Jackie as I type this Bella is having a haircut. I tried to groom her today and got about 3/4 of the way done and she was starting to fidget quite a bit. Hubby is finishing up and she is an angel for him. I will never understand that. I guess I need a deeper voice!

To answer your question about the purpose of the fancy cuts, I really am not sure. In my own personal opinion it may be to judge the quality of a poodle's fur. Some poodles are much woolier than others. In fact some poodles could not even be clipped that way because of soft fur or thin fur. It may be one of the ways the judges determine fur quality?? Anyone out there that is a breeder may know the answer to that one. One of my toy poodles, Pumpkin, had a horrible poodle coat. It was soft and thin and with him every day was a bad hair day. He came from a back yard breeder, just a family with a male and a female and seeking to make a buck. I actually can't be mad at them, though, because he was absolutely the most lovey dovey little guy and happily he lived to be 17!!! A professional breeder, though, breeds for conformation to breed standards, and coat is very important. I have been told (don't know how true this is) that the wooliest poodles are white and black. Our Whitney (who was black) and Bella (who is almost white) definitely have/had the best coats, so I guess there is some truth in that, at least from personal observation. Yes, we ONLY clip in the puppy clip. It is easy to maintain and looks more sensible. I loved the "topiary" comment!