Grooming a Schnoodle puppy

(A revised post from last year)  Over the last week I have been doing a little bit of puppy grooming here and there.  Clipping the puppy bottoms and the fur that pokes into their eyes.  Now their nails also need trimming.  Their nails are still so soft that regular nail clippers do the job quite nicely. 


When you bring your puppy home you will need to attend to the basic grooming that needs to be done.  The schedule for your puppy's grooming will depend on his coat type.  Obviously the longer thicker fur will likely need more maintenance than the straighter thinner coat.   Also you can expect your puppies coat to thicken over the first several years.  


Before you begin, exhaust the puppies with a good romp outdoors so they will be less squirmy when you groom them.  Then go to work...

1. Clipping the fur on the Pads of their feet

I'm only 7 weeks, but I am getting pretty fluffy!

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.  I trimmed it down around the nails and between the pads of their feet.

I spent all my energy in playtime, so I am pretty relaxed right now.

2. Clipping Toe Nails
After clipping the feet fur, I was able to see the toe nails quite visibly.  I used regular people nail clippers, to trim each toe nail on the front and back paws.  When your puppy gets bigger you will need to use specially designed dog toe clippers.   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.

Mom gives me tummy rubs to reward me during grooming.

3. 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.  Today I trimmed the fur that was at the corners of their eyes and cleaned away any goop that had accumulated.  I used a pair of round nose scissors, especially for cutting fur, so I wouldn't risk any injury.

4. 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.

I am a good puppy even for grooming!

This was all the grooming that was necessary for the 7 week old puppy.  But it will be good for you to continue to do these same grooming activities with your puppy.  The puppy will need to be groomed all his life, and he better get use to being handled early on, or he will be a problem for the groomer.

Look!  You can see my eyes!

As the summer progresses your puppy may need his body fur trimmed.  If you love your furry puppy and want to keep him long and fluffy for a while, that is fine....but please get a clipper and turn it on every few days and let the puppy get use to the sound of the motor.  Run it over the body of the puppy (without using the blade) so the puppy can get use to the vibrations.  The more you do this with a young puppy the easier it will be for his first all over hair cut.

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.


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Do you like my manicure?

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.

Even if you take your dog to a regular groomer, it is a good idea for you to get use to some of the minor grooming in between visits.  I love a freshly groomed dog!  You can see their beautiful eyes.  They look cute and everyone wants to cuddle with him.  And as the primary house cleaner in my home, I just feel better knowing that our dog is fresh and clean enough to sit on my couch.