Oh it is almost painful to know that you have poodles and we can't see them. Do you have any pictures that someone could scan for you? I am sooooo happy for you that you are adding another curly headed sweetie to your gang. I can't believe that a 12 week old standard puppy wound up in a shelter. Oh how I wish we could see her. To answer your question, yes I do all of my own grooming. I took Bella to a groomer a couple of years back just to see what they would do. Actually I was disappointed a few times in the way she was done. They often made her topknot too short and they also got water in her ears repeatedly and she developed yeast infections in her ears as a result of that, which took a long time to get rid of. I look at grooming as a bonding experience and there is a feeling of pride when you are finished. If you make a mistake, the hair will grow back. I have made MANY mistakes over the years! I don't have any name suggestions right now but I will try to think of a few. How exciting!