I'm trying to keep some length in his coat this winter because his puppy coat is very thin, so a lot of my work is to avoid mats. Also I can't stand the smell of wet/dirty dog. 4 hrs a week is a lot though. Eventually I'll get tired and shave it all off, probably once it's summer and his adult coat shows up.Im impressed!! My boys may have more of a doodle low maintenance look, they aren't doodles but i am lazy
yea, 4+ hrs a week is a lot more than I thought it would be, but I'm trying to keep at it because he's a puppy. Weekly reinforcement of good grooming and handling behavior is a big deal at his age. Once we've done this for a year or so, and he's great with grooming, I'll probably just shave him down every 2 months and do clean face/feet/sani whenever I bathe him. Less fur = less grooming time I think, so I'm hopeful the time commitment will decrease also.
I've had labs, lab/pit mixes, border collie lab mixes, daschunds, and a pit/dalmation mix (all rescues). My favorite was the border collie lab mix, because he was sweet, smart, and listened when we tried to train him. This poodle is in a league by himself - smartest dog I've ever had, even as a 6m puppy, easy to train, willing to learn, affectionate, pretty calm, doesn't herd, and generally quiet. I love the fact that there is no dog hair all over my house. It's just a long time on the grooming table. I think we can do some pretty crazy hair at some point too, which will be fun.
Yup. I thought I wanted a poodle until reading that lol
That makes sense!!
The no shedding is a big plus. I read conflicting information about poodle temperament. Some say they are aloof, others say people orientated. It's been a long time since I had a poodle and I only had one. I like Velcro dogs that don't wander or get into too much mischief, but are still smart. I cannot handle hyper any more, but my dogs get plenty of exercise so I don't see that in mine. Aussie are said to need lots of exercise, but that hasn't been my experiences, so not sure how much to trust others experiences with breeds, and their temperaments especially since it seems to vary even between the sizes in poodles.
How old and what size do you have? Ours are 9 and 10 pounds they just turned 4. This is our first year with chickens, the dogs are fine with them I just have to make sure they don't roll in chicken poop.
Oh my!!!
