Are you thinking about giving your beloved Poodle a Town and Country cut? That’s one of the most popular haircuts for Poodles during the summer months, and for a good reason!
Before taking the dog to a professional groomer, learn what to expect and how to do it yourself.
What is the Town and Country Poodle Cut?
The Town and Country clip is an elaborate style and aesthetic option that looks amazing in Poodles. This cut involves shaving the area around your dog’s face, neck, stomach, and feet while the legs are left hairy, so the leg hair’s density appears more accentuated. Furthermore, your dog’s tail will be shaped like a pompom, while the top of their head and ears have a rounded finish.
This modern style looks similar to the Lamb Cut, but the average dog owner can tell the difference when seeing the Poodle’s feet. When you see shaved feet and legs hairy, looking like cylinders, then a Poodle has the Town and Country cut.
The Town and Country clip is one of the most popular Poodle haircuts in the United States, calling it the “city and country cut.” You can have this acceptable style done on any type of Poodle, but we see it more commonly done on Standard Poodles or Miniature Poodles.
Toy Poodles can also have this cut; it depends on your personal taste!
How to Do the Town and Country Poodle Cut
Beginner Poodle groomers and owners can attempt creating this style, though you’ll need to be careful to avoid over-clipping or injuring your dog. For busy owners or those not confident with doing the Town and Country cut, they can either do an “easier” haircut or take their Poodle to the groomer for a professional finish.
Here are the things to prepare for:
- Clipper
- Brush
- Comb
- 1-2 dry towels
- Dog shampoo
- Blowdryer
- #10 and #15 blade
- Straight scissors
- Curved scissors
To give your Poodle a bit of style and achieve the Town and Country clip, owners should follow these steps:
Bathe your Poodle
Before styling your Poodle’s hair, you’ll need to wash and dry his coat.
Shampoo your Poodle’s hair using a gentle and non-acidic dog shampoo. Never use any type of human shampoo for bathing your dog.
Lather your Poodle’s coat, then rinse out the shampoo gently. Then, apply the dog conditioner and rinse after, making his hair softer.
Next up, dry your Poodle’s hair with a blowdryer at the lowest setting. Please keep your dog calm while blowdrying by stroking him calmly and talking in a soft voice. Start by blowdrying the most significant areas of his hair, like the back, then move down to the legs and stomach, with the head and tail last.
Alternatively, you can airdry your Poodle, though this would take more time and result in tiny and curly ringlets. If you want to give the coat definition for a fluffier appearance, you’ll have to blowdry it.
Afterward, fluff up your dog’s hair and remove stray hairs by brushing it. Brush against the grain of your Poodle’s hair, brushing it back if it becomes too fluffy. You can also brush the coat as your blowdry to comb out the tangles.
I recommend brushing and fluffing out the Poodle’s coat to make the shaving process an easier one.
Shave your Poodle’s hair
Shave your Poodle’s face first, using a #10 or #15 blade attachment on your clipper.
Use a razor to shave the hair, and don’t push down hard, as this can accidentally cut your dog’s skin.
Begin shaving the face starting with the middle of his eyes, then shaving down. Shave the cheeks, upper and lower lips, under the eyes, corners of the eyes, until the outer ear hairs.
When shaving the ears, keep your fingers between the scissors and ear flaps as a guide to prevent cutting the Poodle’s ears. Finish off your dog’s topknot with scissors, giving it a rounded look.
Then, shave the neck area, starting at the top, near the dog’s head, then shaving down to Adam’s apple, creating a V-shape. Repeat this on the other side, then shave your dog’s neck into the V-shape you made earlier.
Afterward, shave the feet with a #15 blade on the clipper. Hold your dog’s paw and use your fingers, letting the toes spread so you can shave between them. Be careful here, so you don’t nick the webs between your dog’s toes. Shave around your dog’s toenails and up to where your dog bends his paw.
Lastly, shave your dog’s back and belly, starting from the middle of the back. Leave enough hair on your dog’s shoulders and hips, only rounding it off at the ends and under your dog. The elbows and flanks shouldn’t show and must have a rounded finish, along with the chest.
Create the Town and Country Pattern
You can now start creating the pattern after shaving your Poodle and giving him shorter hair.
Set your clipper with a #10 or #15 blade, depending on what your Poodle can handle. Begin clipping from the neck, shaving it completely. Then make a straight line between your dog’s shoulder blades, going down the spine until the dock of his tail. Use your clippers to create a ring around his tail, a distinct hairstyle feature.
Once you have done that, shape your Poodle’s cuff above his paws. Set the cuff by combing your dog’s hair down, cutting it up until the area you left the line on his paws. That way, hair won’t hang on the floor. You can then round your dog’s hair off to achieve a curved appearance. You can use scissors to create rounded hair above your dog’s paws.
Now, use scissors to blend your dog’s coat excellently. That will erase any edges or harsh lines between the shaved and unshaved parts of the coat. You can work with 3-4 inches of hair for this part. Use your razor to round off any remaining hair while using scissors to catch the stray hairs your clippers missed.
Scissor your dog’s front and hind legs by blending them and work your way up to his elbows, blending to the shoulders. Do this to the rest of the sides and ensure a uniform style around the entire coat.
And you’re done! You can now clean your Poodle up with a damp towel, wiping off excess body hair that might still be on your dog’s body. You can bathe your dog again if you’re willing to spend a bit of time grooming.
As for grooming tips and coat care for owners, you only need to groom your dog as you would with any other common Poodle haircut. You won’t need a fancy grooming kit to keep your dog’s skin and curly coat type healthy.
Just brush your Poodle daily, give him regular baths monthly, trim his nails, brush his teeth, and inspect his ears to prevent any infections. After 4-6 weeks, your dog may need another trim from yourself or a professional groomer. You can either do the Town and Country cut again or perform other acceptable Poodle haircuts and grooming styles for a change!