Basic Grooming of a Schnoodle Puppy
If you want information on Grooming the Adult Dog, please visit Grooming the Adult Schnoodle.
Your Schnoodles coat grows fairly quickly so about every 6 weeks you will notice that some trimming needs to be done. That doesn't mean you should rush to the groomer. There is so much you can do at home. I will discuss the bathing, brushing and trimming of a young puppy.
Before you begin any grooming routine, it is a good idea to release some of your puppies energy with a good romp outdoors so they will be less squirmy when you groom them. Then go to work...
Step 1: Bathing the Puppy
Before you begin to bath your puppy, always comb his fur through to make sure he has no knots or matts. Wetting knotted fur will cause the knots to shrink and tighten. Matts will get tighter still. It is much easier to comb out the knots before you bath your puppy, then after.
After brushing your puppy is ready for his bath. Collect all the supplies you will need before you get the puppy wet. ou will need the following: 2 towels, tearless puppy shampoo, conditioning spray for puppies and a blow dryer. Before you wet the puppy, make sure the water is a very pleasant temperature.
Your Schnoodles coat grows fairly quickly so about every 6 weeks you will notice that some trimming needs to be done. That doesn't mean you should rush to the groomer. There is so much you can do at home. I will discuss the bathing, brushing and trimming of a young puppy.
Before you begin any grooming routine, it is a good idea to release some of your puppies energy with a good romp outdoors so they will be less squirmy when you groom them. Then go to work...
Step 1: Bathing the Puppy
Before you begin to bath your puppy, always comb his fur through to make sure he has no knots or matts. Wetting knotted fur will cause the knots to shrink and tighten. Matts will get tighter still. It is much easier to comb out the knots before you bath your puppy, then after.
After brushing your puppy is ready for his bath. Collect all the supplies you will need before you get the puppy wet. ou will need the following: 2 towels, tearless puppy shampoo, conditioning spray for puppies and a blow dryer. Before you wet the puppy, make sure the water is a very pleasant temperature.
If you can get one, it is a great idea to get a hose to attach to your water spout. It is easier to use a hose sprayer to bath your puppy then it is to put him in the bathtub with water. Dogs usually do not like standing in the water as much...and it is just easier to rinse a dog thoroughly with the sprayer. But at first you may need to use what you have.
Bath the puppy starting at the beard, then the rest of the head. Be careful not to get water in his ears. A cotton ball in the ears can help prevent that. Work your way down his body and legs. Rinse him thoroughly and wipe him down with a towel. Then get a second towel and wrap him up again until he is towel dry. Young puppies do not have the ability to regulate their body temperature very well, so they may start shaking when they are out of the water. You want to get them dry as soon as possible. Use a medium heat on a low speed so you don't make the puppy anxious. If you want to keep your puppy curls, do not brush out the coat while drying it.
Once your puppy is thoroughly dry you will want to brush him down again. You may use a slicker brush but make sure the bristles are soft and will not hurt the puppy. Run your brush over your hand to see how it feels with a little bit of pressure. Then you will know how to brush your puppy.
Bath the puppy starting at the beard, then the rest of the head. Be careful not to get water in his ears. A cotton ball in the ears can help prevent that. Work your way down his body and legs. Rinse him thoroughly and wipe him down with a towel. Then get a second towel and wrap him up again until he is towel dry. Young puppies do not have the ability to regulate their body temperature very well, so they may start shaking when they are out of the water. You want to get them dry as soon as possible. Use a medium heat on a low speed so you don't make the puppy anxious. If you want to keep your puppy curls, do not brush out the coat while drying it.
Once your puppy is thoroughly dry you will want to brush him down again. You may use a slicker brush but make sure the bristles are soft and will not hurt the puppy. Run your brush over your hand to see how it feels with a little bit of pressure. Then you will know how to brush your puppy.
Step 2: Trimming your Puppy
Now that your puppy is clean and brushed, you are ready to trim the puppy.
Clipping the fur on the Pads of their feet
It is important to clip the fur around the pads of the puppies feet. Long fur collects dirt and germs, plus it is prone to getting matted which can be rather uncomfortable. The puppies feet fur was already long and thick. You want to trim it down around the nails and between the pads of their feet.
Now that your puppy is clean and brushed, you are ready to trim the puppy.
Clipping the fur on the Pads of their feet
It is important to clip the fur around the pads of the puppies feet. Long fur collects dirt and germs, plus it is prone to getting matted which can be rather uncomfortable. The puppies feet fur was already long and thick. You want to trim it down around the nails and between the pads of their feet.
Clipping Toe Nails
After clipping the feet fur, you will see the toe nails quite visibly. Use a small pair of doggy nail clippers to trim the toe nail on the front and back paws. When you take your puppy in for his first hair cut, you might want to ask the groomer to show you how to clip the nails. Their are also a lot of good instruction online. You have to be very careful not to clip the wick or you will cause the dog to bleed. It is advisable to keep Styptic powder on hand as it will stop the bleeding of a toe nail. Happily, I have never needed it.
Trimming the Fur around the eyes
It is important for your puppy to be able to see, and we also don't want excessive fur to be a breeding ground of bacteria around your puppies eyes. It is important to trim the fur at the corners of their eyes and cleaned away any goop that had accumulated. Use a pair of round nose scissors to avoid the risk of injuring the eye. Trimming the Anal area.
It is also important to keep the fur trimmed short near the puppies anus, so that the fur in this area won't trap feces. If puppies get a dried poopy butt it is unsightly, unhygienic and very uncomfortable for the puppy. |
REMEMBER: The Schnoodle hair does not fall out. It grows continually. As the puppy gets older it also gets thicker and thicker. Therefore, it shaving the Schnoodles body is a necessary part of his life. He needs to get use to this while he is young, so it is not a stressful event for him later on.
Grooming your puppy is not just to make them look good.....it is a NECESSARY aspect of your Schnoodles health. Ear infections and overgrown toenails are very painful. Allowing a dogs fur to get matted is cruel because matted fur pulls at their skin and is very uncomfortable for a dog. Please take the grooming requirements of your Schnnoodle seriously.
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Establish Positive Associations with Grooming
Here is a blog post I wrote about helping a puppy to get use to the electric grooming tools...
http://growingpuppies.blogspot.com/2013/04/establishing-positive-associations-with.html
http://growingpuppies.blogspot.com/2013/04/establishing-positive-associations-with.html