If you take your poodle to the groomer regularly, you may not need to bathe her between visits. But things happen — particularly if you have a puddle-loving poodle — and you might find that your poodle needs a bath at home.

Start by brushing and combing your poodle. Then put her in the tub (or sink) and wet her fur thoroughly, starting from her head and working back to her tail, then her chest, legs, and undercarriage. Make sure the water is pleasantly warm but not hot. Cold-water baths are unpleasant (which is a reason to have bath time inside rather than out back with the hose). Be upbeat, and act like this is the most fun either of you could possibly have.

Use dog shampoo to lather your poodle all over. Then rinse her thoroughly. Depending on how dirty she is, she might need a second lathering. Once you're sure she's thoroughly rinsed, rinse her one more time. You don't want to make your poodle itchy because of shampoo residue on her coat.

Once you're finished with the bath, blot your poodle with a towel so she's not dripping wet. Take her out of the tub (or sink) and put her on the floor. Be ready for her to shake and get you wet! Use a towel (or several) to dry her off some more. She may completely lose her mind after a bath and want to race around the house. Let her blow off some steam before you continue with the drying process.

If you don't mind your poodle's coat drying in ringlets, you can let it air dry from this point, and brush it out after it's dry. But if you want your clean poodle to have fluffy and straight hair, you should use a blow dryer and brush her as she dries. (Dry her in the same order you wet her hair in the tub.) If you're going to shave and scissor your poodle after her bath, then it's essential to use a blow dryer as you brush her out.