Appearance & Grooming

The pop-culture image of the poodle, as a pampered lap dog, has its roots in history; but it was, surely, the popularity of the “Poodle clip” first created in France, that’s become the iconic image of the poodle. Generally these elaborate clips are seen on poodles that are competing in “shows,” because they require hours, averaging at least 10 hours a week of brushing and care.

Show poodles are usually clipped to a lower-maintenance style of cut as soon as their show careers are over. Pet clips are much less elaborate than show and require much less maintenance. A poodle companion can anticipate grooming a poodle every 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the type of cut, age and variety of poodle. Although professional grooming is often costly, poodles are easy to groom at home with the proper equipment.

Corded Coat

In most cases, whether a poodle is in a pet or show clip, the hair is completely brushed out; however, a poodle’s hair can also be “corded” with rope-like mats similar to dreadlocks seen on humans (and also seen on the a Komondor breed of dog). At one time this style was as common as the curly poodle; now, however corded poodles are rare. This rarity is probably due to the fact that corded coats, like the human dreadlocks, are difficult to keep clean and take a long time to dry after washing. Any poodle variety with a normal coat can have its coat corded after its adult coat comes in.

Show Clips

Many breed registries allow only certain clips for poodles shown in conformation. In American Kennel Club (AKC) shows, Adult Poodles must be shown in the “Continental” or “English saddle” clips. Poodles under 12 months old are allowed to be shown with a “puppy clip”. Also, the AKC allows the “Sporting” clip in Stud Dog and Brood Bitch classes.

There is some controversy about how the show clips evolved. There are those who believe that the show clips evolved from working clips given to retrievers, which were originally done to provide warmth to the joints when the dogs were immersed in cold water. The rest of the body was then shaved to create less resistance in the water. Skeptics, reject this theory and instead believe the French circus was the origin of the entertaining and unique clips.

The Continental Clip

The continental clip is when the face, throat, feet and part of the tail are shaved. The upper half of the front legs is shaved, leaving “ankle cuffs” or “fluffy pompons” around the ankles. The hindquarters are shaved except for pompons on the lower leg (from the hock to the base of the foot) and optional round areas (sometimes called “rosettes”) over the hips. The continental clip is the most popular clip seen today in competition.

The English Saddle Clip

The Continental Clip is the same as the English Saddle Clip except for on the hindquarters, which are not shaved except for a small, curved area on each flank, the feet, and bands just below the knee (stifle) and above the hock, leaving four pompons. This particular clip is out of fashion and is now rarely seen on standard poodles.

Scandinavian or Puppy Clip

The Scandinavian Clip or Puppy Clip (sometimes called the “second puppy clip,” was created by Swedish and Norwegian show groomers in the 1970s. It is a one-size-fits-all cut and the most common one in all sizes for shows throughout Europe. It is allowed for adult poodles to be shown in the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) countries.

To create a Scandinavian Clip, or Puppy Clip, the face, throat, belly, feet and the base of the tail are shaved five to seven days before a show to achieve a nice, smooth appearance of the shaved areas. The hair on the head is left to form a “topknot”, fixed in place using latex bands, the bands are used because in most European countries, hair spray of any type is banned from competition. The rest of the poodle’s cut is shaped with scissors, the idea being, to make parts of the poodle look fluffy.

Pet Clips

Pet clips are the home groomer’s friend.

They can be as simple or as elaborate as the adopted parents’ wishes. The hair under the tail should always be kept short to keep feces from matting in the dog’s curls. Most poodle parents also need to keep the feet and face clipped short to prevent dirt from matting between toes, food from matting around the dog’s muzzle and tear stains on the lighter-coated poodles.

Once the sanitary requirements are achieved, any desired clip depends on the preference of the poodle parent. For many poodle parents living in the northern climates maintaining a longer clip in winter and a shorter cut in the summer makes sense. The longer cut is maintained by grooming often with a wire slicker brush to remove tangles and prevent matting.