Why are short haircuts rare for Doodles? I am considering a Doodle and love the idea!

[Erin S]

Hi everyone,

I have been researching dog breeds and reading your forum, and I'm wondering if a Labradoodle/Goldendoodle is the right dog for me. From my research, a standard size Doodle seems like a fantastic dog, and the best match to what I am looking for in health, temperament, and trainability. These factors are my top priorities. 

 

I have never owned a long haired dog before. I love the idea of having a lower shedding dog, and I am okay with trimming his hair regularly and/or taking him to a groomer. However, I have always preferred the look of shorter hair dogs (especially short hair around the face with no beard) and I am interested in keeping my dog's hair as low maintenance as possible. So, if I got a Doodle, I envision keeping the hair on his body on the shorter side, like a summer cut, probably keeping it between ~ 1/4" and 2". I would like to keep the hair on his face very short, as is often done with poodles. (I live in a warm climate, and plan to take my dog hiking, camping, etc, so I think this would also be comfortable for him.) 

 

I realize most of you adore the look of your longer haired Doodles (and some of you might think I'm crazy), but I wanted to get some advice on maintaining my dog with a nontraditional cut. Is there a practical reason people don't typically clip their Doodles this way? Or is it simply aesthetic preference that the hair is typically kept long, especially around the face? I would appreciate any advice, I want my dog to be happy. :) Thanks so much!

 

Here is an example photo of the type of cut I'm talking about (I really like this look!):

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

What you've read about doodles being healthier than the parent breeds is pure baloney, or should we say "breeder hype". Doodles can and do get all of the same genetic diseases that the parent breeds do, and we've seen all of them in various members dogs: Cancer, epilepsy, Addison's disease, every kind of orthopedic issues, eye problems, Immune-mediated disease of all sorts, you name it. 

If you want the truth about these dogs, don't look for it from the people who are selling them, lol. The people who own them are the best sources of info. Here's a great discussion for anyone considering a doodle: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/considering-a-doodle-crowd...

[Erin S]

Thanks for the info and the link! Yes, I know any dog of any breed or mix can have inherited health issues (and all dogs develop health issues in old age). I've been researching a number of breeds (including the Doodle parent breeds), and Doodles seem to come up as slightly healthier on average from sources that appear to be objective. For example, on websites that list lifespan for various breeds, labradoodles/goldendoodles are often listed as living an average of a year or two longer than labs or goldens.

I have also looked up monthly pet insurance premiums for different breeds at various ages (older especially). I figure this is a good objective way to evaluate overall average breed health, as the insurance company calculates monthly premiums from average past costs for each breed. Labradoodles/goldendoodles have slightly lower monthly insurance premiums than labs, golden retrievers, poodles, and other breeds I am considering when all other factors are held constant.

So, even if the average health differences are small, a Doodle from a reputable breeder seems like a good choice in this regard. That was my line of thinking, anyway. If anyone thinks otherwise, I'm all ears. :)

[Adina P]

I think it's hard to judge life expectancy accurately when they haven't been around nearly as long as their parent breeds.  I wonder who collects this data...vets?

[Adina P]

Also with the personality/temperament...since the doodle is a mixed breed there is no guarantee which personality characteristics an individual puppy will get.  Will it be more like a poodle or more like a retriever or a 50/50 combo?  Nobody can say for sure until the puppy is yours and you have gotten to know it.

[Erin S]

Yes, I have also heard temperament tends to be more variable in crossbreeds than pure breeds. I have a number of breeds I am considering that sound appealing, and lab, golden retriever, and poodle are each very high on my list. So, if my doodle tended to behave more like one of the parent breeds than a 50/50 mix, that would be okay with me.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I keep my two doodles pretty short, just because I like them that way.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Looks fine to me.  It is totally up to you to have him/her groomed the way you like them.  I prefer the longer cut and we do all our own grooming so we get exactly what we want.  Most doodles are non-shedding and that is a great plus and also have easy to groom coats.  We live in a cool area on the coast of California, so heat is not a problem here.  This is the current cut we have on Harpo, our ALD.  He is a happy little guy and loves the beach, but is very allergic to poison oak so he needs to be on leash in most areas.  Get your dog used to frequent baths, especially if (s)he will be in your bed or on the furniture.

[Wendy and Myla]

I think the beauty of doodles is that you can have whatever cut you want and you can change it up whenever you want.  As most people, we have Myla clipped shorter in the summer because she is constantly swimming so we clip similar to your picture - sometimes we keep her face and ears a bit longer and when it gets too scruffy we clip her right down as above (which looks adorable)- then her hair grows and I love that look also and say, let's leave her as long as possible because she looks adorable with the longer hair and then when we clip her she looks adorable again in a different way.  It's like I get a different dog four times a year! To me doodles look adorable no matter how long their fur - they just have that goofy, teddy bear look that nobody can resist!

[Camilla and Darwin]

I shave Darwin myself a few times a year because when his hair is long it's too unmanageable and tangles very easily. I think he's adorable shaggy or short! Because we shave him, we see him at all different lengths, but I think my favorite is in the 1"-2" range. 

[Erin S]

Thanks for sharing your pics. Darwin is beautiful!

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

Darwin is gorgeous at any length.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

My Orwell has a micro fine fleece coat-- in other words, one of the most difficult (if not the most difficult) labradoodle coats to keep. I just switched groomers and had to wait a while to get in, so Orwell's coat became a nightmare. At the end of the wait to get in to our grooming appointment, I would say that his hair was 3.5-4 inches long. I brushed him AT LEAST twice a week, and every time I brushed him I found new mats starting. I've decided I'm going to keep him in the 1-2 inch range because of this.

My point is, it is hard to determine what a puppy's coat will be like when they are an adult. So, always keep that in consideration.  

As of now, his cut looks a lot like the picture you provided, but I keep his face and tail stylized. 

This is him fresh from the groomers at about 1.25 inches on his body (all the way from behind the ears to the base of his tail).