Honestly - long or short hair on your doodle

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Honestly now, I am taking a sort of a informal poll about your doodle hair.  I want to know not what we wish we did, but what we really do with our doodles hair.

1) Keep it brushed and matt free and the length I like it by hand scissoring ( you or a groomer)

2) Keep it 2 inches or less and matt free

3) Keep it 1 inch or less all the time so it does not matt

4) Let it grow, shave it, let it grow, shave it

5) Something else - please describe

 

Since there seems to be some judgementalism about hair length, long is best, shaved is worst, I will go first and freely admit ( remember I am proactively trying my best to give up guilt) that I am a

 

                                               #4. 

 

 My shaved doodles look funny, but other than short, very occasional, brushing annoys all of us.

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

#1 in the cooler months. I like to keep Harlow around 3". I use a groomer but recently have been trying to scissor her myself. Good thing she is woolly... a little spritz of H2O and the chunkiness doesn't show. Summer months we are between 2 & 3 so she stays a bit cooler.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I am also a number 4. There is no way I could afford having him hand scissored, NO WAY. I wish I could do it myself but I'm nowhere near that talented! I shave him down myself, and he looks like a skinny butt for a few weeks then he looks great. I like both ways, quite a bit.

When he is shorter, he looks more athletic, takes a lot less brushing, and seems to be more comfortable. When he's long, I brush him every single night for 30 minutes or so. We both enjoy this time but it's still kind of inconvenient. He looks so adorable when his hair is long though, so puffy and soft. He is very very puffy and long right now and nightly brushing is taking up to an hour now. Time for a shave down!

[Julie Martella]

I do the #1 until it get's too hairy... then I have them clip no more than two inches.

[shelly]

Well... I think Doodle-length is like 'people-length'. Some like it short, some like it long.... I have had long hair myself MOST of my life.. I have listened to my sisters and mother tell me I should cut my hair. They tell me how much 'better my hair looks shorter'.. I truly get upset. It's like telling me I don't look nice now... so now with that venting off my chest - LOL..... I keep Tori's hair long... maybe it's some deep rooted issue I have, but I like it longer. I try and brush it often... most times now, it stays pretty good, but I bring her to be groomed about every 4-6 weeks.
So to each his own and they ALL look absolutely beautiful!!!

[Tante & Jordan & now Annie!]

5: I trim to about an inch in the late spring for the summer heat and let her grow long for fall and winter. I trim her face (which as I writing this, my plan was to do that tonight) Jordan gets brushed once a week and she does not matt. I also only bath her once a month. Jordan has the soft curl coat, I am very lucky with my F1 doodle!

[16jmc9ifai30p]

We take our Ditto out hiking, swimming, running around the park, etc. as often as possible. It's just so much easier to keep it short. #3 for sure. We do keep the fluffy Dood tail and longer on the ears. 'Course the cute mustache. Have her professionally groomed about every 8 weeks. She loves to chase the ball, so we need to keep the hair out of her eyes. It's just so much more practical - and she definitely looks like a Doodle!

[Leslie J]

I've been trying to keep her at #2... keeping it trimmed and matt-free. Sadly, I think that we have officially progressed to #4 and our visit to the groomer next week will end with a super short cut. I can feel the matts even though I am spending almost an hour 4-5 nights a week combing them out. I have never shaved her so I guess I don't know the difference between a 1" cut and a shave. Perhaps I'll find out next week!

[Melissa]

We do #3 and we do it because we like shorter hair. It is a bonus that it helps prevents mats. :)

[Deirdre]

I'm a #1 Gus doesn't matt so he's my shaggy boy he gets brushed about once a week. When I bath him I trim his eyes, beard, ears, feet, private area and shape his tail about once a month. He does shed and dries fast after swimming. My sisters GD is his 1/2 sister (same father) she keeps Lily short, she matts so badly and takes hours to dry. No matter what # you are "ALL DOODLES ARE BEAUTIFUL" and so...... much fun.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I am a #2 with Gracie Doodle but in the summer and when she is visiting the Dog Ranch then I am #3.

[Meg (Murphy's Mom)]

I am proud to say I am usually a #1 (but last year about this time I did shave Murphy and start all over again). I also have to share that I only have one dog and no children. It is a lot of work to keep Murphy looking beautiful!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Thanks everyone for being so honest. What a great group of people there are on here.

My conclusion after informal poll. All doodles win! Short or long we love them all. Each doodle is unique - maybe that's why we love them so much.

And you are all right, Roo looks decent in a fresh shave down. Tigger needs a couple of weeks before he doesn't look naked.

Thanks to you all on DK.