In 2024, more and more Ukrainians are happy to join their families with poodles of different growth standards, so we decided that you would be interested to learn how a classic poodle haircut with a clipped face and paws is performed by the groomers of our network of “V.O.G DOG” salons. It should be noted that there is a whole variety of haircuts for poodles, and at the request of the owners, groomers can make haircuts taking into account the desired length of the body, paws, cap and tail. After all, salons provide services not for exhibition grooming, but for pet grooming, the main purpose of which is the convenience and ease of maintaining the good appearance of animals.
Preparatory stage of poodle haircut
Combing a poodle
Poodles have a rather hard, thick, curly coat that hardly sheds, so it is more prone to tangles and tangles. In order to avoid this, it should be combed systematically. Grooming salons have a variety of grooming tools, including metal combs, fluffers, clippers, and roughing shears. Depending on the condition of the coat, groomers choose the appropriate tool. For example, in the case of minor boils, a puffer is used, and in the case of complex boils, a coat cutter or scissors are used to divide a large boil into several smaller ones. Particular attention should be paid to the underarms, inner thighs, ears and ammunition carrying area.
It is important to note: if the poodle has a lot of fur, they are basal or form a solid shell, then combing them does not make sense. It will take a lot of time, the poodle will get tired, it will hurt and a negative experience of visiting the salon will be formed. In this case, a rough cut of the entire area is made before bathing, and after grooming, the owners are explained how to properly care for and grow the desired length of hair.
Bathing a poodle
To get a good haircut, groomers spend a lot of time bathing, choosing the cosmetics that will be necessary for a particular animal. Usually, masters use deep cleansing shampoo, texturizing shampoo and balm. Together, they allow you to achieve elastic voluminous wool, which will be convenient to cut into voluminous shapes. It should be added that when visiting a salon for hygienic complexes, the masters will use moisturizing cosmetics so as not to dry the wool once more.
Bathing is done with massaging movements, warm water in large quantities. The ears must be washed both from above and from the inside, without reaching the auricle. All cosmetics must be washed off thoroughly. If it remains on the poodle, after drying, the coat will be greasy, as if not washed, and the animal will have to be washed again, causing additional stress for it. For a good haircut, it is extremely important that the wool falls apart.
Drying the fur of a poodle
Taking into account the specifics of poodle wool, it is dried zonally. Until the area is completely dry, the groomers do not move on to work with a hair dryer and a fluffer. Why? Because wet, under-dried poodle hair will quickly twist into curls and the effect of professional grooming will not be there, as well as a perfect haircut on elongated hair.
A small feature of poodles is that their fur is very thick above the heels and you must not forget to dry it completely so that it does not curl into a curl. Groomers with little experience can often miss this.
Haircut of a poodle
The decoration of poodles is their paws, which groomers shave accordingly. First, cut the fur between the pads of the paws, gradually moving to the outer side of the toes. It is important to cut the fur only from the moving part of the paw, but if the owners wish, it can go up a little higher. The main task in cutting poodle paws is to make sure that the wool from the pants does not cover the toes when walking.
The next stage is cutting the butt and tummy. Here it is necessary to use a knife of the correct length so as not to provoke irritation and discomfort in the animal. In the butt area, groomers shave excess hair only from the anus. On the tummy, a short haircut goes to the inguinal fold and the inner part of the thigh.
In poodles, the hair grows at an angle of 90 degrees to the body, so there is no fundamental difference between whether the haircut will be performed according to the growth of the hair. Groomers cut the body from the neck. This is how they plan what volume the cap will be. This breed can be cut quite short, because it will not be hot in the summer, and in the winter, most owners dress their pets in sweaters, overalls, and jackets anyway.
Despite the short body, the legs will always have longer hair. The hind legs are anatomically longer than the front legs, so when cutting the front legs, it is necessary to leave more hair than on the body for an illusory longer leg. Also for this, groomers determine the height of the inguinal fold to adjust the poodle’s waist. On thin poodles, it is advisable not to cut the fur in this area to add volume to the appearance. We have already drawn your attention to the fact that poodles’ legs are longer than the body, but they must be cut with a machine to the same length in straight parallel lines to the hock joint. In the future, the masters file the wool with scissors, including the area below the joint. If this is neglected, we can get a narrow paw at the bottom, which will not fit the general concept of the haircut.
The cut of the tail has its own specificity. Usually, it is shaved by 1/3, but in representatives with a long tail, more hair can be left to form a symmetrical ball or drop.
At the end, the masters cut their heads. A classic haircut is characterized by a trimmed nose and a collar. This entire zone is shaved from the inner corners of the eyes to the nose, from the outer corners of the eyes to the ears, descending with a collar about 2-3 cm from the lower jaw.
If you want to make an Asian haircut, then instead of shaving the face, make an oval or round bun with a round cap on the head and ears.
In the case of a puppy haircut, on the contrary, masters do not cut out any shapes and perform a haircut along the entire body in one length, achieving a velor effect.
After shaving the face, the groomers round off the cap, starting from the eyes, so that it does not interfere with the poodle’s comfortable view of the world. The cap is cut from different sides, achieving a perfect ball.
As a cherry on the cake, we have ears. They come in various forms: you can shave completely or half, leave a bone, make the ears very long, even, rounded, etc. The main thing in cutting this part of the body is not to hit the ear itself. Poodles are different, their ears can be anatomically short or long, therefore, during haircuts, masters always focus on the length of the ear itself, and only then offer options for their haircut.
A good master always leaves another 15-20 minutes after the main haircut to polish the entire coat to achieve an ideal result. Finally, an antistatic agent is applied to the wool as needed and perfume chosen by the owner.
The poodle is ready to collect admiring glances from everyone around!
In conclusion, I would like to say a few words about communication with groomers. They are your friends and advisors. Do not be afraid to devote enough time to your wishes and questions on topics that concern you. Masters want to enjoy their work, giving you positive emotions and the desire to return to them. They are never too lazy to give you recommendations for home care of poodles, because every master is happy to implement your wishes in haircuts when they see well-groomed poodles without mange and dry skin and hair. It also creates a positive experience for the animals themselves, because they receive the full attention of the groomers, without discomfort during grooming.
Remember: you can always contact our administrators for advice and recommendations at a time convenient for you. On our website you can find out even more interesting information about poodles and the cost of all services provided by our network.
