The tail is one of the Poodle’s most important features, and how it looks after grooming can enhance or spoil the overall breed profile. Next to the head, the tail is the most expressive element of the Poodle—properly docked and groomed, with an abundant pompon.

The Poodle Standard calls for the tail to be straight, set on high and carried up, docked of sufficient length to insure a balanced outline. A good way to define sufficient length to insure a balanced outline on a pet trim is to say that after the pompon has been shaped with scissors, its proportions should just about equal the height of the dog’s topknot. On show clips, the tail is left as full and profuse as possible to balance the longer topknot that is held in place by elastic bands.

Clipping Properly Docked Tails

Use a No. 10 blade on the tail, or one that shows the natural coat color without skinning, but nothing finer unless you are positive your dog’s skin can tolerate a closer clip. If it can, use a No. 15 blade. The area to be clipped depends on the length of the tail after docking.

Generally speaking, if the tail has been docked to correct length, a good rule of thumb is to clip about one-third of the tail and leave the hair on the remaining two-thirds to be shaped with scissors into a pompon.

1. Stand your dog on the grooming table with his hindquarters facing you. Grasp the end of the tail in your free hand. Starting on the upper side, place your clippers flat against the skin and clip in to the tail’s juncture with the body.
2. Clip each side of the tail in the same manner, starting from the same spot, down to where the tail joins the body. Some groomers like to clip an inverted V slightly forward of the base of the tail, into the body coat, to make the dog look shorter in back. If you do this, be careful not to go too far and clip off too much hair. Remember that you can always take more hair off, but it takes months to replace once removed.
3. The underside of the tail is a very sensitive area and should be clipped in the opposite direction, or from the body out to the pompon. Begin above the anal opening and clip to the line in the middle. Note: the clipped line around the middle of the tail must be even, or the pompon won’t look properly shaped.
4. Although you should never clip directly over the anal opening, it is more hygienic if this area is kept free of hairs which are likely to become stained or caked with feces. This is done by carefully clipping around each side of the anal opening with the edge of the clipper blade. Don’t clip closely below the anus unless you have chosen a clip like the Continental, Miami or other style in which the hair is shaved from the hindquarters. On pet trims such as the Lamb, Dutch and others in which hair is left on the back legs, the area below the anus is shaped with scissors.
5. Before shaping the pompon, comb the hair out toward the tail tip. Then grasp the hair in your hand, slide your fingers to the end of the tail, then scissor straight across the ends of the hair to remove any excess or wispy ends that are out of place. When you let go, you will find that the hair around the tip of the tail is somewhat rounded.
6. The rest of the pompon is also shaped round. The best way to create the correct outline is to hold up the end of the tail with your free hand, and then fluff out the hair, almost as if you were back-combing it. Before beginning, take a look at the topknot to get an idea of the amount of hair necessary to skillfully balance your clip front and back.
7. Begin working with curved shears on the underside of the pompon, and scissor completely around the pompon, taking off a little hair at a time, shaping it round. Stop periodically and check to see that the pompon is being shaped correctly and that you are properly balancing your clip.

Although your goal is a balanced trim, some dogs, unfortunately, have thinly coated tails which look rather “droopy” when the hair of the pompon is left too long. When confronted with such a situation, as soon as scissoring is complete and the groomer releases the tail end, the pompon loses its shape. Taking slightly more hair off the latter dog would give his tail a more compact look.

Clipping Improperly Docked Tails

Some Poodles have improperly docked tails, and an expert groomer must know how to deal with this problem to make the trim look more balanced.

The length, thickness and curvature of a Poodle’s tail will determine where the pompon should be set. An improperly docked tail can be greatly enhanced by creative correction by the subtle touch of a skillful groomer.