I should mention this is a rare winter scene this year. Mainly we've been romping in mud and glop all season.
I became that person who puts their pet in clothes a few weeks ago. I still don't like dressing animals up for holidays (although clearly I was totally on board with shaving Philip into a Halloween themed groom last year) but I HAD to get him this coat.
Poodles have a reputation for being prissy and soft but any poodles I know are the exact opposite of that. I'll video Philip and his poodle friend Sterling playing some time as proof for you.
But this should give you an idea of what jackasses they are without intervention. We brought our dogs to play in a soccer field. They had wide swaths of grass in all directions but like any kid, they played in the one mud puddle they could find.
The photo in this post is a GREAT example of how Philip and Sterling play.
This isn't a sponsored post, I don't get commissions and didn't get a discount. I'm just letting you know what I use to make my life with Philip easier and why.
Because they play so aggressively, wrestling each other through mud puddles, grass & underbrush until they finally collide in mid-air like Asian fighting kites, Philip gets some tangles.
I hate tangles. Because tangles are time.
Putting him in a bodysuit genuinely takes hours off of my grooming time with him.
Yes, it takes a few minutes to get it on and take it off of him but it's still more time efficient than grooming out one bazillion mats.
When we walk in the woods, he gets covered in burrs and rolls in horse crap. All manner of unsettling things become stuck in his coat.
Once I threw a treat at him and found it later that night in his topknot.
Therefore I made my way to Instagram to see what the more well appointed dogs were wearing, and this K9 Topcoat seemed to be the thing. They sell a variety of dog coats and suits, but I got Philip the Supra bodysuit (after some advice from their customer service) which is made with a fabric similar to bathing suit material.
His friend Sterling actually owns the same brand of bodysuit, but a different style.
I chose this one because when it gets holes in it they will just remain punctures; they won't rip like a regular fabric would. I can iron a patch on if I want, and it'll be as good as newish.
I'm only assuming that it will eventually get holes in it because I let him play so wildly in it with lots of chomps on it from his friend. He's has played with his friend three or four times, and there has been no damage.
It's also lightweight enough to put it on him in the summer to protect him (and therfore me) a bit from ticks.
The bodysuit isn't for warmth. Lip doesn't need anything to keep him warm, he loves the cold and would sit outside staring at Snacks the owl for hours if I let him.
He can play and run and act like an asshat all he wants and everything but the bottom of his legs will be perfectly clean. The puffs on his legs that stick out become a bit of a mangled, matted mess, and his neck a little bit but at least he doesn't have crusty dog saliva and random squirrel parts stuck everywhere else on his coat.
I'm gonna have to email the company and ask if I can get some kind of tube, leg extenders. Either that or I'll just cut the toe out of a pair of black socks and slip those on him.
The suit gets put on by putting it over his head, shoving his legs into the holes and then zipping it up under his belly.
Yes, there are openings for when he needs to powder his nose.
He has diaper bum at the moment. That'll come off the next time I bath, blow dry, clip and groom him which needs to be done every 4-6 weeks.
Conversely, I get my hair done every 9 weeks.
He also has more room in the snack cupboard than I do and honestly, he farts a lot.
More than I feel is probably necessary. Certainly more than someone prissy would.
Lip! I love his nick name!! Gorgeous boy. Sure sounds like my 80 # boy
( Basil ). Basil has been learning to sit in the Kubota side by side seat and ride up/ down the mountain with me.
Capturing a photo and this is not in the cards just yet😉 He also can be a grand asshat! Sweet Celeste is like the most polite person I have ever know. Proper and always a lady☺️
Lip is one heck of a handsome boy ❤️
He really is! :) ~ karen!
The prissy ones fart a lot too. They just look at you like you did it, or give you weird faces when you act like what they're doing isn't natural and appreciated. Lol. (I'm looking at you silly cat!) ( No really, cats do it too, and what's prissier than a cat? 😜)
(Mom's cat would break into the dogs food bag and snack about, then have terrible gas. He was awful, lol. )
Crikey! And they say some human partners are 'high maintenance'. lol But ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do to make life with a pet companion work to both your advantages.
I really should take him to thegirlwithdogs and let her have her way with him. ~ karen!
You pro\bably already have her contact info, but if not this is Vanessa's business link - https://girlwiththedogs.com/grooming
We don’t get much snow here and my poodle is of the age where she doesn’t romp and zoom like she did in her youth. I use Johnson and Johnson No More Tangles sprays for any mats or tangles that happen.
Philip looks extremely handsome in his suit and I love his bracelets!
😆 They aren't really bracelets! It's a bit of an optical illusion. That's just his lower leg hair, the rest that's squished into the suit is just as long. ~ karen!
I have no words.
Philip looks very handsome and athletic in his bodysuit. That is a fantastic idea. My sister- and brother-in-law's family had a smaller poodle who was just as rough and tumble and fun as our Jack Russell, and he was a great family dog.
I seem to be endlessly recommending things to you, but have you read Jeanne Marie Laskas' book Fifty Acres and a Poodle? It's one of my all-time favorite books. I don't know when you'll have time to read, what with grooming Philip, saving seeds, and observing Snacks, but you never know.
I know! I read every night but only manage to get a few pages in. Sometimes a whole chapter if I'm lucky. I'll add it to the list. :) ~ karen
I know people who use standard poodles as hunting dogs. So not prissy at all. Its the hair...
Yes, they're definitely good hunting dogs. People hear poodle and expect them to be sitting at a Parisian cafe making sarcastic comments about people's outfits. ~ karen!
Heart exploding🧨. He looks so handsome. Did you get booties too? Our 2 are shaved (tick monitoring). They don’t seem to mind the cold and only roll in leaves, but I worry their feet will freeze to the ground if there’s any ground moisture (not so often this year!) Still booties take perseverance, as if we were hobbling them. I haven’t solved this issue thus far. Big love to Philip and his buddy!
Boots from Canada Pooch work great and stay on my German Shepherd Dog.
https://canadapooch.com/collections/best-sellers/products/soft-shield-dog-boots?variant=32654390100053
Thanks Sue! ~ karen
Philip's friend wears booties! His feet are quite sensitive to salt. It took him a while to get used to them as I recall but he's perfectly fine in them. now. ~ karen!
Thank you to you both. From Bruno and me
He is lucky to have you (and all of us). Adorable and functional...
Good post.
Thanks Cara! He's pretty cute in it. I have to shave that diaper bum though. ` karen!
Two years ago we purchased a K9 Topcoat for our goldendoodle, Nova. With any snow she immediately gets covered in snowballs which are a pain to get out and also leave wet spots throughout the house. While Philip looks elegant in his, Nova looks like a wannabe luge athlete. But she does love mud so I will now take it out for mud season which seems to be all year.
I love the name Nova! ~ karen!
That is genius. And I too, at first, marveled at how the suit had furry cuffs on the ends. It's a perfect fit!
Sure do like that Phillip...
One thing that has worked well for covering our dogs exposed areas needing protection is children's leggings. I used my granddaughters outgrown leggings, cut the legs off and voila! Snug enough to stay put but never seemed annoying. Might work for Phillip's lower legs.
You love him and that’s what matters. …(..cat’s don’t need body suits. Just saying ) lets see if this comment generates as much foofarrah as the waxed amaryllis.
He is such a cutie patootie! He looks like one of our neighborhood swim team swimmers who dons a body skin for swimming friction-free. Sleek, is what I’m trying to say. I thought he had a little pair of Uggs on his feet! I love his puffs. It sounds as though this is perfect for your needs! Well done.