Standard Poodles

Traditional Lion Trim

Most people think that breeders trim poodles on a whim and a fancy just for the show ring. The poodle clip that we see in the ring today is an elaboration of the traditional lion trim, that poodles have been dressed in for over four hundred years. The poodle breed was developed in Central Europe (particularly in the region that's now Germany) where poodles were bred for use as water retrievers. (The word "poodle" is derived from the German pudel , short for pudelhund , which means "water dog."Pudeln in German means "splash,"and is also the root of the English word "puddle.") This functional trim or clip originated to help the dog in its' work of retrieving birds from marshy areas. An unclipped poodle's thick coat could weigh it down in the water. Clipping the hair from the rear region made the poodle more buoyant and freed the dogs legs for efficent swimming. The long mane and hair around the chest were left intact to keep the poodle's vital organs warm in the cold water. The smaller puffs on the ankles of this trim provided warmth at the joints and the rosettes on the rump protected the kidneys. While most dogs were white or brown, hunters tied the hair above each dogs eyes with different colored yarn to enable them to distinguish between dogs at a distance. Plenty of hair was left on the top of the head and pompom on the end of the tail, which made it easier to lift the poodle from the water. The coat for hunting purposes is much shorter in length than what we see in the show ring today.

Poodles' haircuts evolved into some of the more ornate and elaborate incarnations we see today when the animals gained popularity in France, particularly in the 18 th century under the reign of Louis XVI. Poodles, especially the smaller varieties, were popular with the nobility, who would mold the little dogs' hair into extravagant styles, sometimes mimicking the ornate pompadours that French men and women wore themselves at the time. Monograms were also clipped into the dogs coats.

Some people believe that the more elaborate poodle clips originated from their use as performing dogs with the circus. The poodles' coat would have been trimmed to resemble the ruffs seen on the neck, wrist and feet of a clown.

Diagram for trimming 1891