A plea from a doodle groomer!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Hi all! As many of you know, I have a tiny grooming business--I groom doodles and a few Portuguese Water dogs for friends and neighbors....and I also groom a few doodles that have been purchased from the breeder I work for.

Most of my customers are terrific--they contact me when their dog is getting a bit fuzzy and matted--usually about two to maybe three months after I groomed the dog last....in that time, they often have trimmed around the eyes and mouth and may have done the nail trim. The dog has been brushed and combed and MAYBE even bathed--despite all that attention, they usually still keep me busy for a few hours bathing and grooming them and getting all the mats out.

BUT, I have a few customers that like their doodles "shaggy"--that is OK but in these cases,  after they get VERY shaggy (and matted) they really can't brush or comb them anymore and a bath would be too hard too! And they are also afraid to do nails! Oh and trimming around the eyes is so scary! (Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice!?) But since they like them shaggy, they wait 5 or 6 months to schedule a grooming. So, here is a before picture of a wonderful labradoodle that came to me 6 months after her last grooming--I love this dog so much that seeing her like this made me ill. Are you wondering " How can she see??" So was I!

And her nails were soooo long--the dew claws were curled and growing into her leg--but I managed to get in between and trim them....Here is an After pic--there she is, under all that hair! I scolded the owner and told her that I MUST see this dog every two to three months or I am not going to groom her anymore (I am much cheaper and kinder than the other groomers around here, so that is a real threat--and the dog loves me....) Yes, she is quite short, but the legs were all matted.

I have another family with the same issue and once when I groomed their dog, the hair was so long on her face that she had a HUGE abscess that they never noticed....I called them and met them at the vet's office!!

So, PLEASE, if you like a shaggy doodle, keep up with the coat, trim the nails, trim the hair over the eyes--have someone show you how or have the groomer do it between haircuts! Don't let this happen to your doodle! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for posting this, Ginny. I cannot imagine letting a dog with a non-shedding coat go 6 months between groomings. Heck, I can't even imagine going 3 months between groomings, unless you are bathing and trimming yourself in between. My poodles went to the groomer every 6 weeks without fail, it was necessary, and even Jack with his straight, non-matting shedding coat goes every 7-8 weeks.

This kind of neglect is animal abuse, IMO. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Yes, Karen I agree--sometimes I have tears in my eyes while grooming and I am apologizing to the dog the whole time--I try to charge very little so that they come back to me often ( I live in an area with a lot of retired folks) but then again, some of the people are New York City residents with $$$ who come up to their country houses and get the dog groomed while they are here--and it has to fit their schedule.

Sometimes when I see one of those rescued dogs that has to be shaved in a video, I think of the ones I groom and know that it is often just as bad!

[Stella]

I think the problem in part is that people buy into the non-shedding fallacy of a low maintenance dog. They love the shaggy teddy bear look but have no idea that the dog is matted underneath, because it feels soft and silky on the outside of the coat. I have a non-shedding doodle and I clip him myself every six weeks or so, I brush and comb him weekly and nails are done every two weeks. Face and paws are usually trimmed every two weeks, along with plucking and cleaning his ears. I love him dearly but I will never have another non-shedding dog!! It is no surprise that many groomers turn doodles away, especially if the owner hasn't kept up with combing the coat down to the skin regularly.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

So glad you posted this.  All dogs need coat care - some more than others.  I also tell people asking me where I got my doodles - not to even consider a non shedding doodle if they are not willing to take care of the coat!  I brush heads and tails first thing in the a.m. before I brush my own hair! Yes, I may be over the top but I am not willing to let my doodles go through the trauma of having mats removed, etc etc.  Both of my doodles are completely brushed out before going to groomer so their experience is a good one each and every time.  My groomer has told me I am one of the few that do any kind of coat care in between grooming.  It my mind that would be like me not combing my hair in between haircuts.  That being said, she does not charge me any less!  And to rant on - many times it is the same people that just do not have time to obedience train.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

What I don't understand here, is that the original picture isn't all that long (yes the eyes/face need trimmed) ... they should be able to maintain a coat at this length.  A curly doodle doesn't get long and shaggy it just gets curlier.  If you brush/comb a doodle 10 mins a day you don't ever have to worry about matting.  Maybe we have more time than some people, but if you don't have 10 mins a day to comb your doodle, then you have no business having a doodle.  IMO.  We met a new doodle family last time we were in FL and they kept saying their doodle had just had a haircut and they couldn't wait till it grew out and looked like our AnnaBelle again ... problem was, he was 8 months old ... what they cut off was puppy coat ... he was curlier than this doodle ... he was not going to get shaggy again.  I'm sorry, off my soapbox now.

[Stella]

My Chase has a coat that matts really easily. When it gets to 2 inches or longer it can take up to three hours to comb him fully out, and that is doing it one to two times a week! So, I always keep him trimmed short. I miss the shaggy look, but I don't miss all the hard work that comes with it.

[Ginny Nightingale]

The owners of this dog are in their 70s and do not have the energy or health to care for her coat--if you pulled out the curls, it was at least 8 inches long--the matting was in the legs and the underside--they let it get way out of hand...I don't charge them much because I want them to come more often!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I cannot imagine going 5-6 months with no care. It is neglectful. Good for you in trying to t this owner to give some care to the doodle.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

And that is why my boys get groomed every month!  Luckily my groomer's fees are totally affordable so we can afford to go often.  Your older clients should be doing the same, Ginny.  The dog may mat in between your grooms, but it should be manageable.

[Ginny Nightingale]

exactly--sometimes I am raising pups and I do not groom dogs during those 8 weeks --(too many germs and not enough energy!) But I try to get everyone done before the pups come and then immediately start again when they leave--this summer, I had a litter in late April-May-June, groomed all the customers that needed it, including this girl in the picture, and then had pups from July until late September--these folks did not get her back here for three more months! I assumed that they had taken her elsewhere, so I was shocked when I saw her and realized they had not done that....from now on, I will be a pest!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Once in a great while my groomer has texted me asking if I want the dogs groomed.  Mostly it is when a holiday is coming up and her appointments are starting to fill up. I like it.  I think perhaps some of your clients need a gentle reminder to keep them on track.  I think they might appreciate the reminder.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I do that all the time, Nancy! Usually it works!!