Before Joey, I had a poodle that was 16 years old when she passed...I kept her pretty short and they do need to be combed/brushed regularly...as you know yorkies need to be groomed alot but if they get tangles you can usually get them combed out... poodles not so easily..and if they get matted the only thing a groomer can do is to shear them short.. at first I loved to keep Keisha long and blow dry her to a fluff ball, while it looked really pretty upkeep was demanding usually no more than two days without a really good brushing....after a few years the shorter version became very appealing to me, I only had to do her ears weekly and could get by. They are wonderful pets, but after losing her, I just couldn't do another poodle, and after much research, I decided on a yorkie, and with Joey, I am so glad I went with this breed..of course it could just be that I got the best of the breed when I got Joey!!!