Tales of Tails

[Sally loves Maple & Lucky]

What type of tail does your Doodle have? How do you groom it?
My 13 m/o Labradoodle is in deep with the puppy coat exchange and I recently (and reluctantly) had to take her 8" tail fur down the 1/2" due to matting. The once proud flag-waving tail is now a long fuzzy stick :(

Any tips or stories of Doodle tail grooming out there? When the plume grows back, I want it to stay!!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

My Gracie Doodle is 3 yrs. old and I have never cut or trimmed her plume!!! There is the wavy/curly part that starts to grown down it from her back attachment area and I will cut that (feather it in) back to maybe 2 inches. Otherwise it would just travel down her tail and I can't imagine how it would look. Gracie has a gorgeous tail and it too is a proud flag-waving tail. I just brush it every day and then run a comb through it. She gets tangles and twigs stuck in there but it isn't that hard to brush. I try to do it when she is laying down so I can flatten it out against the ground and brush it. We need to see a picture of the "fuzzy stick"!!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Maple's tail was beautiful and will be again. It just needs to be brushed and combed often to keep the mats from building up. It seems like doodles have different places that are mat trouble spots that are different for different doodles. Ned's tail does mat but I can usually comb them out, sometimes using Cowboy Magic. If I can't comb out the mat, I will slice sideways through it from the skin outward and then brush.

[Terri H and Kramer]

Kramer has been groomed twice, the first one did a good job but had to shave him due to mats. The second one shaved him also but trimmed his beautiful tail and his long eyelashes! Not at all happy about that! We are trying to grow his coat longer and brushing diligently but he will get groomed again at the first sign of matting, he seems to explode overnight into one giant mat! I happen to love the flag-waving tail, it does pick up debris like foxtails and burrs, but a regular combing should help. It will grow back it time!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Hi Terri, we got our pack groomed today. Cherie did an especially good job on Clancy. I think the wavy coat is much easier to work on than the curlier guys.

[Terri H and Kramer]

Hi Nancy! Won't be long and I will have to get Kramer groomed again too! I love his length now, I wish it would stay like this forever! Looking forward to seeing all of you at the romp.

[Sally loves Maple & Lucky]

thanks everyone!
I think my reluctance to brush her tail vigorously and often comes from a story I heard a long time ago that if a dog's tail is "pulled" at a certain angle it can cause spinal damage and possible loss of bladder and/or bowel control. Is this true or an Old Wives Tale - anyone heard it also?
Good thing about the fuzzy stick is I can start brushing it daily now before mats set in.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Never heard of this. You can brush the tail when the dogs are laying down and have their tails flopped out on the ground -no pulling then.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I would think you'd have o really pull extremely hard. That would not be a good brushing experience : )
I just hold the tail firmly ate the base, no yanking required.

[Sally loves Maple & Lucky]

thanks.

[Jessica]

my doodle is almost 16 weeks and has no plume at all on her tail...we affectionately call it a rat tail!...looks almost like an unclipped poodle tail...I hope it grows fur when her coat changes...anyone else have this experience???

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Puppy Doodles don't get their "plume" until about a year. My Gracie Doodle had a rat tail that was fuzzy and it just got longer and longer as did her legs. Then she started with the feathers on the tail. She now has a gorgeous tail...

[Jessica]

Oh so good to hear!!! what a beautiful tail Gracie Doo has!!!