Grooming

[Maverick]

I have a 10 month old doodle who is getting mats all over eventhough I brush him almost everyday.  i refuse to shave him and drop him off at an all-day groomer. we tried a mobile groomer but she cut the pads of his paws horribly!  what do you all do to keep them long haired but mat-free?

Thanks in advance!

Emily & Maverick

[Ian]

I don't have an answer as ALD doesn't come until next month. I do however wish to say he is beautiful. 

[Carol and Banjo]

I was very reluctant to have Banjo groomed....but by the time he'd reached 10 months I wasn't able to keep up with the matting.  We were fortunate to find a wonderful groomer.   I took many photos of dogs with haircuts I liked and she did a fabulous job.  I love the long, shaggy look but find it too much to keep mat free - so now we settle for periodic grooming and when daily brushing doesn't keep the mats at bay it's off to the groomer!

[Holly (Jax & Bandit)]

I know just how you feel.  My dog, Jax, looks just like Maverick.  They must be twins!  I like to keep him longer too.  I used to bring him to a great groomer who offered to teach me how to groom him myself. You need to first brush him in the opposite way that his hair grows.  Then you need to use a comb and go all the way to the skin and comb him out.  When you get to a mat, I use a mat rake and it works miracles on the mats.  It cuts it and then you go back with the comb and the brush and get out the loose mat.  I have also used thinning shears that I bought at Walmart in the human hair section.  That also works really well  on a mat as it cuts the hair, but doesnt leave a hole in his coat.  It is time consuming, but I find if I do this twice a week or so I am able to control the mats and keep him long.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Brush, brush, brush.  :)   I like to keep my doodles hair on the long side too.  Sasha is very poodley so I keep her on the shorter side than Oliver.   I groom my doodles myself so I try all different products to keep their hair soft, clean and matt free.  Some products work better than others.  But the only thing that keeps them matt free is a good daily brush from head to toe.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

My Riley is eleven months old and looking at Maverick their coats look very similar.  I brush him every day with the Green Les Poochs brush and I really think this is what is saving the day.  I also use a comb to make sure I get through everywhere.  I have now shaved his belly with my Andis clippers ( you can't see the belly and it is prone to mat) and I trim all the hair from between his pads, trim around his eyes and privates.  I bathe him about every two/three weeks and use a really good shampoo and a conditioner.  I use a horse Mane and Tale spray in his coat every few days which makes getting through it easier.  I suggest you check out the grooming group for lots more good tips.  To groom properly you need to put him up on a table and use the arm and holder (or a second person) to keep him still, otherwise you can't get to the parts that need special attention.  Riley's difficult bits are his front paws so I have to use my partner to hold him while I do them now.  So far we are mat free ( that of course could change quite quickly) and I seem to be on top of of it.  I am determined not to have to shave him right down.  I may take a little off in the Summer if he is too warm but that's all.  Maverick is gorgeous (great name)  and I wish you luck with this.

[Willow and J]

awww... So cute!!

10  months was about the age that Willow (and perhaps all doodles?) got most mats. We fortunately met a nice groomer and she didn't told us to shave our dog, but Willow's coat had to be cut 1 inch length with a bit of uneven places where mats were too close to skin. Willow HATES to be brushed nor groomed, so since then, we keep her coat short, about 1 inch length, every 6-8 weeks. I need to brush her tail and muzzle every week, but rest of the body is not even long enough for combing. She's still cute, but we were very scared the first time, and she indeed looked like a completely different dog. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

Maverick is a beauty! He is probably starting "the dreaded coat change". Please join the grooming group and do a search on coat change. It happens when the adult hair starts to grow in and gets tangled in the puppy hair. There are many tidbits of helpful advice in the grooming group for your question.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Brush and comb, brush and comb, brush and comb, brush and comb.........  :-}   We shortened Ned, our ALD's coat when he was matting the worst but we never shaved it.  He matted badly until he was over two. Now at four he still mats but not as badly.

Ned's haircuts at his worst matting:

[Maverick]

THANK YOU ALL - such awesome tips from all of you!! Where do I find the grooming section in the forums that you all refer to?

It seems like once I get a mat out, another 2 appear!  I wil be purchasing these matt-splitters that you mention. Sounds like Les Pooch is pretty popular.  Thank you again!

 

Emily & Maverick

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Hi, Emily!

Cosmo is an Australian Labradoodle, and he really started to matt when he was about 8 months old. (He will be two in May.) It was when his coat started to change from his puppy coat to his adult coat, and that may be what Maverick is experiencing now.

My husband combs Cosmo two or three times a week, and I work my fingers through his coat every day. If I find a matt, I snip it out with hair-cutting scissors. We also use Mane & Tail shampoo and detangling spray.

But, most importantly, we have a groomer who knows that I never want him shaved. If she finds a matt, she trims it out but doesn't shave down his whole coat.

To find the grooming discussions, look at the links across the top of the page. Click the one that says "Groups" and browse all. The group you want is "Doodle Grooming." You can join and ask all the questions you want! There is a lot of expertise there!

Best of luck with Maverick's beautiful coat!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Look at the top of the page; click on groups; at the top of that page is Doodle Grooming; click on it.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

The Matt's Can be quite time consuming, so it's really up to you how important a shaggy look is. My Murphy looks just like Maverick and the hair looks just as similar. I have always kept him pretty short because his hair just looks so fuzzy when it's over 2" long. He doesn't shed much at all and has somewhat of an undercoat that has to be brushed/combed often. Longer the hair, longer it takes. Then, as cute as he may look, the day comes when I just say " enough" and in the cutting room we go. I cut him down to 1/2 in and I always love, love, love the look and the ease of it.
If you want a certain look then doing it yourself is the best bet for most. But just know that there are some very handsome shaved doodles and with the right face and leg cut they still look very doodley. As for Matt's, I think Nancy already mentioned Brush and Comb! But it bears repeating.....brush and comb! Les pooches brushes are awesome, very pricey, but worth the investment. Good luck. The Grooming Group is very helpful. That's where I learned most of what I know about grooming my two.