Maintenance banding your poodle

• Use wrapping bands for standard poodles and standard size bands for toy and miniature poodles (this sounds confusing but that is the name of the sizes on the website www.laineeltd.com)
• Never brush a poodle that’s coat is dry. I use a spray bottle with 8 pumps of Plush Puppy Protein Balm, filled with water in a Flairosol continuous Spray Bottle available here https://www.canadiangroomingdistributor.com/produc...
• The Basic Maintenance Topknot

• Never brush a poodle that’s coat is dry. Mist your poodle’s topknot with diluted Plush Puppy Silk Conditioner or Plush Puppy OMG. Spay lightly to avoid soaking the dog.
• Start from the front of the head to the front corner of the ear. The hair should be parted from the front corner of the right ear to the front corner of the left ear.
• Make sure the “part” is as straight as possible with no little hairs across the “part”. This helps prevent matting.
• Divide the hair from the front of the head to this “part” at the front corner of the ear, approximately in half, across the skull.
• Again, be sure the “part” is straight and no hairs are cross this line.
• Comb the hair to ensure it is tangle free.
• Take your band and wrap it around the hair 3 times. Less than 3 times will be too loose. Wrapping the band around the hair more than 3 times there will be a greater risk of the hair being damaged.
• Remember, do not have the band too close to the skull, you want the hair secured but not uncomfortable.
• Ensure the band is not pulling at the eyes or anywhere else.
• This is a maintenance topknot. There is a different procedure for show banding.
• Repeat the process on the second section of hair. This is from the first section to the front corner of the ear. Remember, it is always better to have a bit of topknot hair going into the ear rather than ear hair into the topknot. Poodles usually hate when their ear hair is pulled. This means, the hair from the front of the head to the front corner of the two ears is divided in half across the skull.
• Band these two sections of hair together. The band wraps around 3 times. Try to be sure the bands are equal distance apart as you band to the top of the length of hair.
• PRO TIP: When banding the ear, always error on the side of having topknot hair in the ear, NOT ear hair in the topknot. Ear hair in the topknot generally drives poodles crazy and this causes scratching and eventually matting.
• Make your first “neck” section (I call this the ear section) by making a square between the ears. The first “part” is the “part” you did that ended the head section. The next two parts are the ones at the top of each ear. The last “part” is a straight line from the back corner of the right ear to the back corner of the left ear. This square section is now your size guide for all other neck sections.
• PRO TIP –The show collar will sit in the “part” at the end of the ear section, when you are ready to show your poodle.
• Continue making sections at this size, down the back as far as you wish to go, banding up the length of hair in even increments.
• PRO TIP- Always be sure you comb, comb, comb. Any slightly tangled hair will become a matted mess if not thoroughly combed.
• If it doesn't look right or looks like it is pulling, take it out and do it again, as this will drive your poodle crazy and they will scratch and matt their hair.