Before you bring home that fuzzy little bundle of joy, you’re going to want to know everything there is to know about taking care of your new poodle. And there’s a lot to know! For such a tiny little thing, it sure requires a lot of care. From grooming, to vet care, to diet and exercise we are here to give you tips on caring for your new little companion.
Poodle Grooming
One of the first things to know about owning a poodle is that they require a lot of grooming. It is crucial to get your puppy in to a groomer early and often. Take your puppy to the groomer even in between grooms for a touch up. Even though grooming is expensive, this will save you money in the long run. When your puppy is young, the more exposure to grooming he has, the better. If you do not expose your puppy to enough grooming when she is young, she might end up becoming a difficult dog to groom, and most groomers and pet stylists will charge extra for dogs that nip at them or otherwise make it difficult to groom them. Not to mention, if your dog ends up biting a groomer, many groomers will not take them back as a client. When you first buy your poodle puppy, you will want to make sure that you have money set aside to groom early and often so that your puppy becomes very comfortable on the grooming table. This will make your life (and your puppy’s life, for that matter) much easier in the years to come. A lot of breeders will even start exposing puppies to grooming early on by getting them used to the sound of a blow dryer, bathing them often, and shaving their feet and snouts before they go to their new homes.
Poodle Nail Care
You will want to keep your poodle’s nails trimmed. You can get a nail clipper and do this by yourself, but it is easy to clip them too short. This can startling because there can be a lot of blood when you accidentally cut a nail too short. If you do make this mistake, don’t worry. The nail will heal quickly, and even the most practiced groomers will occasionally clip a nail too short. You can put pressure on the bleeding nail to stop the bleeding. Some groomers will use corn starch to stop the bleeding until it clots and begins to heal. If you would rather not deal with clipping your poodle’s nails, you can purchase an electric nail file or simply schedule grooms regularly enough that the groomer will keep your dog’s nails trimmed. A groomer can clip or file your dog’s nails. Usually, clipping nails is sufficient. However, if you have wood floors, you may want to opt for having your dog’s nails filed instead of clipped since freshly clipped nails could scratch up your flooring.
Poodle Teeth Care
You should plan on having your groomer clean your poodle’s teeth at every groom, and you should plan to brush your poodle’s teeth daily. That seems excessive to some owners, but it actually can make a difference. Start when they are puppies and continue throughout their lives. No matter how old or young they are, dogs need their teeth cleaned the same as humans. Professional groomers suggest brushing your dog’s teeth daily as well as having a deep cleaning procedure at the vet. You’ll want to schedule a deep cleaning at the vet as well. Talk to your vet about your specific dog’s needs, and he or she will tell you when to schedule these cleanings. Your poodle will have to go under anesthesia for these cleanings, so you do want to make sure that they are full grown. Many owners decide to have their dog’s teeth cleaned when they get spayed or neutered since they will already be under anesthesia. This is usually when a dog is one or two years old, so you will want to have your vet continue to check your dog’s teeth at his check-ups so you know when to schedule another deep cleaning.
Poodle Eye Care
Since poodle’s have long hair and eyelashes, it’s important to keep your poodle’s fur trimmed neatly around the eyes to prevent eye infections. If your poodle is extremely well behaved during grooming, you may be able to clip this hair yourself. If your poodle gets a little bit anxious during grooming, you will want to leave this up to a professional as working with scissors or clippers near your dog’s eyes could result in injury.
Whether or not you worry about eye stains probably depends on the color of your new poodle. Eye stains are typical in the poodle breed, and they tend to be more prominent among the smaller poodles. If you have a dark colored poodle, you probably won’t even notice them. But if you have a white or cream poodle, you will probably notice the eye stains pretty early on. Some owners don’t worry about the eye stains, since they are not harmful. Others don’t like how they look so they will try to treat them one of three ways.