One of the most expensive things about owning poodles is keeping them well groomed, but if you learn to do this yourself, you'll develop a better relationship with your pet, and you'll save a lot of money in the long run. Although grooming poodles may seem complex, anyone can learn and master the skill. You just need patience and the willingness to practise your skills.

It takes about three hours to groom a standard poodle once the skill is mastered, but you may need to divide the task over multiple days during the learning process. This is both to give you a break, and for your poodle. If you don't learn to perform this task yourself, you will need to carefully select a professional to do perform this maintenance task periodically. The best way to find a good groomer is to talk to other poodle owners.

We can look at some books and I can suggest some cuts, but you'll have to decide which trim you prefer. Poodles have coats that lend themselves to plenty of different looks, however, your choice will in part be dictated on how much time and effort you're willing to put into keeping your dog's coat in shape. Why you keep your poodle will make a difference too, because show poodles have a very limited range of acceptable trims.

Show poodles wear variations on the standard lion cut, which comes in three variations: continental, puppy, and English saddle. All of these are related to the standard "poodle" tradditional style people are familiar with. Originally, this cut was created to help these dogs swim more effectively while retrieving birds from the water, as a long mane of fur on the chest protected the lungs and heart, and the tufts on the legs offered joint protection.

When it comes to non-competing poodles, you have much more to choose from. You can choose a shorter trim, which is easier to maintain, and especially easier to dry in the winter. Longer trims are showier, but they'll require more maintenance, so check some grooming books, or take a look at a few poodles to figure out what you prefer.

Most people like to keep the base of the tail, legs and face trimmed close, since long hair can trap food particles and this keeps the dog cleaner. Short clipped feet don't pick up grass seeds, and mean that your dog won't track in as much dirt, and remember that shorter coats are easier to wash and dry, and they don't need as much brushing as a fluffy, long coat. Always wash your poodle before grooming to keep your clippers and scissors in good shape, and use high quality equipment, too. Although it's more expensive to start with, it'll make poodle grooming much easier.