Here are just a couple of links on You Tube that are a great place to start for grooming your own Poodle.
Let’s talk products and I will break down tools that the home groomer will use.
We’ll start with shampoos, conditioners etc as this is a popular topic and one of the first questions we get asked about. I will say right now that my personal fave brand is Pure Paws and I have tried many. I love that they use quality, safe ingredients and feel that I get the best results with this brand. Because I have more than a couple of Poodles, I use a number of different shampoos depending on the coat type etc so I would urge you to reach out and call them and let them help guide you or ask for samples of several choices and see what works best for you. In the interest of being as helpful as possible I want to note here that while some might say human shampoo is bad for dogs and that the PH is different, this is a myth and there is no reason you can’t use human shampoo on dogs or Pure Paws on your own hair for that matter. The biggest advantages to buying a professional product is that they are designed for dog coats and come in concentrated formulas that allow you to mix with water so while they seem pricey up front, it does take a LOT more product to get a dog bathed and clean than your hair. I will include some links for products I love.
For a great all around shampoo from Pure Paws I would choose this one:
I love this spray for a light condition after bath and before or after dry depending on what works best for you.
For a creamier conditioning rinse there is the Reconstructing Conditioner that is also good for many coats.
For a whitening option, Pure Paws makes this shampoo. Wash with regular shampoo, rinse then start with lower legs and work in whitening shampoo and let set for a bit before rinsing.
It’s worth investing in a grooming table and I would also add that a grooming arm and noose will really help a beginner though I wouldn’t recommend using one on a young puppy. In fact, with a new puppy, it is best to start out simply putting them on the table and letting them get accustomed to it before you start doing any grooming. Keep training sessions short and sweet praising and treating for any calm behavior and then you can gradually build up to longer time on and grooming more. This is a back saver big time and much easier to deal with than say a kitchen table or countertop. Use a towel at first so they feel more confident in footing. One other note- keep table size fairly close to what an adult can just stand on comfortably and not overly large or they may tend to walk around more and turn etc making it more difficult to groom. NEVER, EVER, EVER leave a dog unattended on a grooming table and most certainly not while in a grooming noose!! The purpose of the grooming noose is that many dogs tend to move their head around a lot and this makes it harder to groom them BUT if they fell while you were not there to prevent injury, the consequences could be deadly.
Here is a reasonbly priced grooming table:
Clippers and trimmers: Two main points I will make here with regard to these. I prefer a cordless trimmer for face, feet and sanitary area but for full body clipping, I prefer a corded type clipper and I will explain pros and cons to both. For trimmer, I have used the Wahl Arco for years and the advantage to these clippers and trimmers is that they are lighter weight, a lot more quiet when running and don’t tend to heat up. The blades are easier to get between foot pads and to use for detailed areas. However, the blades do tend to clog easily and are more sensitive. I recommend that you have at least three blades on hand so that you always have one that is good, sharp and ready to go. For body clipping, I find cordless lack the power and as already mentioned, the blades don’t perform as well for this so I recommend the Andis 2 speed and with that you will have to purchase separately some blades. For the average home groomer, several ten blades will do nicely and can be used by themselves or there are comb attachments you can also purchase if you want to experiment with leaving more coat. Amazon has all of these items but it doesn’t hurt to shop around for the best deal. I am including links below for everything discussed. NOTE- PLEASE WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS ON HOW TO SEAT BLADES AND PROPER CARE OF CLIPPERS AND BLADES. Care of your blades makes all the difference in the world. There are also many options to mail off blades for sharpening. They must stay clean and oiled to work properly and should always be used on a clean dog. Dirt grinds edges down and dulls them plus heats them up faster. Running the too hot ruins them as well. Finally, I am also including a link for clipper combs. These attachments are labeled for the length they cut the coat to and allow you to leave some coat and not clip to the skin. In order for these to work, the dog must be well dried and thoroughly brushed and combed.
Cordless Wahl Trimmer link :
Blades for Andis clipper
Blades for Acro trimmer
Clipper Combs
Nails: Ok here’s where there can be a lot of cringing and squeamish feelings but it is vitally important that nails are kept as short as possible or you run the risk of damaging your dog’s feet. There are traditional nail clippers and regardless if you also plan to use a grinder, it doesn’t hurt to have a pair of these on hand as well. And then there’s a dremel you can use to grind the nails down. For this option, we actually recommend you try some of the newer, cordless options that have a diamond bit. NOTE: if you allow the nails to grow excessively long, it is best to clip them first and then grind OR you will probably have to grind every other day or so to achieve a shorter length. Holding the grinder on the nail too long can cause friction burn – something plenty of ladies will understand having had this happen getting those acrylic nails done. NOTE FOR LINK BELOW – BE SURE TO SELECT THE ENHANCED VERSION- this version does not grab coat and tangle – worth every penny! Also, if you contact the seller, I absolutely love the dremel they sell. It is much more quiet and lights up on the end to help you see the quick more easily. I find the dremel name brand has more noise than theirs but have a 700 cordless version that will also accept these bits and works well too.
Brushes-a good slicker brush is a must have and this is also another area where you get what you pay for. Here’s the biggest difference and why you would pay $60-80 for either a Les Pooches or Chris Christensen (these are hands down the best two brands) – these slickers have their bristles ground smooth to prevent scraping the skin raw when brushing though you still need to pay some attention to this. However, a good slicker is the best tool for you to keep that coat in good shape and keep the under coat from matting up. The other must have is a good greyhound comb which is the term for the type of comb most often used. I prefer my combs to be on the longer side and you’ll find they come in a vareity of options like Medium/Fine, Coarse/Medium and so on. I have a couple myself and none cost more than $15 EXCEPT – I do have a Chris Christensen with the tines set wider apart that I cannot live without as well. A well brushed coat should be able to have a comb go through the coat on at least a medium comb! The link I am providing for a greyhound comb is a comb I have and really like. I find the cheapest ones do not last long and the tines fall out or bend easily.
Comb – the first is a larger 10″ for Standards and then I will also include a link for a 7″ for smaller Poodles:
7″ and I love the rounded edge on this one:
Slicker Brush – Miller’s Forge is a great brush with a budget friendly price and also very popular with groomers – link below and do note these also come in different sizes
Another absolute must have is a force dryer and the Poodle coat should always be dried when thoroughly wetted. This is one area where the average pet owner doesn’t need the more expensive options but there are a few tricks to note before buying. One of the biggest factors in price is how much horse power the dryer has and anything much less than 4 horsepower is a time waster. Anything much over that though and you run the risk of blowing the circuits on your breaker panel. Once again, I recommend shopping Amazon and because the brands change often, I won’t be able to say one or the other but generally I suspect there are a few manufacturers making virtually the same dryer under multiple names so instead, here are the featuers I recommend. Look for one that has a heat setting and a dial to turn up or down the air flow and again, stick as close to that 4hp as you can. The heat setting and ability to turn it down are great for younger puppies as it makes the dryer more quiet to begin with and you can slowly work them up to full speed this way. There are several options at any given time that are under $100 and the amount of time and effort saved vs using a human blow dryer make these worth every penny spent!
Finally, some of you will style and trim your own top knots and tails and for this, a decent pair of grooming scissors is a must have. If you plan to do this yourself, I recommend again that you not go too cheap and for home use, several brands have some solid workhorse shears that will last you for years with care. Kenchii, Freebirds and Geib. Both offer different price levels so it pays to talk to someone before you purchase. For most since the array of options can be overwhelming I would recommend you start with an 8″ straight and then decide which shank and grip works best for your hand. Ideally, you can pick up and hold some different ones to see which feels most comfortable and the best way to do this is find a shop, go to dog shows since they almost always have shear vendors at the bigger AKC dog shows, or grooming expos. Freebirds has a location in Euless, Texas and there is a general grooming supply in the same shopping strip that has other brands.