Hi

My Miniature poodle is 9 months old,  and is quite a big boy with a very dense thick coat which has suddenly turned very curly.  Looking though my large collection of grooming equipment I can't find anything which will get through his coat easily, now it has become so dense.  He is due to go to the groomer this week but I am obviously going to have to keep him in good shape in between visits.  Can someone recommend a good strong slicker brush (and or comb) and how large should it be?  I thought I found one on Amazon but although it sounded strong it said it was suitable for dogs and cats!!  I would be grateful for any recommendations from anyone with a dog with a similar type of coat.  Thanks allxx

If he's going to a professional groomer this/next week, I think you'd do best by asking them how best to look after his coat mid-grooming sessions.   If you feel awkward about asking there, why not approach your boy's breeder?

It depends on what clip you go for. I've just clipped my 2 six month olds into a short lamb clip as they are only pet dogs and it's so much easier to look after. The only brushing needed between clipping is really legs, top knot, ears and tail then. They get clipped every 4-6 weeks to always look tidy. A slicker brush is best BUT it's always far easier to bath and then blow dry, brushing at the same time (Amazon sells a wonderful pet hairdryer which has a slicker brush at the end so it does both) - then it's much easier to get through the coat. Your pup's age is the classic change over from the soft puppy coat to the harsh adult coat and it's well-known for being the stage where it mats much easier than at any other stage in life. You will also want a metal comb, one of those with a wide gap between the teeth at one end and finer at the other end.

I only use the double ended comb. I didn’t like the slicker brush on her coat.

Switching to the Mikki hard slicker was a gamechanger for me when I was grooming for a commercial breeder and her poor quality dogs.  Her main poodle stud had quite fluffy hair which was ridiculously dense and it was horrendous to get through on the days when I had to put him into a lamb trim (every other time, because she never brushes her dogs, so it was always shape/shave/shape/shave). But that slicker did the job. It has a handle with a springy section too to ease the pressure.

And I use a Spratts 80 comb.  Always have, and I've never found one I like better.

Indeed Nikita, I've always been told to never use a comb for matted hair on a Poodle as it's too painful, it should be a slicker brush.

Completely.  Slicker first, which helps break up any small knots without the pain, then through with a comb gently to find any that might have been missed.  But only to find them (and to then manipulate hair for shaping), not to remove them.

One of my customers with a mini schnauzer with very fluffy hair (I suspect he may actually be part poodle and she was conned) was using the comb to pull mats out and he was getting quite aggressive with her, and by proxy with me because he thought I was going to hurt him.  I got her using the slicker properly and he's much happier now.  And less matted to begin with!

Mine doesn’t get matted in the first place.

Thanks to all who replied.  I obviously will equip myself with a slicker brush and a comb with large and small teeth.  There seem to be so many on the market so I will ask my groomer which she recommends when we visit later this week.  Can't believe how quickly poodle's coat suddendly changed from soft to harsh and so curly - as if he has had a tight perm!!!

Are u a member of the poodle forum ? They are a friendly bunch mainly US owners but there are breeders and groomers who join in the conversations. I'm sure they'd have suggestions
https://www.poodleforum.com/