The Poodle. 179 



or five months old it is well for his comfort and 

 appearance, say his admirers, or rather I should 

 say for their fancy, to trim or clip the coat on the 

 face and feet and on the hind-quarters from below 

 the tail and about his buttocks. When he is 

 eleven or twelve months old he should be properly 

 clipped, but, as a matter of fact, it is best to have 

 him clipped three or four times before he is actu- 

 ally what may be called finished, i.e., shaved. This 

 ought not to be forgotten, as were the dog shaved 

 before the skin had become in a degree hardened 

 by exposure to the air, pain would be caused the 

 dog, and perhaps some inflammation might arise, as 

 the contact of the razor is by no means pleasant 

 to the patient. When once matured, and having 

 undergone the preliminary process, a poodle ought, 

 if the desire be to have him neat and in nice 

 condition, to be trimmed some six times in the 

 year about every two months. 



Poodles are, notwithstanding their " clipping," 

 apt to get dirty, the white specimens especially 

 so. Still it does not do to wash them too often, 

 as the water and soap are not likely to improve 

 the coat, and there is considerable difficulty in 

 drying the jacket. Once a month is frequent enough, 

 even not so often as this, unless in the judgment 

 of the owner the dog actually requires it. As a 



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