How to Brush a Poodle – All the Steps You Need To Follow

Grooming your puppy should begin from birth when they are puppies so that they get used to the routine. The poodle needs to get used to the grooming tools, and in that case, they won’t fear grooming. But if this was not done, then take time to train him.

Brushing is done as a daily or weekly grooming routine depending on the length of your poodle’s fur and the type of fur too and other personal preferences. You also brush a poodle before clipping his fur, so that poodle fur clippers can glide effortlessly through the fur without causing pain and discomfort.

Tools Needed

You need a good firm surface where he is within reach, and therefore a grooming table is designed perfectly for this job. You also need a metal comb, slicker comb, pin brush, and conditioning spray. In addition, you need shampoo if your dog’s fur has formed mats.

Brushing

Your poodle fur will need to be brushed daily to maintain it well if it is long. Some fur textures may also need to be brushed daily to maintain them well though their length may be short. If the coat is not brushed as required, it will form mats. It will also give fleas a chance to attack his body.

You can develop a brushing routine and treat it as your special time to bond with your poodle. Begin by placing him on the grooming table. Brush his body, segment after segment until you are done. Brush small sections at a time.

Use a pin brush to brush his body. You brush the fur from his skin moving to the end of the fur. Apply a little conditioning spray.

His whole body needs to be brushed, including his legs, body, neck, and ears. There is no rule of where to start. You can start from anywhere. What is important is to have his whole fur brushed.

You can start from the dog’s legs going upwards towards his neck and head. Or alternatively, you can start from his head, ears, and neck and move downward towards his tail and legs.

Brushing the poodle from his legs moving upwards, have the dog standing so that you can brush his legs. Brush both legs gently. Then you can move to the other parts of his body. Brush the tail and tail area. Move on to the body and sensitive areas. Let your dog lie on his side as you are doing this. Then move on to his neck. Then his head with a special focus on brushing his ears.

Dealing with Mats and Tangles

If your dog has mats, don’t use a brush on them. Work on minor tangles with your fingers but use a slicker brush or metal comb to work on tougher tangles and large mats.

Mats do take time to be combed out. Take time to do this to avoid causing any kind of discomfort to your pouch. You do not want him to dread his hair being brushed.

The fur has to be untangled gently. You do this by working from the edge of the tangle and working downwards, a section at a time until you reach the skin area. Start by applying shampoo on the mats. For large mats, start by untangling them first and removing the tangles. Loosen the hair by brushing in all four directions.

Once you finish a mat, brush it with a metal comb, and then brush the area.

If you are unable to untangle a mat, then you have to cut that section out using a pair of scissors.

Once you finish the whole body, take time to inspect your dog’s skin. Check for fleas, rashes or bare spots.

Now give your dog a treat for a job well done. Now the poodle can be washed if it is his bathing day or if he was out playing in the dust.

What Will Happen If Poodle is Not Brushed Regularly?

Avoid mats from forming by brushing your poodle’s hair daily.The fur will form mats, and this will force you to cut out the mat. And too many mats will mean that you will have to shave his entire fur.

Dogs shed their fur naturally, and if the hair is not brushed, it forms mats. Mats can pull at the dog’s skin and can also result in skin infections. Skin infections cause discomfort and pain.

Whether to Brush before or After Bathing

Avoid shampooing and bathing your poodle before brushing him. It is better to form this routine even if the fur is short so that you can follow the same routine when the far gets long. Washing the fur before brushing it creates tangles which are challenging to untangle.

How Long Does It Take To Brush a Poodle?

The whole exercise depends on a lot of factors. Anywhere between 15 minutes to about one hour. It largely depends on your poodle’s fur texture and type. It also depends on the length of the fur. In addition, it depends on whether his fur has formed mats and tangles or not.

Don’t forget also that if your dog is co-operating, the exercise can be done faster and more easily.

Remember, it’s always important to work with the right kind of trimmer, clippers and for that we’d suggest visiting Trimmer Adviser.

Brushing is a daily grooming routine for poodles. Once every week the poodle can be washed following brushing of his fur. Also if it is within your schedule, you can take your poodle to get professionally groomed every three to four weeks.

Remember to medically treat your dog if your routine checkup reveals that he has fleas or a skin rash or infection. Let a vet check him.