Hygiene and Care
HYGIENE AND CARE
Ear cleaning
Special care must be taken in the hygiene of the poodle's ears (as in any breed with floppy ears), since they are more prone to otitis. We can detect otitis through the characteristic signs of rapid head shaking and the compulsive insistence with which you need to scratch your ears. In addition to this, secretions and unpleasant odors in the ear area are symptoms of otitis.
We must always keep the ear area free of dirt and hair, removing the excess if necessary to keep the canal well ventilated.
Once the area is cleared, we proceed to clean the auricle by applying an ear gel.
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Nail trimming
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Cutting the dog's nails is a routine that we have to comply with periodically. If they grow too much they would cause later problems in their legs.
Since today's dogs often lead remarkably sedentary lives, it is very common for their nails to grow beyond what they would have worn in a natural environment.
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There is a fundamental danger that when cutting the dog's nails, the cuticle is cut, which is raw meat with blood capillaries and nerves. Making this mistake is very easy, even for experienced people. If this happens the animal suffers great pain and bleeding.
Since nail trimming is a routine hygienic guideline for our dog, we must seek prior advice before facing a painful situation for the dog.
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For this reason, it is necessary for an expert veterinarian or canine groomer to tell us and teach us how to do it. Before proceeding to cut our dog's nails, it is important that we have seen an experienced person do it.
The nails are always cut with special canine scissors for these uses.
It is necessary to have a special powder or liquid at home to stop bleeding in case it is necessary.
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Brushing and Bathing
There are many types and qualities of shampoos and conditioners. We will always use high-end and quality products.
Before wetting and bathing our poodle, it is necessary to brush the coat. In this way we make sure that before bathing it has no knots.
Brushing should never be done with completely dry hair. Before we must apply a product or conditioner for this purpose. If we are going to bathe him often, we can use the conditioner that we are going to use after the bath, dissolved in water, but if it is a daily brushing, in which we are not going to bathe him later, we will use a specific product to brush the hair dry.
Brushing dry hair without the application of a specific product for it, favors hair breakage.
We will use a long-bristle butter brush (if our poodle has long hair), a soft brush (it will be the main brushing tool) and a metal comb (it will only be used to locate possible knots, which we will then remove with the brush. ) like the ones indicated here:
Long-toothed butter brush
metallic comb
Soft card with or without tip protection
Once we are sure that the coat is completely loose and free of knots, it is time to bathe it, always with warm water and avoiding drafts.
For the bath we will use a specific shampoo with a soft action, which balances the PH of the skin. Only in cases where our poodle is very dirty, we will use a shampoo with greater power to drag dirt.
To finish, we will use a conditioner, moisturizing mask or cream, which will provide the hydration you need. There are conditioners that require exposure and subsequent rinsing. There are other conditioners that dissolve in water and are applied without rinsing.
The indications of the products indicate the guidelines to follow.
In case of applying a moisturizing mask, we must leave the necessary exposure time and that is indicated by its manufacturer. It is necessary to keep the dog covered with a towel during this time to avoid cooling.