Upon mention of Poodles, one usually associate it with beauty and a picture of a hairy and beautiful dog with dignified gait appears in their minds. The Poodle breed is one of the oldest and perhaps one of the most beautiful breed of dogs. They have been in existence for several hundred years, used as retrievers or gun dogs. While they do well on land, Poodles encountered difficulties in the water because of their extremely dense and curly coat.

Huntsmen knew that they have to do something with the coat to make Poodles do well both in land and water. The idea of shaving came to mind and from then on, Poodles are distinguished from the other breeds because of their varying hairstyles. To prevent drowning and allow greater freedom of movement in the water, the huntsmen shaved the rear hindquarters but pompom-like hair on the hip joints and ankle joints to keep those joints warm and protected from cold.

Originally, there are only two styles - Continental clip and English Saddle clip. In Continental clip, the face, throat, hindquarters, feet and part of the tail are shaved with large pompoms over each hip (optional), around the ankles and on the end of the tail. The Continental clip is the most popular show clip today. The English Saddle clip is similar to Continental clip, except for hindquarters. The hindquarters are covered with hair and the rest of the body is left in full coat but may be shaped.

After hundreds of years, these two styles are still popular and are required for show dogs. Over the years, other clips were being added to the collection. Other additions are Puppy clip, sporting clip and Pet clips such as Kennel, Dutch, Bikini and Puppy Pet clips.

Poodles should be brushed many hours, around ten hours per week. Bathing and trimming should be done every six to eight weeks, more often they play outside and get dirty quicker. If taking care of the coat at home, make sure that necessary tools are on hand. Pin bristled brush with straight bristles set in rubber base works best for basic brushing. To get rid of mats and tangles, a slicker brush should be used. The slicker brush should be long with fine, closely set wires that has slight bend at the tips. Electric clipper, preferably with interchangeable blades is needed in clipping the coat. Hand clippers can also be used.

Grooming, more particularly clipping should begin early. A breeder can start breeding a puppy aging six weeks. As for the style, that depends on the owner and the purpose of the dog. But no matter what the style is, a Poodle is always unique and beautiful in its own way.