Shorn to Blithereans

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

Oh where oh where has my poor doggie gone? After bringing him in to get his first clipping, at 10 months of age, I was told by the groomer that my mini-chocolate labradoodle was terribly matted and needed to be clipped way down.  My oh my - what a surprise when I picked him up....he looks like an overgrown malnourished brown schnauzer!  How long will it take for his coat to grow back and how can I prevent this matting from occurring again? Is this the coat change I've been reading about??

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

That's interesting. I have a CC T-Pin brush that Lucy hates! It has metal pins though so I really wonder how she'd react to a wood pin brush. I'll have to keep that in mind as there's really no brush or comb I've tried thus far that she'll willfully allow me to use on her. She has a wooly coat, too, which seems to be difficult to get through with any brush/comb. Thanks for sharing! 

[Cheri & Bonny]

I have ALL the brushes (Les Pooches, CC T pin brush in two sizes and the wooden one) and a few combs and I end up using all of them in different places....   I start with the CC T-pin brush, move to the Les Pooches, then the comb, back to the LP on mats with the help of a mat splitter and a comb, and finally the wooden brush on face and ears.  The wooden brush didn't work well on long hair or the thick coat that runs on her back.  The complete treatment gets done twice a week (takes about 45 minutes) with a quick brush every day.  Good bonding time!  Bonny is 16 months now and I can leave her hair a bit longer (about 3 inches).  Hopefully one day we can keep the long look that I like best!

[Cheri & Bonny]

And the reason I have ALL the brushes is that I bought them trying to find the "right" one... Don't need them all, could make do with the LP and a comb, and maybe one of the CC pin brushes.

[Sharon & Monty]

I have one of these and love it.  It works really well for a quick go over and for wet fur.

[Dori & Rua]

Can't wait to see those pictures.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Don't worry Susan, the hair will be back before you know it (and probably sooner than you hoped).  The main thing is to remember to brush and comb him frequently.  They love the attention and it is great for bonding and taking care of his coat.  I'm lucky because my dogs are easy to care for.

[Carol Brand]

One thing that has not been mentioned is that waiting until the puppy was 10 months old was too long.  I really, really, really wish that Doodle breeders would drive this point home.  With a coated breed like a Poodle mix, it is important to get regular professional grooming (unless you have set yourself up for home grooming with table, dryers etc.)  

 

With Poodles, we start grooming them at 4 weeks old.  I tell my buyers that they need to get their dog groomed every 6 weeks..... 8 weeks at the very outside.  By my reckoning, you missed something like 3 groomings.  Note.. one of the reasons the Doodles start to mat up is because they are dirty.  Dirt and oil in a coat causes the hairs to bind together.  On our Poodle show dogs, we bath and dry them once a week.

 

Also, you don't need expensive brushes.  You can get by just fine with a $12 slicker and a $7 greyhound comb.

 

[Lynda Kamrath]

I think that it is really different with doodles than poodles.  We had poodles for thirty years and started our home grooming with the first poodle toward the end of his life.  Before that we had regular professional grooming and he never matted.  Our second poodle we groomed at home his entire life (12 years).  But now, with the doodles, we bath and groom much less frequently.  Three or four times a year is enough for baths.  We clip and trim as needed with total grooming on the F1b about every four months.  He has the thickest coat.  Over grooming can also be a problem with doodles and not needed.

[Carol Brand]

Maybe your Doodle has a really easy to care for coat.  I think that the majority of ALD and F1B owners seem to struggle with matting as evidenced by the overwhelming number of posts about Doodles who have to be shaved down.   Regular professional grooming would help many owners keep the long coats that they love.  Frankly, I'm unclear how over grooming could be a problem.  Can you explain this?  

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

I'm puzzled because I've been bringing Bosco to the same groomer since he was a few months old for bathing and basic grooming - I'd have thought if there had been a problem with matting they'd have pointed it out to me earlier.  They've had him there for baths and nail/trims of his "private" areas so I'm surprised they never mentioned to me that he could use more of a clipping before this. I admit I was like one of those Hollywood moms who hate to have their little boys hair cut and let them grow really really long (and I do so LOVE the teddy bear look) but....they could have suggested something before getting to this point, right? I'm new to doodles so this is a whole new world to me, goodness knows my lab never needed anything like this.....

[Jazz & Jane]

I too have bought all the "brushes" from $5-??? (too embarrassed to admit).  -- The CC wood handle small brush is honestly the only one Jazz tolerates (meaning, she actually "comes to me" to be brushed when I hold it up).  It appears to be less needle-like (sharp/pointed) than the Les Pooches or other "metal-pinned" brushes (which may or may not make a difference to your dog).  I can honestly "hear" a matt when I brush with this CC brush. 

 

I think "speed" has alot to do with it also -- don't RUSH it -- RELAX and go (brush) slowly..... -- if you're frantically trying to RIPP thru a nasty matt, you're doodle KNOWS you're tense and will react uncomfortably because they know you are frantic. 

 

If I "hear" one (yes, I sware I can), I generally stop and finger thru how bad it is (and Jazz will IMMEDIATELY sit up and look at me), so I make a point to "not go there again" with the brush and move on to check out the rest of her body. 

 

I always end the "brushing" with a "tug game" (whatever is their favorite) so there is no MEMORY of how mom STOPPED and sighed when I found a matt (hahahaha). 

 

I do revisit the matted spots I have in my memory late in the evening (when she's tired/sleepy), or even wait until the next day.  I can honestly say Jazz is furry/fluffy enough that it's not real "obvious" when I "scissor out" the matts (which is what I normally end up doing rather than torture her trying to make her "perfect").  If you catch and remove the matts while they're SMALL, it's so much less stress to you both. 

 

We're all soooooooo busy.... but try to brush yer baby AT LEAST once a week.  You'll find a funny "bonding" moment after a couple of months.  If you make it a "sweet" or "fun" time (hint:  revisit the matts you find "later"), you'll find the sweet doodle "coming" to you when u pick up the brush..... Hope this helps....

 

p.s.  Bosco is a DOLL !!!!

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

Thanks so much, Jazz!  And everyone for your support....talk about bad hair days. More like a couple of bad hair weeks! But it was nice to be out on a Walkathon a week after the clipping and still get some compliments on Bosco boy. Now it's nearly 3 wks post and he's starting to look like the old fella. We have been getting into a more standard brushing routine.  At least snuggle time is starting to feel snuggly once again.....