Communicating with your groomer for an ideal experience

[Crystal]

Communication is key to a successful professional grooming experience

First and for most to a ensure a successful grooming with a professional groomer a doodle owner MUST care for their friends coat at home. This means brushing your doodle a minimum of 2x a week or more if you dog is super fleecy or combination coated and prone to matting. Brushing should be done in sections parting the coat as you go (called line brushing) brushing all the way to the skin. You can use a pin brush if you really keep up on your brushing or a slicker brush (les pooch are worth the $$) if you are a little more lax. Use a metal comb to check for tangles before moving on to the next section. A mat breaker is useful for the stray mat that begins to form, though it is preferable to avoid mats at all cost since mats are very painful to your dog and even more painful to try to brush out once the situation is out of control...humanity before vanity always! I always recommend that my clients never brush their doodles dry and dirty as this will damage the hair and make it even more prone to mating. Use a good quality conditioning spray to wet the fur before brushing. I use mane and tail and cowboy magic on my very full coated Spoo. Doodles should be bathed every week to two weeks to keep their coat in tip top shape. Most doodle parents prefer their pups in a full luxurious coat, which I looove btw, but this long coat requires extra care. If the long shaggy look is something you would like to maintain I would highly recommend investing in a high quality dog shampoo and conditioner (I like Espree silky show shampoo and conditioner..its all natural!) and also a high velocity force dryer, a grooming table with arm and groomers loop is a worthy investment also and will save your back. As long as you make sure to rinse all the shampoo out you should not have a problem with the skin drying out or skin issues. It is an old wives tale that a dog should not be bathed once a week.

Ok, so now that you have your gorgeous doodle on an amazing at home routine and home clipping is not for you its time for a professional grooming. Not all groomers are created equal and you should check out this link on finding a good groomer regardless of the breed you intend to have groomed http://www.bichonfriseusa.com/articles/choosinggroomer.htm. Of course if you know someone who has a great looking doodle ask them where they had that pup groomed.

So, you found the groomer who you are about to intrust with your pup and all that NOT MATED hair now let's talk cut. From a groomers point of view you MUST understand that since doodles do not have a breed standard clip and everyone who calls these awesome dogs family has a different picture in their mind of what their fluffy buddy should look like post groom things can get pretty hairy (pun intended). Simply telling your groomer "We don't want him to look like a poodle" is not only offensive as many groomers own poodles, but also vague. When you say "don't make him/her look like a poodle" we hear don't give him clean feet and a clean face (clean= shaved). I have seen so many pictures that upset/angry doodle parents have posted  who are on the verge of pause for drama....tears!!! that claim the groomer made their dog look like a poodle, when in fact to me they look like a well groomed doodle to most groomers. So the lesson here is be specific! If you don't want any hair taken off the nose or the eyes shelled with clippers, say so. If you don't want tight feet, say so. Even better then being specific and dare I say imperative receiving the groom your dood deserves is to bring pictures of doodles in clips you love. The pictured dog needs to have a similar coat texture to your own sweet pup. Pictures pictures pictures!!! If a loving doodle parent brings their pup in to see me and simply tells me not to make their pup look like a poodle they may not get a groom that they love or even like or... pause for drama...may even cause one to forget that hair grows back and bring on......tears! But, if you bring me a non mated pup, pics of a similar dog I will give you a clip that will make you grin every time and so will any competent professional artist who calls them self a groomer.

A word on matts. There are two things I hate more than anything when it comes to grooming doodles and those two things are as follows #1 disappointing a client with a groom that did not meet their expectations due to poor communication (conversely a groom well done makes my day) and #2 breaking the news to a long coated doodle mom or dad that their doodle is in fact mated and will need to be shaved. I HATE shaving fluffy dogs. I lLOVE LOVE LOVE fluffy dogs. I have a Spoo with hair out the wazoo because I love how fluffy dogs look and feel and also all the great clips I can do on them. I hate seeing the sadness in the owners eyes when they pick up a bald pup and I hate that I had to be the one to do it. With this said I also will not torture any dog for the look of a coat again humanity before vanity. I have had to shave down my own dogs when coat change or other circumstances made it necessary. Mats are bad for the skin when left in and painful (tortuous) when asked to be removed, especially in a single session. Any groomer who enjoys shaving dogs is not one I would want touching my pet, but on the other hand any groomer who is willing to put your dog through a lengthy and very painful (screaming, brush burned raw skin) de-mating process is also someone who would never ever EVER put even one hand on my dogs. If a groomer ever informs you your dog will need to be shaved and you are worried that this is not true I would advise you to get a second or even third opinion from other reputable groomers or vets to ease your mind and then request your groomer use the longest length required to get the dog done. A good groomer (one you already love and trust) will know and use proper de-mating techniques for safety. Razor burn and nicks/cuts ARE NOT part of the grooming experience even on a mated dog. 

In closing once you've found your dream groomer who helps your pup to look and feel like a million bucks tip them, compliment them, send every doodle you know or see their way, take care of that awesome doodle coat at home so they have a great canvas if you will to create with and don't be hard on them if that coat gets away from you (happens to the best of us) and has to be taken down short. A good groomer will always do what's best for your dog while bringing... pause for drama... tears of joy to your eyes!

I hope this has been informative for you all. I am really enjoying this site as it is helping me get an even better grasp of how doodle people like their doodles clipped. Happy grooming and keep on keeping those gorgeous doodles looking so darn cute! 

[Heather]

I see you mention that the Les Pooches brushes are worth the money. I checked their site and I'm just not sure if I should get soft, medium, or firm bristles. My dog's hair is more straight and Retreiver-y, which is listed on the site as firm, but she also has environmental allergies that have led to really itchy and sensitive skin for her. (She sees a dermatologist, but nothing is helping yet.) Anyway, the sensitive skin has led me to purchase soft-bristled brushes, but I wouldn't want to spend the money for Les Pooches if that's the wrong one. Any suggestions?

One more thing - I once had a groomer tell me to make sure I brush Rook out completely before her baths. (I bathe her every week with prescription allergy shampoo.)  He said that not doing so might be why she gets to so matted, as the water tightens the mats, and also that living in a windy climate makes her fur staticy. I wanted to try that Cowboy Magic spray, but I don't want to make things worse by getting her wet... although I've tried Martha Stewart detangler and it didn't seem to do anything either way.