funny mustaches and eyebrows and beards. Besides, the Portuguese Water Spaniel has the same kind of coat as a Poodle (except for its naked tail) and you never see them with outrageous topknots or shaved bellies. Well, okay, sometimes you do, but that’s in no way touted as a sporting cut.

The one thing that I *do* like about the usual puppy clip on a Poodle is the shaving of the base of the tail. This, according to my book, is done to keep the rear free of fecal matter. The importance of this maneuver was forcefully brought to mind this morning when Emmy, the silky haired Papillon, came in from outside trailing a line of poop (aka ‘cling-ons) stuck to the base of her tail. And it’s a lot easier to clean her than it would be on a fifty pound dog.

No comments:

Post a Comment