Hi all!

[Katie]

Hello, Bonnie is 12 weeks old and I am joining this group to get hints and tips about keeping her short. Bonnie is an f1b and fluffy rather than curly at the moment.

We are trail runners and we live on a beach in New Zealand. Bonnie has already been in the sea, and seems to enjoy it. Next year she will be running regularly as well. Sea water causes mats very quickly and trails are full of brambles and things so short is the way to go for us.

This time (Bonnie is our third doodle, we got our first in the 1980's!) we want to clip her ourselves.

So this is just to say Hi, and to introduce ourselves.

Katie and Bonnie

Ps, photo is Bonnie and her dad after a romp on the beach!

[Kathy]

Welcome Katie and Bonnie!  I can't help with the grooming but I can tell you that I am glad to meet you.  I know you will get some valuable help here, enjoy.

[sandy b]

Aww cute pic! We have been grooming Max since he was a pup. Even though he doesn't like to swim, a short coat is easier to maintain in Florida. We bought a grooming table on ebay and invested in good clippers with a #30 blade plus a set of stainless steel attachment combs ranging from 1/8" to 1". Also scissors and thinning shears (I bought these at a beauty supply store)! Max has a very thick beard and will matt so I use the thinning shears to thin it plus will help combing out matts. And I love Chris Christensen staggered tooth butter comb. This is the best for combing out matts.
I'm guessing we spent $300-$500 but I think it was a good investment since we have been using for 6 years, grooming every 4-6 weeks. And a professional groomer in our area cost about $85. Hope this has helped.

[Deborah Brown]

Do you have clippers?  Has Bonnie been introduced to them?  Get a good pair.  I'm not sure what brands are available to you but you want the longest blade you can get that doesn't need any type of guard or comb.  This will still cut your doodle close but not shaved.  You'll also need a good pair of scissors with rounded tips for trimming around the face and paws.

You can get Bonnie used to the clippers by having her feel the vibration of them while feeding her treats.  Do this before actually cutting.  She should also be cleaned and brushed before clipping.  There are plenty of Youtube videos out there.  Don't worry about making a mistake.  It always grows back.  :)

She is adorable and will be beautiful with a short puppy cut.

[Katie]

Thank you for the replies and lists of grooming necessities. We have brought some really expensive Wahl clippers (KM 10) because hubby seemed to think they had a better moter. It comes with a #10 blade, and the deal included a box of stainless steel combs for free. I have a pair of pointy ended scissors I used with my previous doodle and the fluffy cat for cutting out mats, but that is all in the scissor department. I shall look up thinning shears now, and a pair of round ended scissors would be less scary!

So far I have had the clippers running on the floor beside her whilst I fed her treats but have not used them on her yet....I'm a bit nervous.

It does seem a lot to invest at once but as you point out, grooming is expensive, and of course here I would have to add on a lot of petrol as well as investing half a day in time, just to get to the groomers! The time and cost meant that my previous doodles got longer between trims than I liked, then we would get mats from the seawater, and then I would have then shaved really close so it would last as long as possible. This time I hope for regular trims so we can keep the mats at bay as well as looking cute :)

Katie and bonnie