light should be adequately bright and evenly distributed; there should be no shadows.
BEFORE YOU CUT
Brush out coat thoroughly
a) Remove all snarls, knots, tangles and mats.
b) Part the hair and brush on 1” sections-brush from the skin out.
Bath Time
a) Soak the dog thoroughly.
b) Apply shampoo and work into a good lather.
c) Pay particular attention to the rectum and pads (bottom of the paws).
d) Be careful also not to get soap in the dog’s eyes (for safety use a “tear-free” shampoo).
e) Rinse very thoroughly.
f) Squeeze legs, ears and tail.
g) Towel dry
h) Fluff dry or brush and dry.
• Start with the legs using a wire brush and moving up to the body.
• Direct dryer to the area you are brushing. Do one spot at a time.
• Use light, fluffing strokes.
• There should be no snags or tangles when you are done.
CUTTING HAIR
The first time you cut hair, cut only a small amount until you become
accustomed to how long each guide leaves the hair. Depending on
your model, the following guide combs may be included in your kit.
Always start by placing the largest guide
comb on the clipper, then use shorter combs if desired length is shorter.
Guide Comb #3—leaves hair approx. 3/8”
Guide Comb #4—leaves hair approx. 1/2”
Guide Comb #7—leaves hair approx. 3/4”
Guide Comb #8—leaves hair approx. 1”
To attach combs, hold comb with teeth up and snap it firmly to the bottom of the clipper blade.
For uniform cutting, allow the clipper to cut its way through the hair.
Do not force it through at a faster rate.
Tips For All Breeds of Dogs
1) Before clipping your puppy for the first time, run the clipper near the puppy’s ear for a short time so he gets used to the noise.
2) If clipping for the first time, the clipping process will be slow. Try to move with the dog when clipping. After a few grooming sessions, you will develop
your own comfortable style and grooming will go faster.
3) Take your time when grooming, and use a lot of affection. Dogs know when you’re in a hurry and will react by getting nervous, making grooming more
difficult.
4) It is very important to trim out excess hair on the pads. Otherwise the pads will become dirty and matted, causing painful walking for the dog.
Grooming Your Poodle
Because their hair grows so rapidly, poodles need to be groomed much more often than other breeds.
Feet:
1) Have dog sit facing you. Bring rear leg forward (Fig. 1) and clip sides of foot from nail to end of toes. Clip on top of toes, stopping at ankle
joint. Don’t trim up ankle. Spread toes apart with thumb and forefinger (Fig. 2). Cut hair between toes, being careful not to nick foot webbing.
2) Spread bottom pads with thumb and clip between toes and pads, being careful not to nick foot webbing (Fig. 3).
3) Repeat for other three feet. Touch up stray hair with scissors.
Tail:
1) Stand dog with tail toward you. Hold tail with one hand and clip top and sides AGAINST the grain from the middle toward the body. Clip bottom
WITH the grain from the bottom toward the middle (Fig. 4).
2) Comb out pompon at end of tail and use scissors to trim the largest ball possible.
3) With scissors, carefully clip around anal opening.
Face and Throat:
1) Be very careful around this area-too close of a cut may cause razor burns. Cut AGAINST grain. The area to be clipped is shown in Figs. 5-8.
Bend ears back and use a cloth band to keep topknot (bangs) out of clipping area. The clipper is not to be used above eyes. Note: You may
want to “rough trim” this area first, cutting WITH the grain.
2) Hold muzzle with your free hand. Cut from ear to the outside corner of eye in a straight line. Stretch the skin at the outside corner of left eye
upward and backward. Clip CAREFULLY under the eye. (Use Fig. 5 and 6 as your guide.) Repeat on other side.
3) With free hand, stretch the corner of the mouth with your thumb, using the rest of your hand to hold mouth shut. Clip around mouth and side
of face. Repeat on other side.
4) Holding muzzle, clip the area between the eyes and down the nose.
5) To clip the muzzle, clip away from the eyes toward the nose. Hold dog’s head, throat taut, and clip bottom of muzzle (Fig. 8). The Adam’s
apple is usually the stopping point of the cut, but you may clip lower.
6) Clip the rest of the throat area toward the muzzle.
7) If you desire your poodle to have a mustache, clip to angle the top of the mustache even with the crack of the mouth. Then trim a straight cut
around the chin.
Stomach:
1) Stand dog facing you. Lift front legs and clip from a point above the testicles or vulva in a straight line to the end of the rib cage, using Fig. 9 as
a guide. DO NOT clip up leg. Use light pressure, being careful to not nick vulva, penis, testicles or nipples. Cover them with your hand.
2) Clip the hair on penis with the grain.
Body:
Tip: Stop frequently while clipping to fluff the hair. It will help keep the hair even.
1) Clip along the back, starting at the base of the skull, and cut down the middle of the back to the tail (Fig. 10). Shorten all hair as shown in
the illustration, starting at the neck.
