Brushing is the most time consuming part of maintaining a show coat for a Poodle because it must be done regularly and correctly. Regular brushing achieves certain desirable results. It stimulates the growth of new hair and makes the coat less inclined to mat.
Regular brushing keeps the skin clean and makes the dog less susceptible to skin disease and external parasites. The natural oils are distributed more evenly and the individual hairs lie more smoothly. A certain light is reflected from well-brushed hair, making it glossier than it is when brushing is neglected.
You need two different types of brushes for the show coat: a pin brush (with long, polished, round-tipped pins) for the mane, and a fine-wire slicker for the shorter hair on the rosettes or pack and the bracelets and puffs. You also need a wide-tooth comb (a Belgian half-coarse, half-medium style or any of the wide-tooth Poodle combs) to check for tangles.
If you own a puppy, the first step is to teach the prospective show dog to lie on his side (with feet facing you) on the grooming table while his coat is being brushed. This is especially important if you are planning to have a professional handle the dog in the show ring.
Some puppies quickly learn to relax and lie still, but others can be frightened and fussy at first. If this happens, don’t force your puppy down onto the table. Hold him in your lap instead, maneuvering him on his side, then brush him in that position.
As soon as your Poodle learns to relax, move him to the table. Ideally, you should begin the puppy’s brushing, maintenance and grooming sessions as early as possible. Not only will it be good training for the young puppy, but it will also help you to learn proper care while the coat is relatively short.
The frequency of brushing a show coat depends on the age, texture and condition of the hair. Each texture varies and responds differently to grooming, as well as to the products that are used on the coat. A puppy from 4 to 10 months old usually needs to be brushed about twice a week.
However, sometime between the ages of 10 and 14 months, the coat begins to change from puppy to adult texture, and the hair almost seems to mat overnight, especially on the ears, the neck and shoulders, and under the elbows. The top coat may look sparse and straggly, while what’s underneath feels much thicker.
During this period, you may have to brush every day to prevent mats from forming. As soon as you do find the hair beginning to mat, use your fingers to separate the clumps into smaller sections, then brush each section with a pin brush.
Go through the area with a wide-tooth comb to be sure all the tangles are out. Changing of coat texture is exasperating—in fact, it separates the true exhibitor from the amateur, because it’s usually the time that many owners decide they are not meant to be Poodle exhibitors and cut the dog down. Some Poodles pass through the coat change in just a few weeks; others, especially white and light-colored dogs or those with fine-textured, fragile coats, can take longer to change.
Once this period has passed, however, the adult Poodle coat is easier to maintain by keeping the dog in oil, creme rinse or conditioner, and establishing a regular brushing and bathing schedule.
Hair that is being brushed should be relatively clean. Dirty hair is hard to brush and tends to tangle more easily. If the coat is dirty and matted, it is usually better to bathe the dog before you brush him. After the bath, apply a heavy creme rinse or liquid tangle remover and let either product soak into the coat for several minutes before being rinsed out. As a heavy-duty dryer blows on the hair, it will be much easier to remove the mats from the clean hair.
To Brush The Show Coat
Remove any topknot and ear wrappers or bands. Place the Poodle on his side on the grooming table with his feet facing you. The long puppy coat or the mane of the Continental or English Saddle clip is always brushed using a technique called layer-brushing or line-brushing.
Begin by parting the hair with your fingers lengthwise down the backbone from the head to the end of the mane at the middle of the dog. Always moisten the hair before you begin brushing. Never brush hair dry; that causes static electricity that can snap off the hair ends, or encourage mats to form. Spray the hair with water diluted with creme rinse or conditioner, an anti-static coat dressing, or light oil in aerosol form. It’s not necessary to saturate the coat, just moisten it lightly.
Once the hair is parted, use the pin brush to begin at the outer ends of the hair and work inward towards the skin, using gentle strokes. If you find a mat, separate it into smaller sections with your fingers and carefully brush them out. Hold the pin brush loosely in your hand, almost letting the handle swing like a metronome.
Use your free hand to hold down the unbrushed hair to separate it from the section being brushed. Once you reach the skin, brush outward from the part. The proper stroke is long, straight and sweeping, going beyond the hair ends to keep them from splitting or snapping off. Very little hair should come out in the brush when the correct stroke is used. But you must practice to get this right. The light “rotary” wrist action that allows you to brush for hours without tiring or pulling out coat takes time and patience to perfect.
When you have finished brushing the layer, comb through the hair with the wide-tooth comb to make sure there are no tangles. You also want to comb from the outside in towards the skin.
Make another part lengthwise about an inch below the hair you have just finished, and mist and brush that section the same way. Keep parting the hair in layers, and gradually work down to the chest until one whole side is finished. You must always keep each layer or line parted completely down to the skin. If at any time the coat becomes dry, spray it lightly. Dry hair will break!
Some owners like to start on the chest and work up to the backbone, moving the part line upward rather than downward. It makes no difference which direction you go, as long as you thoroughly brush the entire coat.
To brush the hard-to-reach spots on the chest, lift the front leg. On the shorter hair under the chest, you may wish to switch to a slicker brush. Before you turn the Poodle over to do the other side, check the hair behind the ears, on the neck and in the armpits under the front legs to be sure they are really tangle free. Then turn the Poodle over and use the same method to spray, brush and comb the other side.
The dog should sit on the table while you brush the neck and the head and ears. Stand the Poodle on the grooming table to brush the front of the chest. Brush the tail with the pin brush. Switch to the fine-wire slicker to brush puppy leg hair, or the shorter hair (rosettes, pack, bracelets and puffs) of the adult show trims. After brushing, the topknot and ear fringes should be rewrapped.