Thinking about a doodlr

[Theresa]

If you have a curly cost about how often do you have it groomed and are you able to get a brush/comb and what type through their hair?

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Roo and Tigger are both ALDs and both curly curly curly.  Roo's curly coat is very very fine and very difficult to comb or brush.  Tigger's curly coat is thicker hair and easier to comb, but still very time consuming.

I have two ways of managing their hair.

1) I shave them with my husband's help to 1/4 inch except head and tail.  These I comb out and trim with a scissors.  Then I just let it grow and grow with face and head combing and trimming and tail combing.  I find it easier and less stressful for everyone to comb them, than brush them.  I have every dog brush on the market - for me a steel comb works best.

2) I have them professionally groomed every six weeks.  Body hair is about 2 inches long, ears and tail hair somewhat longer.  Any longer and I would need to have them groomed every four weeks.  I live in the Los  Angeles suburbs so everything is pricey.  It cost $140 plus a $40 tip for both dogs. 

I have had huskies and a golden retriever so I thought I was ready for doodle hair.  Ha!   I love their coats, but as Nancy said - they aren't easy to keep groomed.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

OMD, Maryann!  I pay  $140 for 3 dogs and that includes a  $25 dollar tip!  This is for scissor cutting not clippers.  I feel sooooooo lucky.

[Lynda Kamrath]

You are very lucky.  It is $80 here for a doodle cut and $60 for a puppy cut.  I check out the costs but do their grooming myself.

[Doris]

I keep Bodi short.  He has a wavy coat and I have him groomed every 8 weeks.  We have no trouble with matting this way.  I know the doodle look is longer, but this works for us!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

My ALD has a combination wavy/curly fleece coat.  Mostly waves. He doesn't shed but I have him groomed every 6 weeks and tend to keep him short. Over the holidays, he got quite long and brushing took forever. The fleece turns into just that, fleece!  With each "staple" of hair lying so close to the skin, you have to work through small areas. Bathing him at home requires a professional dog dryer because the fleece soaks up water like a sponge and a hand held dryer takes hours (I'm not kidding :) We're all happier with a puppy cut.  I pay about $80 plus tip.

[Theresa]

Glad I found this forum before it was too late because I do not have the time to do all of the grooming. We are quite active and we thought it would be a good dog for our activities but now I've totally rethought that idea. Thank you all for being honest.

[BG and Gavin]

Thanks you for being honest with yourself. The trouble with a mixed breed like a doodle is that you just never know what you are going to get. My groomer does a lot of doodles and we were talking about it last week. She says that Gavin's lightly shedding coat is by far the easiest to work with. Lol easy? I comb, clip and bath frequently between grooming and even get his beard clipped short to keep him cleaner. But I do not have to deal with a ton of matting. If you go with a pure bred dog you will know exactly what to expect.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am impressed about the depth of your research.   A doodle might be right for your family down the line - or not.