first haircut

[Lauren Armstrong]

Hi Everyone, 

I am new to this site and i have a 4 month on F3 Labradoodle (He actually looks more like a goldendoodle with his coat)

With the hot weather this week, i feel like hes suffering with the heat. he was really panting yesterday as our house was really warm (garden and living room/kitchen are all south facing so is a sun trap). But i have read as they don't have an undercoat there fur keeps them cool? also read they shouldn't be cut before their adult fur comes through? which is when? Or is he ok to have an all over trim? the groomer is coming on Tuesday to give him a good scrub and sort his ears and paws out and i am getting her to trim his face, but i am unsure to get her to give him a cut all over??

It would be more practical for him to have shorter hair as he gets so filthy on his walks (if there's mud, he will find it) , its hard to keep his coat nice without bathing him constantly. So any help would be nice!

Also i have been using frontline ear cleaner to help balance his ears out, as he had 2 infections by the time he was 3.5 months - seems to be working but if there' s a better brand out there i should be using let me know (I also have thorn it)

Pic attached (Excuse the kitchen wall we had a leak and paint came off!)

[JACKS MOM LORIE ANN]

He is soo cute!

Sorry I do not know the answer to your question-I'm interested as to the reasoning behind this as well. My Jack is 21 Weeks and we face same issues. I'm really not wanting his hair cut as he looks different just with his trim. We had a few areas trimmed-NOT his body. We have his kennel in the basement which is our coolest area...

[Lauren Armstrong]

Aww hes so cute! Buddy sleeps in the kitchen as its the coolest at night.. with the English weather we are back to normal after our mini heatwave, which is good for him!

[Lauren Armstrong]

So i took the plunge! i found a few pics i liked online and even told her i was scared but he needed doing, we had trouble booking him in as she comes to the house and does it in her van but she had been waiting on a part so we had to wait 2 weeks, It did take me a while to get used to him and i wish she would have cut more of his head as he just looks like a poodle with his cut..plus his hair is now extra fluffly!! anyway i defo say do it its nice to see his big eyes properly..although my partner says he looks stupid haha! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There's nothing wrong with getting a trim to make his coat easier to manage during the summer months. Do not shave him or cut it too close; it does insulate against both heat and cold. Cutting the hair should not have any effect on his adult coat and I don't understand why people think it would. Poodle pups are trimmed from the time they are about a month old, and their adult coats grow in just fine, lol. Cutting old hair can't have any effect on new hair that hasn't been produced yet.

Also, regarding keeping him clean, if he gets into dirt or mud, wait until it dries, and then you can usually just brush them out really well without bathing. Especially when the coat is a bit shorter.

[Lauren Armstrong]

Thank you, I think i'm going to get him trimmed a little all over,  we live in the English country side, mud isn't the problem he seems to find stagnant water/swamps and he stinks honestly he his is most disgusting dog dirt wise, worse than my mums labrador! hes brought a few slugs in the house and he came out of the bushes this morning during his walk covered in sticky bobs there's still some left in his fur as i couldn't get them all out before work!!

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Both of ours had their first visit to the groomer by four months. The first visit was a "get acquainted" and trim session. They've had full grooming every six weeks after that. We live in California, so we keep them pretty short year round.

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Henry is now 21 weeks and has been to the groomers twice for puppy trims. He has a beautiful parti-color coat, fleece white coat/curly brown head and spots. It got to the point at 15 weeks that I couldn't even see his eyes so I brought him in for a puppy trim on his face and paw pads, hygiene area while leaving his body/leg length alone. It takes a while with some doodles to get used to all of the noise and touching, strange implements so slow introduction with a good groomer with plenty of puppy experience is a good thing overall. Especially for Henry, she tells me he has ants in his pants LOL.

[JACKS MOM LORIE ANN]

Henry and Jack are same age :)

"Ants in his pants"! hehe

Jack loved his groomer time! I think because he was finally around other dogs and he LOVED it :)

[Lauren Armstrong]

Thank you we have a mobile groomer which comes to our house and she does it in her van, hes been twice now and had the hair around his ears cut and his paws aswell and she said hes brill so i think he will be fine i just don't know if i'm ready to have him trimmed but he needs it otherwise i will never keep on top of it :)

[Melissa]

You can have your doodle trimmed at any point. Actually, the more you get the dog used to grooming, the more easier it will be on the dog and their groomer.  You should never have the coat completely shaved, as the fur does act as an insulator and protects against the sun.  As for the adult coat, that usually starts to come in anywhere from 6 months to 9 months of age and can cause a LOT of matting if you are not consistent with brushing.  The fur may change when the adult coat comes in. Chloe looked a lot like your pup when she had her puppy fur, and once the adult fur came in, she is much curlier now.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You don't have to wait for any special time to cut his coat.  I would not shave him down - that is what people mean when they talk about keeping them cool and it is not true.  His coat does keep him cool underneath, but it can be shorter.  Ned had his first trim at about 4 months.  Ned began matting at about 6 months, so if you go a little short now, you might be about to keep on top of the mats - if your guy goes through a matting stage.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

He is such a cutie.  I would take him for a grooming and ask them for a simple puppy clip and clean up his face a bit.  Make sure your groomer knows how to groom a doodle.  Find photos of the cut you like and take them to the groomer when you go and there should be an understanding between you as to what you want.  Good luck.  Definitely tell them you do not want him shaved down!  Good luck.  Be sure to post before & after photos.