Group 7 Non Sporting

Poodle Masterclasses

ADVANCED GROOMING TUTORIALS

The Continental Trim

The Continental is the big one, the most technical and recognisable trim in the poodle world. Shaved hindquarters and face, a full jacket over the front, rosettes on the hips, pompoms on the legs and tail, and a sprayed-up topknot. It is precise, demanding work where placement is everything and small errors show.

Tiarne Perkiss takes Yaae, a toy poodle, through a full continental with a spray-up, from face and feet through to banded, sprayed and finished topknot. She covers rosette and jacket placement, balancing bracelets so the dog's structure reads true, the banding and spray-up sequence, and how to plan the whole groom against competition time limits. (6 videos)

Allison Alexander works through cutting a poodle out of puppy trim and into continental, the moment the pattern gets set for the first time. Where the rosettes sit, how close the jacket runs, and why she builds the shape back to front with scissors before committing the clippers. A patient, detailed guide to getting the foundations right on a young dog. (15 videos)

Continental Extras

Allison covers the history behind the continental trim and, more usefully, how it maps to the poodle's skeleton, so you understand why the lines sit where they do and how the trim moves with the dog underneath. (2 videos)

The Modern Trim

Julie shapes the modern trim on Talia, a flashy, stylish look built for the show and competition ring. The body is clipper-combed to a plush finish and blended smooth, the legs scissored full for angulation, with a mane for neck, a big round tail, and a tightly bevelled head and visor. She adjusts comb lengths to suit the dog's build as she goes, and shows how it all comes together into one clean, flowing outline. (15 videos)

The Miami Trim

The Miami trim is elegance without the upkeep, and Tiarne shows how it comes together on Rosie, a standard poodle. Clippered body, neat bracelets, a practical tail and a sculpted topknot, all worked to a balanced, polished finish. Classic poodle flair in a style that suits the regular pet client as much as the show-off. (3 videos)

The German Trim

The German trim, sometimes called the T clip, is the sharp, flashy end of poodle styling. More terrier than the softer poodle looks, it leaves the body clippered short while the legs are scissored fuller to build dramatic angulation and flair. A mane gives length through the neck, the ears and tail are taken tighter, and the head is finished with a neat bevel and visor. It is a proper show and competition trim, all clean lines and sharp angles, and it looks especially smart on the boys.

Julie Wilkins builds the German trim on Tyrion from the ears and tail up: clippered body, rear angulation and shelf, full scissored legs, and that tight bevelled head with a visor. She talks through the show detail as she goes, and how to pare it back for an everyday pet version (15 videos)

Prue works through the German trim on her beloved Koro. She blocks in the shape using the blade like a shear, then scissors the legs full and angulated, takes the ears and tail tighter, and finishes with a bevelled head. Plenty of detail on reading coat and structure as she works. (4 videos)

The Sporting Trim

Julie Wilkins takes you through the complete sporting trim, section by section. A short, clippered body with the legs left fuller and scissored to show angulation, bevelled feet, a rounded tail and a shaped topknot. This version leaves the mane on for a longer, archier neck and a bit more flair, though it can also be done without. Balanced and easy to maintain, it is a smart everyday trim that still looks properly finished. (11 videos)

The Scandinavian Trim

The Scandinavian, or second puppy, trim, demonstrated by Allison Alexander. What sets it apart is the defined jacket line at the back, where the fully blended puppy trim has none. The loin is taken tight and heart-shaped from behind, the legs left fuller for dramatic angulation, and the leg hair sits a little lower on the feet to lengthen the look. A square, balanced, full-bodied style with real presence. (6 videos)

The Spray Up

A complete walkthrough of spraying up a poodle, from collar and bands through to the finished topknot and taking it all back down again. It covers three ways to get the collar in without wrecking the spray up, banding for puppies and adults including cheater bands and what to do when there isn't enough hair for a bubble, the layer-by-layer spray-up method for a full, lifted topknot, and how to break it all down and wash the hairspray out to protect the coat. Detailed, practical guidance for anyone showing or competing. (10 videos)

Poodle Correction Walkthrough

Nicky walks through correcting the common mistakes that leave a poodle looking frumpy and long rather than square and upstanding. Working on a scandinavian, or second puppy, trim, she starts on the whiteboard mapping the key skeletal points, the ischium, prosternum, elbow and stifle, then moves to the dog to correct the top line, chest, tuck up and rear, showing how small changes in where you place each line change the whole outline. (3 videos)

The Puppy Poodle Trim

Allison Alexander sets a young puppy, around five and a half months, into puppy trim step by step. The guiding idea is to fit the trim to the puppy and follow its natural contours rather than build in exaggerated shape: no big front piece or shelf that lengthens the dog, minimal hair off the back of the front legs and front of the back legs to keep the back looking short. She works from the shoulder layback through the front leg, top line and tail set, with the reasoning behind each line. (11 videos)

Show Coat Maintenance

Colleen works through show-coat maintenance on Zemo, a toy poodle deep in coat change. She covers taking bands out cleanly with band scissors to avoid breakage, working through the coat-change matting in the crest and sides with Pro Magic and fingers rather than a slicker, then bathing, fluff drying and stretch drying to set the hair straight, and rebanding the head and neck to keep it maintainable between frequent baths. An honest, practical look at keeping a full coat in workable condition. (4 videos)