Beatrice
6 years old · Kennebunk
A white standard who stacks herself on the table without being asked. If poodles judge our scissor work, she's the toughest critic we have.
Breed Grooming Guide 5.0 · Southern Maine
Poodle Dog Grooming.
The poodle is the breed grooming standards were written around — a true single curly coat that never stops growing and needs real scissor work, not a quick clipper pass. K-Pup grooms standard, miniature and toy poodles in a quiet one-dog-at-a-time mobile trailer, parked in your driveway anywhere on the southern Maine coast.
Three Sizes, Many Trims
Standard, miniature, toy — and the trim you actually want.
Poodle grooming is as much about the haircut as the coat. We'll talk through what suits your dog's lifestyle before a blade touches them. The official breed standard lives on the AKC Poodle breed page.
Standard Poodles
Big, athletic and heavily coated. Standards need a full line-brush, a long dry, and careful scissoring to keep the outline clean. Most of our standards run a sporting or modern trim — short enough for the beach, sharp enough to look like a poodle.
Miniature Poodles
The sweet spot: enough coat for real shaping, small enough for a 90-minute appointment. Minis mat around the collar, ears and in the tail plume, so a consistent 4–6 week cycle matters more than length.
Toy Poodles
Tiny dogs with big personalities and delicate skin. We work gently, keep the session short, and pay special attention to the face, feet and sanitary areas where toy poodles are most sensitive.
Puppy Cuts, Sporting & Continental
Puppy cut: one even length all over, easiest to maintain. Sporting/kennel: short body, rounded head, tidy legs. Continental and modified continental: the show-ring look, available on request — tell us at booking so we can allow the extra time.
Curly Coat Expertise
A single coat that never stops growing.
No undercoat means no shedding — and constant matting
Poodle hair grows continuously and shed hair stays trapped in the curl. That's why poodles are easy on allergies and hard on schedules. Line-brushing to the skin is non-negotiable, and we'll teach you where your specific dog packs down.
Ears, tear stain and the poodle face
Poodle ear canals grow hair and hold moisture. Every groom includes cleaning and drying. We also keep the eye corners clear — poodles tear-stain easily, and the fix is largely mechanical: keep the hair short and the area dry.
Feet and nails
Clean feet are the poodle signature. We clip the foot, trim between the pads, and keep nails short — long nails change how a poodle stands and puts strain on their joints over time.
Skin, sensitivity and the coastal winter
Poodle skin is thin and dries out fast in a Maine winter with the heat running. We use conditioning, non-stripping shampoo and won't take a coat shorter than is comfortable for the season.
The Poodle Club of America has good breed-health information, including guidance on hip, eye and thyroid screening in the breed.
Services
Poodle grooming services.
01
Full Poodle Groom
Line-brush, bath, full dry, your chosen trim hand-finished, clean feet and face, topknot or tidy ears, nails and sanitary.
02
Bath, Brush & Tidy
Full brush-out and blow-dry with a face, feet and sanitary tidy — great for stretching the gap between full haircuts.
03
Teeth Cleaning
Anesthesia-free brushing that lifts tartar — toy and miniature poodles are among the most tartar-prone dogs we see.
Our Process
How we groom a Poodle.
Every poodle appointment follows the same order, start to finish, in the trailer in your driveway. Typical appointment time: about 2 hr 30 min, one dog at a time.
Coat and pattern consultation
Poodle grooming is pattern work, so we agree on the trim first — a practical sporting or lamb clip, a puppy cut, or a more traditional pattern — and check the density and condition of the coat.
Rough clip and brush out
On a longer poodle we take bulk off first, then brush and comb the remaining coat to the skin. Curly coat mats invisibly, so the comb, not the eye, decides when we move on.
Bath with a volumizing system
Poodle coat wants lift, not weight. A volumizing shampoo and light rinse-out conditioner keep the curl springy so it holds a scissored line instead of collapsing.
Stretch dry to straighten the curl
We force-dry and then fluff-dry with a brush to pull the curl straight. A properly stretch-dried poodle is the only way to get sharp, even scissoring — this step is what separates a poodle trim from a generic haircut.
Clipper work and hand scissoring
Face, feet and tail are clipped clean, the body is set to length, and the topknot, ears and legs are hand-scissored into balanced lines. We check the silhouette from all four sides before we call it done.
Nails, ears, sanitary and finish
Nails clipped and ground smooth, ear hair cleared and canals wiped, sanitary and paw pads tidied, then a light coastal-safe spritz. We hand you back a dog you can put straight on the couch.
This is the full step-by-step process K-Pup Dog Grooming uses for poodles in southern Maine.
Client Spotlight
Our favorite poodles.
A few of the poodles we look forward to seeing on the schedule — regulars from around southern Maine who hop up on the table like they own the trailer.
Louie
3 years old · Old Orchard Beach
Black mini with a tight curl and zero patience for tangles. He's on a strict five-week schedule and it shows.
Poppy
1 year old · Saco
Apricot toy poodle, all of seven pounds. Her whole groom happens on a towel in the lap position and she snoozes through most of it.
Fun Facts
The best things about poodles.
We groom a lot of poodles, and every one of them reminds us why the breed has such a loyal following. Here's what we love about the poodle.
Working water retrievers
The famous show trim wasn't fashion — the poufs kept joints and organs warm while the dog swam after ducks in cold water.
Top-tier smart
Poodles rank second only to border collies in working intelligence. Give one a job or it will invent one you won't like.
Three sizes, one breed
Standard, miniature and toy are the same dog at different scales — same coat, same brain, same opinions.
The coat never stops
Poodle hair grows continuously instead of shedding out. That's why they're allergy-friendly and why they need real haircuts.
A trim for every household
Puppy cut, teddy bear, lamb, town and country — the same dog can look completely different depending on the day's plan.
Long-lived companions
Minis and toys routinely reach 15 or more. Keeping ears, teeth and nails on schedule is a big part of how they get there.
Related Breeds
Similar coats we groom.
poodles share brushing, drying, and trimming needs with these breeds — each guide covers coat care, timing, and pricing for mobile grooming in southern Maine.
Bichon Frise Dog Grooming
Curly coat scissor work
Portuguese Water Dog Dog Grooming
Curly coat scissor work
Airedale Terrier Dog Grooming
Hand-tidy terrier trims
Akita Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
Alaskan Malamute Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
American Eskimo Dog Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
Services
Services for your Poodle.
The visits poodles book most often, and what each one includes.
from $85
See every service and price →Matted Dog Grooming
Humane dematting, honest shave-down advice, and why a short haircut is sometimes the kindest option.
Read more →guideFull Groom vs Bath & Brush
Not sure which one to book? A straight comparison by coat type, price, and how often each is needed.
Read more →$20–$170Grooming Prices
What mobile grooming actually costs here, why prices vary by dog, and what's included at every tier.
Read more →Where We Groom Poodles
Poodle grooming across southern Maine.
Looking for a poodle groomer near you? Our trailer covers the York County and southern Cumberland County coast weekly. Pick your town and book. See all our locations →
Kennebunkport Poodle GroomingKennebunk Poodle GroomingCape Porpoise Poodle GroomingGoose Rocks Beach Poodle GroomingArundel Poodle GroomingBiddeford Poodle GroomingSaco Poodle GroomingWells Poodle GroomingOgunquit Poodle GroomingYork Poodle GroomingOld Orchard Beach Poodle GroomingScarborough Poodle Grooming
Poodle Grooming FAQ
Questions poodles owners ask us.
How often should a poodle be groomed?
Every 4–6 weeks. Poodle hair grows continuously, so the schedule is driven by growth rather than shedding. Shorter trims can stretch toward 8 weeks; anything longer than an inch needs the 4-week cycle plus home brushing.
What's the difference between a puppy cut and a sporting clip?
A puppy cut is one even length over the whole body — simplest to maintain. A sporting or kennel clip takes the body shorter and leaves a rounded head and slightly longer legs, which holds its shape longer between grooms.
Do poodles really not shed?
They shed very little into the environment — the loose hair stays caught in the curl. That's great for allergies and exactly why an unbrushed poodle mats so quickly.
Can you do a continental or show trim?
Yes, on request. Continental and modified continental trims take considerably longer, so mention it when you book and we'll schedule the extra time.
Where in southern Maine do you groom poodles?
We come to you across Kennebunkport, Kennebunk, Cape Porpoise, Goose Rocks Beach, Arundel, Biddeford, Saco, Wells, Ogunquit, York, Old Orchard Beach and Scarborough.