Alfie & Tara

Poodle

The curly guide, applied to its founding breed, plus the doodles who inherited the coat with none of the instruction manual. The coat barely sheds because it keeps everything, and what it keeps, it felts.

  • Brush to the skin every other day, in sections. Then the comb test: a metal comb must pass to the skin. If it catches, keep going.
  • Professional groom every 4 to 6 weeks. For doodles too; the poodle side of the family sets the schedule.
  • Bath every 3 to 4 weeks, brushed out fully before and dried fully after.

Coat care: Poodle / Doodle

Curly, low-shed, high-commitment.

Every other day: brush to the skin in sections, then the metal comb test.

Every 4 to 6 weeks: professional groom. Non-negotiable, like rent.

Bath: every 3 to 4 weeks, usually at the groom.

Honest bit: a good groomer beats any bottle, including ours. Budget groomer first.

Mat pads near skin: groomer, never home scissors.

- Tara (yes, the dog)

Get this on my WhatsApp

The full routine lives in the curly & low-shed guide.

Also on this shelf: Shih Tzu

What we use at home

bottle photo coming

floof it Gentle Cleanser. Salon grade, made for us by our manufacturing partner, used on both of us every second Saturday. Two pumps for Alfie. Four for Tara.

Short smooth coat? You need less of everything on this page. Including this bottle. Half doses go a long way.

Honest answer: if your dog has fleas today, you need a vet, not a shampoo. Ours included. Go. Come back after.

This is grooming guidance from people who live with dogs, not veterinary advice. Itching that keeps returning, flakes, bald patches, redness, or a smell that comes back within days is a vet conversation, not a bath. Your vet and groomer outrank this page.

Alfie, a small honey and cream Shih Tzu in a crumpled linen shirt and brown newsboy cap
doodles at the park always look like they are having the most fun. their humans always look tired. now you know why.