poodle just shaved

Question
I have an almost one year old standard poodle male who just had to be shaved because of matting.  He now looks so thin and frail and I am afraid he will be cold.  We live in Michigan. Do you recommend sweaters or jackets for the winter?  Do you have any favorite brands?

Answer

Tazzy and his Sweater  

Riot and his Sweater   Hello Patricia,
I live in Missouri and while the weather doesn't get too cold, maybe in the 20's 30's, during the winter, all my boys wear sweaters to help keep them warm.  My house stays around 72 degrees and I tend to shave my boys down their backs leaving their legs a bit longer and then they wear the sweater unless we have a day where it gets up to 55 or above.  
It is best if you put a sweater on your dog to take it off weekly and brush the hair under the sweater.  It will get tangly and can mat if you don't.  
I like the cable knit sweaters, but have recently seen ones made of fleece.  They keep your dog a bit warmer than the cable knit ones, and if your Poodle is active, the cable knit ones can get a pull in them and unravel.  

As long as the sweater covers the body from neck to tail its personal preference as to what design, color, material, etc.  
Take your boy to the Pet Stores and try on a few different styles.  See which ones best fit his body, then get the colors or designs that fit his personality.  Its fun.  
You can also find lots of dog clothing on-line.  Just type in "Cable Knit Sweaters for Large dogs" or "Fleece Sweaters for Large dogs" in your browser to pull up lots of companies that specialize in clothing for dogs.  

Here are a couple pics of my boys in their sweaters.  The first is of my Chinese Crested, "Tazzy", who because he is a hairless boy needs sweaters or at least tee shirts year round.  He is sporting a Fleece vest.  The other pic is of my Std Poodle, "Riot", who is wearing a Cable Knit sweater.  They love their sweaters as they don't hinder their movement or activity at all.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me about this or other Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim