Tips for Bathing and Grooming Toy Poodles

When it comes to tips for bathing and grooming toy poodles; the bedrock for a well-groomed Toy Poodle is regular brushing.  Most groomers actually recommend brushing your dog before bathing him – nothing can be more frustrating than working with a knot or tangle that is wet.  Bathing can be done as often as once a week to once a month – depending on how dirty your grooming toy poodles gets.  Brushing and regular grooming, however, should be done more regularly – some dedicated owners give their Toy Poodles a brush at least once a day.  If that is not feasible for you, then 2-3 times a week is a good habit. In this article, you’ll learn some tips about bathing and grooming toy poodles

Grooming Tips

You can use a grooming table if you have one – or some other feasible alternative.  The purpose of daily or regular grooming is to remove loose or fallen hair which has gotten tangled in the coat – Poodles may not shed, but they do lose hair, and these can get caught in the tight curls, thereby creating mats. Using a pin brush or a slicker brush, give your Poodle a once-over regularly just to get those loose hair out.  You may use a light spritz of conditioner or detangler to make things easier – and this can also help prevent hair from breaking.  Too much brushing might also cause static and fly-always from forming, so a bit of misting is a good idea.

Brush in sections – working your way through the entire coat, making sure you have gotten all the tangles out.  Use a hand to hold a section of hair before brushing – this keeps you from pulling on the hair, which might be painful for your dog.  Some recommend using an oil spray that you work completely into the coat – all the way down to the skin – if you know that you will not be able to brush your dog’s coat again for a few days. 

Bathing

When bathing, use quality dog shampoo and conditioner, making sure that you don’t get any of the products into his eyes.  Rinse thoroughly, making sure to get all of the shampoo out – any leftover shampoo will dry and irritate his skin.  Once your Toy Poodle is thoroughly clean, use a dryer set on low heat and a brush for his curls to dry him.  Don’t let him air dry as this can actually tighten the curls, making subsequent brushing more difficult, and any tangles more difficult to get out.

Finish up with eye wipes to keep your Poodle’s face clean of tear stains, and a nose balm to protect his nose from the sun, drying, or chapping.  Some groomers also recommend using paw wax to prevent dry, cracked paws. 

As for clipping – it is always a good idea to have a professional groomer give your Toy Poodle your preferred clip to begin with, then you can simply trim every so often to maintain this cut.  There are a number of popular Poodle clips you can choose from – with a greater range than that which the AKC considers acceptable.  Always be careful when trimming around or near the eyes, ears, and paws so that you don’t injure them.  If in doubt, don’t.  Better leave it up to the groomer the next time you pay them a visit.  Just be sure to keep their coat well-maintained with regular brushing and combing.