Ridley's first grooming

[Km]

So, we took everyone's advice and just got him totally shaved down.  No more mats!  Yay ridley!  It's quite a shock to see him, doesn't look like the same dog.  We are SOOO not fans of the shorter look.  He looks like a sheared sheep!  I guess my ideal will be 1-2 inches (?) if his coat is a candidate for that.  I have a few questions.. we recently purchased a green LP brush after talking to Kemp.  When to I start using it, since we've just gotten him totally buzz cut?  Do I start by using it on his ears, tail, top of head to get him used to it?  Would i just run it over this body?  I want to start off on the right track now that we've shaved him down.  

My second question is:  I'm attaching pics, is this a "good" doodle cut?  So hard for me to tell simply b/c we just don't like the REALLY short coat cut.  But mainly his face... should we make any recommendations as we continue with this groomer?  Thanks for much!  

It's so crazy dropping off a polar bear with 4inch+ hair and picking up a shaved sheep!  I'm hoping he feels super with having all that hair off of him!!

[Trudy Harlow]

I think he looks adorable, but they could have left the "puff" on the top of his head a little longer so he maintained his doodle look better. Still, it's a pretty nice cut. I understand the shock -- I'm shocked every year when I shear Paddy down, and he's 5 -- but before you decide whether you can live with it, try actually living with it for a while. I promise you'll get used to it, although you may still prefer the slightly longer clip. And don't worry -- he'll grow out quickly!

When Paddy's coat is short, I just brush his body very gently so as not to impale him with the wires in the brush. Actually, I often brush him "backward" just to fluff him up a little.

[Star and Goldie]

You sound just like me! I am so not a fan of short cuts either so I have a hard time telling if they are good cuts or not! I have seen some that look great cut short... It's just not for us though I'm sure at some point it will be inevitable for us as well

[Jeanne Rose]

so darn cute!

[Cheryl and Lucas]

Is there a "before" picture? I think he is adorable, but I would like to gage how much of a difference it was between the long and short cut.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

   He looks sooooo soft and adorable.  If you get him groomed often (like every month)  and  brush/comb in between, that you could keep him a bit longer and it would work. I think if you want us to actually critque the cut, that his ears are a bit short, but they 'almost' got it right.  He just looks huggable.  I would brush the ears and tail daily and give the body a once over.

[Puppy Love]

Really cute. His eyes look so sweet.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

It's really a matter of personal preference, but the only things I'd want to change is the length of the ears (longer) and the length on the legs (about twice as long as the body). Don't worry though, even my groomer gets at least one of those things wrong each time, and she's been our groomer for years! Ridley really is adorable, regardless!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Speaking as someone that got so tired of bad haircuts that I set myself up to groom my own doodles, if I took a matted doodle to a groomer for a shave down and this is what I saw when I picked him/her up, here is what I would do.  I would grab that groomer, hug her, give her a huge tip and book my appointments for the remainder of my doodles life with her.  There have been so many doodles that have gotten shaved down that you could see the skin, the coat wasn't smooth, they shaved the tail, shaved the face, you name it.  I think your little guy looks adorable even with this haircut.  You were very lucky to have found this groomer.  IMO

[Km]

Thanks for all the input!  So, truth be told, it's already grown on me this morning.  It's so much easier!  Half of my yard didn't come inside with him when he came in this morning!  LOL.  It was also very refreshing to brush him today and have it be a quick and painless process!  

Trudy, I agree with the longer "puff" on the top of the head.  In looking at Ava's look, I also really like how Ava's ears are a bit longer, so that maybe a suggestion for the future, too.  

DH and I agree, only after having this short hair do for 24 hours, that his previous coat was way too long.  It was a bit much.  

L &A's mom- point taken on the groomer!  That's the kind of feedback I was looking for... actually I was indeed surprised he wasn't shaved even closer when I picked him up.  I expected a "wax job" b/c of how quickly he matted in the past 3 weeks.  I was able to keep up in the past but seriously, they started coming out of now where and I couldn't keep up.  Glad I got the advice on her to just shave him now.  I'm glad to know she did a good job, as I would not be able to judge myself!

Cheryl C.... I have attached a "before" picture of him with his other shaggy bud Charlie.  

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Ridley was awfully cute with long hair, and although I do like the look, having them cut short is so much easier to keep up with. I prefer it for my 2. I actually wish my groomer would go shorter on Oscar, but she seems to feel he should be kept longer than Lucy (something about his hair being less dense). Its so much cooler for Summer, too, and if they like the water the shorter hair is a big plus. The look will really grow on you (I like being able to see their athletic builds with the shorter cuts!).