Need suggestions for Grooming a wooly mini goldendoodle

[Judi Christopher]

One of my Mini goldendoodles has hair that is like fuzz with spiral curls.  I like it long and so have bought grooming tools and a table.  I wash every two weeks with a good shampoo, conditioner, Fur Butter, and apply Cowboy Magic shine and detangle.  Then I brush, comb, demat on a daily basis.  No joke!  This is exhausting.  After Joe is gorgeous he goes out to pee and comes back in with mats. Lord help me if there is a pine tree around!  Those burrs are instant mat machines.

I am wondering if there is a product that I could put on his hair to make it more silky and less fuzzy.  I thought the Cowboy Magic would do it, but it seems to just make a shiny mat.  Does anyone have words of advice?  

[Kamela & Beckett]

I don't have any suggestions, just here to commiserate. Our doodle is VERY curly. I'll admit that my husband and I don't keep up with brushing him nearly as regularly as we should, so if he gets any length on him, he mats like crazy. I just gave him a haircut this weekend and had to take him down pretty short. Luckily he runs very hot natured and we live in the deep south where cold weather is infrequent and short lived. I love the look of a shaggy doodle, but ours with his wooly coat just isn't manageable. Good luck!

[Judi Christopher]

I do brush and dematt him almost daily.  I swear, his coat is fuzz.  I so love his long coat and was hoping for a product "cure". Maybe a slight trim...to cut off the fuzz ends?  Yours does look adorable.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Question about the frequency that you are bathing him... does he get dirty/smelly that requires bathing every 2 weeks, or is it in an attempt to keep the matting under bay? The reason that I ask is that it might be causing more harm than good. If the natural oils in the coat are stripped away, it is going to be more apt to matt. And, with using the conditioner, Fur Butter plus a spray, you might be getting buildup that is coating the hair and making it more apt to stick together and matt. Certain brushing tools can cause damage to the coat, too, which sets it up for more matts as well.

So, my suggestion would be to back off on the frequency of the bathing a bit, and consider using less products instead of more. I like Minksheen shampoo- it's got a good amount of mink oil in it, that I don't need to use a conditioner. Maybe try that and a spray called The Stuff. A friend of mine that has a doodle that matts really easily swears by The Stuff for helping to prevent them in the first place.  

Like a lot of us, you might find that a shorter cut helps solve the problem, too.... (unfortunately)!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I agree with Lori about bathing too frequently.  These really curly, wooly guys tend to have dryer skin and coats. My groomer says she doesn't want to bathe ours more often than once a month.

[Judi Christopher]

Wow, I never thought bathing often and using products might be part of the problem.  I'm going to cut back on this and see what happens.  I LOVE Joe's shaggy look, but truly I might need to clip it down a bit.  I'll try the new products too.  Thanks for all the great help (and commiseration)!!

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

He is adorable. How old is he? If somewhere around a year old, he may also be shedding his puppy coat which will - or can - cause excessive matting.