How to Groom your Poodle
When clipping the feet, hold the foot firmly with the fingers of your left hand placed underneath the pads for complete control.
By spreading the toes out with your free hand, it is possible with practice to remove the hair between the toes with the clipper edge.
When clipping from the ear to the outer corner of the eye in a straight line, hold the clipper flat on the surface and be careful not to clip too close here.
Hold the jaws firmly together when clipping the muzzle, starting just below the eye.
To clip hair on lips, stretch the loose skin with your free thumb for safety.
When clipping the throat, hold the head upright; clip upwards for a close cut, downwards for a longer coat.
Comb out the hair of the top-knot and the feathering on the ears with care, making sure to remove any tangles or mats.
Hold the head with your free hand and cut a line from the corner of the eye back over the top of the ear, and down back of neck.
Shape the top-knot by cutting from the right eye over the ear and round back of the head. Repeat on the left side. Comb and shape to leave the top-knot level with the eyes.
When docked correctly, the tail is divided in to half pompom and half clipped. clip top and sides of tail towards body, but underneath clip away from the body.
With the dog facing you, clip down the back of the dog, commencing at the base of the skull. Do not allow the blades of the clippers to get too hot because this can cause clipper rash.
Clip along the back of the poodle to the root of the tail. Take care to keep the length of hair even by using a No. 5 oster blade.
When clipping the stomach, remove the side hair by lifting front leg or hold dag upright with your free hand to clip underneath.
After combing through the hair on the front and back legs, shape following the natural contours and blend with the body hair.
Comb hair down at the ankles and scissor the coat just above the pads making sure to remove all the untidy hair to give the legs a neat and finished look.
This shows the finished head. The top-knot is well-shaped and framed by lovely ear frings. Two brightly-colored hair bows have been tied to the ear feathering.
Books.
The Poodle Handbook: The Essential Guide to Standard, Miniature & Toy Poodles (Canine Handbooks)