I have a 8 year old black male standard poodle. I got him as a rescue dog when he was about 6 months old.

The necessary trimming is a real time consuming pain. It's also expensive to have someone else do it. Bathing is easy. I just tell him to get into the tub and he steps in. He also sits pretty still when I'm shaving him.

He is one of a small handfull of dogs that I have owned or been around that I trust with kids. I have a 3 and a 5 year old grandchildren. There have been a couple of times (when my back was turned) that they had been rough with him. His response was to just get up and move. He...