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[Paula]

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

You must make the touching of his paws and legs a pleasant experience. Sit on the floor with him and cuddle and THEN slowly begin to rub/ pet/ massage his legs and paws. ( Without a brush or comb in sight) You will probably have to go slow at first...letting him know his legs/paws can be touched without brushing. Once he gets use to the idea you can brush him ...but go go slow and short periods of time.

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

You might try distracting him with a high value treat that he has to spend time licking up while you do as Rosemary suggests.  My vet used a dog version of cheese wiz on the table when I brought my boys in as pups to distract them during the first few exams.  

[Leslie C.]

It saddens me to hear that a Goldendoodle is growling and kicking.as this is not their nature and makes me think that he has been deathly afraid and traumatized by grooming.  You may want to dialog further with animal behaviorist and a vet.  My thoughts are to consider getting him shaved under sedation to get a fresh start.  An herbal product to research further is Rescue Remedy drops as a calming agent/ stress reducer.  Perhaps with Rescue Remedy on board your dog would be more relaxed and you could work on massaging your dog including legs with treats and positive reinforcement for positive targeted behaviors.With a fresh start with an unmatted coat, perhaps using a detangling prevention product like Cowboy Magic may also be helpful.  You may also want to explore the benefits of deep touch and compression for sensory sensitivities.  Items like the Thunder Shirt or Anxiety Wrap may also be beneficial.  Learning all you can on factors that contribute to matting may also be helpful in taking more steps for prevention.  For instance, snow will soon be around, so I need to keep my doodle's hair between her toes trimmed or she could get small painful matts between her toes.  I could also put preventive cream on her paw pads or use these rubber socks on her paws.  Getting use to those booties took work and high fun distraction.  You may also want to find ways to build partnership and physical activity with your dog such as agility... a tired dog sometimes helps with anxiety / stress management.  Alrighty, I wish you and your doodle the best.  ~Leslie

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I feel your pain! Tara was this way from the first time a brushed touched her (8 weeks??) but it was her entire body not just her legs. Every time the brushed touched her it was as if it were electrified. She would JUMP!  I spent much time desensitizing her to the brush using treats as reward when she allowed it to touch her. I started with my hand, progressed to the back side of the brush touching her, then the backside of the brush stoking her, then finally to the business side of the brush. It CAN happen! LOL  She had a bit of a set back with her legs when the vet did a lousy job of drawing blood for her prespay workup and even today at 6 years she doesn't LOVE to have her legs messed with but will allow it.  Some dogs are just more sensitive than others but there are gentle ways to help them through their fears.  I understand that you may like your doodle's coat longer but it would be much easier to desensitize to the brush with a shorter coat.  Less matting and less tugging all which contribute to the fear response.  Once he is more relaxed with grooming you could grow it back out again. Just a thought...