The humble history of Standard Poodles began as duck hunters while Toy Poodles were the pampered pets of France’s King Louis XVI during the 18th century.
Hi, my name is Jennifer and I’m the dog mom of two dogs who are less “royal” and more “goofy” compared to Toy Poodles. My dogs are a Weimaraner named Ruger and a Yorkie named Lola.
Yorkies do have similar backgrounds with Poodles as royal pets, as well as the luxurious coats. I’m not patient enough to trim Lola’s fur, so I take her to the groomer every six weeks for a salon day.
Weimaraners have short hair that doesn’t require much maintenance aside from brushing and the occasional bath.
Weims do shed a lot, unlike Poodles. Poodles are considered hypoallergenic dogs because any fur they do shed is caught by the surrounding curls.
Caring for a Toy Poodle’s fur requires about ten hours of grooming per week, including daily brushing and weekly clippings.
Inexperienced owners may opt to take their pups to professional groomers, but for those who choose to groom their Poodle themselves, we’ve compiled the best clippers for Toy Poodles and general information on how to groom Toy Poodles.
Grooming a Toy Poodle
Like Yorkies, Toy Poodles need to be clipped every three-to-six weeks because of how fast their fur grows.
Unkempt fur can become tangled or matted. Grooming your dog yourself helps create a bond between you and your pup.
Before you begin grooming your Toy Poodle, you have to brush out their fur to remove any tangles. This also helps remove the dirt and debris that can get stuck in their coats.
Here is a brief summary of what is entailed when grooming your Toy Poodle:
Bath
I hope you and your pup enjoy long baths. A Toy Poodle’s fur is a dense forest that takes a long time to wash. As mentioned, dirt and shedded fur get stuck in the curls of a Toy Poodle’s double coat.
Yes, Poodles have double coats that were used to protect them when they had to jump into cold water to retrieve fish during their humble beginning.
After washing every inch of your Toy Poodle’s fur, it’s essential that it is dried immediately. Letting a Toy Poodle’s fur air dry into tighter coils than a bad 80s perm.
Use your blow dryer to completely dry your dog’s coat.
Eyes
Along with Yorkies, tear stains under the eyes are very common for Toy Poodles.
Stains can be removed by wiping with a warm cotton cloth daily or using products sold in pet stores to help erase tear stains.
Ears
In this way, Toy Poodles are similar to Weimaraners; their long, floppy ears cover the ear canals. This can cause yeast infections in the ear due to the trapped moisture.
A lot of experts recommend using ear wipes that contain alcohol or other astringents.
As the owner of a Weimaraner, I actually have experience in ear-cleaning. Ruger doesn’t like the alcohol-based ear wipes, so I just use a cotton pad soaked in warm water.
He enjoys having his ears cleaned. Breeds like Ruger don’t need frequent grooming like Toy Poodles, so I typically clean his ears once a week or when they get smelly.
Paws
Clipping dog’s nails is an art form that I do not try to master. I leave that for the professionals.
Lola gets hers trimmed during her regular grooming appointment and Ruger visits his favorite vet every six weeks to get his cut.
However, if you have a calm and patient disposition, you can trim your Toy Poodle’s nails yourself. Dogs that have black nails are more difficult to cut because you can’t tell where the quick is.
Cutting the quick causes a lot of bleeding, so I don’t dare even try it. Grinding nails instead of clipping them is a growing trend that might work best for your pup.
Trim/Style Coat
Poodles are most well-known for their curly coats trimmed into many elaborate styles and designs.
Some owners choose to keep their pet Poodle’s fur clipped close on the backs and legs with poofy tails and faces.
It is something each owner must decide what makes their pup happiest. I keep Lola’s hair clipped short instead of long and flowing.
She acts like a different dog after a grooming appointment and I know by her behavior that she prefers a short coat.
Top 5 Coat Styles For Toy Poodles
There are actually hundreds of style options for trimming Toy Poodles. Here are the 5 most common:
Lion Cut
The lion cut is the most familiar cut for Poodles. The dog’s legs are shaved hairless with a pompom of fur left at the ‘ankle’ area above the paws.
Some hair is left on the head, stomach and back. Popular in show dogs, the hair flows like a lion’s mane when the Poodle runs.
Dutch Cut
The dutch cut is also a popular choice for dog competitions. Instead of shaving some areas of the dog’s body while leaving other areas long, the Poodle’s fur is trimmed in the same length everywhere.
Except for a poofy pom pom on the tail.
Modern Cut
The modern cut is similar to the dutch cut, where all of the fur on the back and legs are trimmed the same length.
However, for the modern cut, the ears are left long and fluffy so the ears and head stand out.
Puppy Cut
The puppy cut is used on smaller dogs to make them look like puppies.
The fur is closely trimmed, but not in as severe of a cut as the other styles. The tail doesn’t have the typical pompom flourish.
Town and Country Cut
The town and country is a trendy style that trims the fur on the legs into the shape of cylinders while the rest of the body is cut short.
The head and ears are trimmed in rounded edges. The look is topped off by a pompom tail.
5 Best Clippers For Toy Poodles
1) Wahl Motion Lithium Ion Clipper
This feature is helpful because a Poodles fur needs different blades to be used during the same grooming session.
Having all the blades ready at the touch of a button saves time because you don’t have to stop mid-groom to change the blades.
The clipper comes with a rechargeable battery that lasts a long time between charges. It can be fully charged in less than an hour. There is also a quick charge option for grooming emergencies.
Some Toy Poodles might be skittish around noisy clippers. This clipper has a low vibration and quieter motor than other clippers on the market. The trimming blades are self-sharpening, too.
2) Wahl Professional Bravura
If the battery does run low, you can simply plug it in to continue grooming for as long as necessary. The battery takes just an hour to fully charge.
Poodles have dense coats of varying lengths and thickness. That means trimming requires different speeds throughout the grooming.
This clipper has a built-in speed control that the device self-regulates without you needing to push a button to change speeds; the device automatically adjusts the speed.
With six colors to choose from, the Bravura clipper is a great choice for professional or at-home grooming.
3) Wahl Professional PRO ION Home Grooming Kit
However, it does have a quick charge option that lets you use the clippers for a little under ten minutes after charging for fifteen minutes. That’s useful for touch-ups or quick grooming sessions.
If you’re a grooming novice, the clipper includes an instructional DVD guide. In addition to a cordless clipper, the kit includes several grooming accessories.
The kit comes with six combs, trimming scissors, a blade brush and a hard case to carry the clipper and instruments in.
4) Andis UltraEdge ACG2 2-Speed Professional Pet Clipper
The clippers have 2 speeds that can be switched manually mid-groom to regulate how fast the dog’s coat is trimmed.
The clipper has a rotary motor, which are typically loud. However, the powerful motor is quiet enough not to scare jumpy Toy Poodles.
It is a corded clipper with a 14-inch cord. The length of the cord allows you to groom the entire dog without changing outlets.
5) Andis EasyClip Pro-Animal 11-Piece Blade Clipper Kit
This is a very powerful clipper with 3,700 SPM. SPM stands for strokes per minute. The midrange SPM is great for grooming beginners.
The removable blades make the clippers easy to clean.
Final Thoughts & Top Pick
Toy Poodles have dense, curly hair that can be a challenge for amateur groomers. Styling your pooch requires attention to detail and patience.
While cordless clippers are convenient because you don’t have to worry about getting tangled in the cord or finding a close outlet, corded clippers have more power.
A good trim isn’t all about power – how fast the blades rotate (torque) and whether the blades are dull or sharp are essential to proper trimming.
In kitchens, we’re told that keeping our knives sharp prevents injuries because a dull knife requires more effort to use. The same applies to dull blades.
The Wahl Motion Lithium Ion Clipper is the top choice in clippers for Toy Poodles because of its 5-in-1 automatically adjusted blades.
The thickness of a Poodle’s fur can vary greatly throughout their body. Having blades that adjust automatically based on the thickness saves time and effort in an otherwise time-consuming groom.
The style of their coat is a big reason why poodles are so adorable and regal. Knowing how to groom your Toy Poodle is responsible ownership.