Poodle cross-breeds became very popular dogs in recent years. People love them because they are so intelligent and easy to train. If you’re looking for a new pup and you have been told, that cross-poodles have less grooming maintenance – I would like to share important information with you! Some of my new customers say that they have been advised that cross-bread pups should not be clipped until they are one year old. Misguided owners realise the consequences of this misleading advice only when they finally took their pup to the groomer. When to start Trimming Cross Poodle Puppies – is the important question here.

Pelted dogs are the biggest issue I come to see in my grooming salon. Pelting is when a long or curly-coated dog’s hair is matted so tightly to its skin, that it restricts airflow and can not be brushed through. A dog’s fur gets so matted & tangled it will come off in one piece. It causes tension on the skin, can damage the skin cause horrible infections and sometimes renders the dog helpless, and unable to move in the worst case it can then cause fatality. Maintenance at home has to be more than a quick once over for these dogs if you want to keep them in that fluffy coat which was probably one of the reasons you chose a cross-poodle in the first place. You need to sit down with a brush and then a metal comb ( the one that all my clients have) and make sure you can get it through the entire body at the very least 2 to 3 times a week. You must understand that pelted puppies and dogs must be clipped very short no matter must left behind. 

Please see the photo attached (shared by another groomer) shows how matting forms on the skin. By looking at this dog’s top coat, you may not see the knots and you may not feel them as you would a knot on the ends of the fur. But under that fluffy top layer that’s where this is going on.  Once it starts it’s impossible to brush out. You cannot clip through matting, you can only clip under it as this photo below shows, clipping under the matting means taking the coat back to the skin. I promise you, none of the groomers wants to do this. But that’s the only way they won’t hurt your dog by putting it through de-matting there is not any alternative. Try to work with your groomer because, together, you can prevent this from happening again. I am sure all groomers will be very happy to demonstrate a technique called line brushing which will help make your grooming at home more effective. Just ask them! We all want owners to know how to do this.

Poodle crosses are one of the highest maintenance dogs about their coats and are extremely prone to matting. If you like a fluffy pup, you probably need to consider no more than 4-6 week intervals between grooming and set aside time for regular brushing and combing at home. When you bathe your poodle cross you need to blow dry and brush out right after. Moisture, be it a bath, rain, swimming, snow etc are all going to make matting worse. If you know your dog is already matted– bathing is only going to make it worse! Brush out before the bath.

If you are considering buying a poodle crossbreeds pup please schedule your puppy’s first groom IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEY’VE HAD THEIR VACCINATION and then be prepared to do the maintenance at home between regular professional grooms. 

A dog always will be your best friend no matter what.

Regards Isabelle.