Hair Cuts for Toy Poodles

Many owners use their toy poodles as a canvas. Because poodles' hair grows thick, long and curly, there are many opportunities for creative clipping. You can take the initiative with your poodle's hair, or you can take it to a professional groomer and have her give it a popular cut. There are four main show clips for poodles: the puppy clip, the English saddle clip, the continental clip and the sporting clip. There are also many non-show clips for the companion poodle.

  1. Puppy Show Clip

    • This clip is reserved for show poodles under one year old. However, if you do not plan to show your poodle, the puppy clip is a good, practical haircut for owners who don't want to deal with -- or pay for -- more elaborate clips. In the puppy clip, the coat is left long; while the face, feet and throat are shaved. The base of the tail is also shaved, but there is a pom pom on the end of the tail.

    Continental Clip

    • In the continental clip, the front of the body is left with a full coat, while the face, throat, feet, tops of the legs and base of the tail are shaved close. There are puffs on the bottoms of the forelegs and a series of puffs going up the hind legs. Pom-poms, or rosettes, on the hips are optional, but the pom-pom at the end of the tail is a necessary part of the clip.

    English Saddle Clip

    • The English saddle clip is a more conservative clip than the continental clip, because it takes off less hair on the hindquarters. With this clip, the hindquarters are left with a blanket of short fur, with shaved bands on the flanks and upper and lower hing legs. Similarly to the continental clip, the face, throat and feet are shaved. The base of the tail is shaved, with a pom-pom on the end. There are also puffs on the forelegs.

    Sporting Clip

    • The sporting clip is less frilly than the continental clip or the English saddle clip. Most of the dog's hair is clipped short to leave a blanket of fur that follows the outline of the dog, no longer than one inch in length. The dog's feet, face, throat and tail base are shaved. The only decorative aspects of the sporting clip are the cap on the head and the pom-pom at the end of the tail.

    Kennel Clip

    • The kennel clip is a good clip for the summer, or for active poodles. The hair over the entire body is cut short, usually with a number five or seven clipper blade. The topknot and tail are left slightly longer. The face, feet and base of the tail are shaved close. This clip is utilitarian, rather than showy.