Matisse and Maurice get a bath about once a week or 10 days. They must be dried with the dryer as there's a lot of hair and it would stay damp for a very long time. Well...Maurice just got clipped down short but Matisse really has a lot of hair.
Every day they get brushed and with Matisse, my show boy, all the bands come out, then go back in. That long pointy thing that looks like a knitting needle is a hair parter to divide the hair into the pony tails. Every square inch gets brushed with the pin brush (slicker for places that get clipped often but the top of him, only the pin brush) and then the comb goes through to make sure there aren't any tangles or mats forming. I use Angel Eyes for his tear stains. (forgot to include in picture) Actually, Maurice, when he's clipped short can go a few days. Matisse's shaved body areas are growing in here. I'm not sure when we'll be showing next as he has a pulled ligament which is taking forever to heal...so I'm letting his Continental sort of get blurry.
All brushed out:
Checking to make sure band is not on ear leather:
Done:
For shows he looks more like this except the wind was blowing:
Just one picture of Maurice because grooming him is as simple as this:
Before a show, Matisse goes to a professional show groomer. In between I do him and always do Maurice. (not so well, but we get by...about every month for scissoring and once every two weeks or so for the shaved areas (face, feet, sani)
It's time consuming but I've got time. I thought about the grooming requirements of a Poodle long and hard and went for it. It's actually turned into sort of a hobby.
Because they're groomed so much and have been since they were tiny babies, they're
very well behaved on the table and with anything I must do. They hold perfectly still for a very long time while I'm scissoring them, clipping etc.
Hope you enjoyed my pictures.