Alice White
An adorable favorite of the public at the circus and wonderful companions at home, Poodles are one of the most attractive dog breeds in the world. The unique coat gives them a special charm.
The FCI standard distinguishes curly and corded coats, without indicating that these are different types of hair since the second is essentially a hairstyle. Poodles have frizzy hair and, with special care, cords can be formed.
Curly – thick, soft, curls into even curls as it grows. The curls are about the same length. In puppies, the regrown (long) hair is wavy, not curly.
Cord – thick, thin and soft, formed into cords more than 20 cm long. You can achieve the formation of cords by independently forming them for several months.
Poodle Coat
The coat grows constantly, but the undercoat grows more slowly. By the way, the undercoat is larger than the guard hair, it is softer and thinner but falls out more often. The condition of the poodle’s coat, especially the undercoat, is influenced by the nutrition, housing conditions, and health of the dog. Inadequate care and poor nutrition lead to the loss of a significant part of the undercoat.
The coat is odorless, an unpleasant odor can appear as a result of lack of proper care or due to skin diseases. The coat has a uniform color, which should not change from one tone to another. Several colors are officially recognized, namely black, gray, brown, red, apricot, white. Brown poodles are prone to early graying.
Often inexperienced dog breeders believe that poodles have hair, not wool? But this opinion, associated with the fact that dogs do not shed much, have a silky, soft coat, is erroneous. Wool is a derivative of the epidermis of the skin that protects the animal from various external factors. Hair from a physiological point of view does not differ from wool, but this term is used to describe the appearance of a person, and hair is called the hair coat in other mammals, including all breeds of dogs.
Like all dogs, poodles need to be bathed on a regular basis. Poodles have unique hair, so you can’t use human shampoo for your pet poodle. You need to use special shampoos designed specifically for poodles. You shouldn’t bath your poodle too often, since that can dry out their skin. Once a month is a good rule of thumb, unless your poodle has gotten into something stinky.
Do Poodles Shed?
Dogs of this breed shed, but not noticeably because dead hair clings to health and cannot free themselves. The global change of the poodle’s coat occurs at the age of 8-10 months. The final coat is formed in about 2.5 years. It should be remembered that dead hair remains in a dense coat. Without timely combing, the hair gets tangled, dense tangles are formed, covering the entire body or its individual parts. Tangled wool is impossible to comb, only a haircut can be the way out. Therefore, it is important for the first real molt to comb out the falling hair in time, as well as regularly comb the poodle throughout his life.
The Poodle should be combed 1-2 times a week while combing to the base of the hair. For combing, use a brush with metal teeth slightly pointed at the ends and a slicker brush. Puppies should be brushed daily. In case of incomplete combing, at the base, the coat gets confused, parasites, such as fleas, start under the formed mats, as well as various skin diseases occur due to the lack of ventilation. Corded poodles are not combed, but the curls are taken apart by hands, making sure that no tangles and too thick cords are formed.
If an adult dog has a profuse molt, then you should contact your veterinarian. The pet may have health problems, as hair usually falls out in small amounts.
Poodle wool has a healing effect and can be used for knitting socks, mittens, belts, and other warm clothes.
