Styles When Shearing Poodles

The curly, bouffant coat of a poodle may need special care and attention to keep the dog looking groomed and stylish. Owners can opt for many different hairstyles for the dog, some of which involve shaving the hair off parts of the body. If an owner plans to show her dog in the ring in the United States, it will have to have one of several accepted grooming styles. For a pet dog with no showbiz aspirations, she can choose from more practical styles.

  1. Puppy Clip

    • The American Kennel Club states that a poodle that has not yet reached one year of age can wear a cut known as the "puppy clip." In this style, the groomer shaves off the hair from the face, the feet and the throat. He leaves the end of the tail unshaven to produce a pompom, and shaves the base of the tail. The AKC also permits the groomer to shape the coat to give a regularly smooth appearance.

    English Saddle

    • The English Saddle clip is suitable for dogs over one year of age in the show ring. For this style, the groomer shaves the face, throat and feet. He also then shaves the base of the tail, leaving a pompom. The differences between the puppy clip then emerge as he shaves all of the forelegs apart from a puffy section reaching from the wrist joint to the feet. The groomer cuts the hindquarter hair short, leaving poms on the feet, and shaves two strips above the knee and above the hock.

    Continental Clip

    • The Continental Clip, another adult show dog style, takes even more hair off the dog. Again, the groomer shaves the face, throat, base of the tail and feet. He then shaves the hindquarters, and leaves pompoms on the hips if desired. The forelegs retain a pompom and the hindlegs have bracelets of hair above the feet. The owner can tie up the topknot of hair above the forehead with elastic or leave it free.

    Sporting Clip

    • Certain competition classes, such as stud classes, may accept the Sporting Clip. In this style, the poodle's face, base of tail, feet and throat are shaved, with a tail pompom and a cap of hair on the top of the head. The groomer must cut the rest of the body hair to under an inch in length.

    Kennel Clip

    • An owner who does not wish to show his dog can opt for a practical and easier-to-maintain style such as the Kennel Clip. In this style, the dog's face, base of the tail and feet are shaved and the groomer simply cuts the rest of the body hair short.