My 2 year old poodle is now very difficult to groom.

I live in an area in which there are lots of poodle crosses so grooming appointments difficult to get. I have been just cutting his coat with scissors with this is now almost impossible, and I think its the sound. He whirls around and will bite if pushed, I know.

I found a great groomer recently who is very gentle and she says he won't tolerate the clippers. However due to lock down I am having to deal with this myself again. He will tolerate very gentle grooming but not cutting. he has a very abundant and thick coat.

Is there some grooming tool that will cut/shave as I comb? Someone suggested the 'furminator' but that says its not for poodles. Ideally id like something that will shave off the hair as part of the brushing so he doesn't even notice.

Also Is there an ear powder that will weaken the hair to make it easier to pull out? We have recurrent ear problems and he has had to have his inner ears plucked under sedation as part of on-going care - the problem hair is deep inside the ear. I need to keep the outer ear as hair-free as possible to allow some ventilation. I just want to be able to pull out some bits.

We are seeing a behaviourist already.

Thanks.

I had a cat that used to get matted fur when grew elderly and I bought a comb with a blade in it- it would cut as it combed. did blunt very quickly and I went through a lot of blades but it got rid of the matts and thinned her coat down very well. she would not let me near her with scissors and reacted very badly to a normal comb snagging on a matt  but did not mind the bladed comb as it did not pull on her fur/skin.   think I had it off ebay.   did not give too dreadful an appearance either

Hi, the trouble with soft poodle coats is that anything with a blade that even slightly pulls will hurt so coat kings and rakes are out really.   I found this out first hand grooming a cockerpoo that is more poo than cocker, extremely sensitive skin.   Have you tried music in the background whilst you scissor cut and I suppose you have tried the bowl of tasty treats that are in full view and handed out as you go?  I recently put some clipping oil on my scissors and it has stopped the abrasive noise as well as making them move smoother. 

For ears, thornit powder is really good for making hair grip easier.  It also helps wax adhere to the hair rather than the ear itself so that would be my recommendation.

Try making a snood from a towel. Put cotton wool in his ears then wrap the towel over his head and ears. A lot of nervous dogs calm down from this surprising well. You will need another pair of hands for this though, to hold the snood and calm, distract and give treats for being calm. Do what you can and keep sessions short.

As said try music to drown out the sound of the scissors, I know another groomer who swears by reggae maybe it calms her more than the dog

Thank you for your replies, and sorry for my late response.

We have now had some success in cutting off quite a bit of his coat. I had my son occupy him with the treat bag while I cut. (he has a very sensitive stomach and I think the amount of treats he got certainly was a contributory factor in the upset tummy he had afterwards).There was the occasional growl but no snapping. also next time I did it after he was very tired from a long walk, so again he didn't make too much fuss. so I have taken a lot of the coat on his back and sides, but still have to do his legs, round his feet and his belly. he is really good with bottom and face. Problem is the two matted knotted areas on the area where his thigh meets his groin, I cant get to this at all.

Adding music while i am doing something that stressed him will make him more stressed I think. I talk to him and tell him how good he is. but I will try the cotton wool balls in the ears. I think he doesn't like to see the scissors either.

the ears are getting to be a problem. I ordered some Thornit and applied some to his ear hair, but inside it isn't nice fine hair like you get in most reasonable dogs' ears, but a mass of curls. tugging that out while he is conscious isn't an option. and I confess, I dont have the heart to do it. I have to apply Otodine every couple of nights to keep them free of yeast infections, and he is reluctantly OK with this, so I think we will try to snip away as much fair as we can to get some air supply. Or what do you think?

His nails are really long. He used to be fine with nail clipping but then he wasn't. so took him to the vet nurse a while back and they cut his quick and since then I cant clip them. he is biting at some of his nails obsessively so I need to do something. I am so reluctant to allow someone to force him into cutting them as this will mean he wont let me near them. I am scraping his nails on sandpaper. its going to be a long job but he is allowing this. he growls but its more complaint than threat and I don't do it for too long. I am not sure if its very effective. do you think I could try a dromel, and if so what is good. the reviews are so mixed and I am baffled.

thank you for the really useful suggestions, and please let me have some more!

thank you in advance for your replies.

A suggestion for the nails.  I use a 80/80 grit nail file and manually file.  I have a dog that won't tolerate nails being clipped or dremeled but will tolerate manual filing.  It is remarkably easy and very effective.  I don't think I would ever go back to clipping nails tbh.  Hold toe firmly and a few up and downs of the file, I prefer to do it when dog is having a paw/leg bath as the water/soap can soften the nail first but you don't have to do this and doing it every couple of weeks keeps the nails nice and short in my experience.    You will probably want to desensitise the first few times with some nice treats as it will be a different sensation for him.    Some people find a lick mat smeared with yoghurt or cream cheese a very good way of keeping dog totally occupied when doing something the dog doesn't like, or a kong smeared with the same.  For the hair I assume inside the thigh/groin area.  I have found leaving the dog on all fours whilst occupied with something and then gently pulling the straight to where you can see/cut with some scissors can work.  I would just carry on cutting as much hair from the ear area that you can.  Gently tease it out of the ear canal with your fingers and cut.  Blunt ended scissors are super for this.  It does sound like you are making good progress, a little and often is key with plenty of rewards.

I have a poodle and am having to do some trimming myself. I’ve had some small success with hubby’s hair trimmer, and my scissors. Mine is used to clippers so was better behaved than I thought she’d be !
Regarding the treats, get something soft that you can cut into tiny pieces. Sometimes holding onto the treat and letting him lick it cuts down on the amount he actually eats. You’d need a willing assistant for that.
When doing legs, try lifting up the opposite leg to the one you are trimming so that he concentrates on his balance.
Regarding the groin, get someone to hold him so he’s standing up on his back legs. That’s how I do my poodle’s tummy.
Mine doesn’t like having her front legs brushed, so I sing gently to her and it seems to help.
Right, regarding ears I’m going to tell you what I do but I’m not suggesting anyone else does. I bought a pair of strong pound shop glasses, I hold a small torch in my mouth and I use tweezers. I sit with her on my knee, next to the kitchen table, facing one way and tweeze what I can see. I don’t go where I can’t see. Then spin her round for the other side. I trim the hair around her ear first with scissors. I have been doing this for years and she’s happy with it, I’m not inviting opinions on it.
Ears are really important to keep hair free or you’ll get problems.
Good luck, do what you can and get to the top of a groomers list !

For ears I would never use anything except the correct instrument for the job.  It's what any poodle parlour would use.

Just go on ebay for the best price and search for Dog Ear Hair Removal Tweezers.

You grasp a small amount of hair with the tool, then you lock it, before pulling the hair away.  Even when I sent my poodles for someone else to clip, I always kept the ears free between visits.

I cannot use the haemostats to pluck his ears. I have some and I have tried and he wont allow me to. He wont stay still, and if he is restrained in any way for that, he will get very stressed and he will be pushed to bite. I feel this tool is for more skilled hand =s than mine and I dont want to hurt him through my incompetence.

I had hoped to be able to use the powder to weaken the hair so some of it would be looser/freer/easier to talk without pain by just tugging gently with thumb and forefinger. But his ears are not normal: they are VERY and THICKLY hairy, next to the ear drum. The vet said he'd never seen anything like them. all I can do is take away what I can at the beginning of the ear. as I have to wash and wipe his ears every other day its important I dont cause his too much distress otherwise he wont let me near.

I will have another go tomorrow in good day light and with some help, after he's had a long walk and is tired.