New Doodle Owner Looking for Grooming Advice

[Angi H.]

Hi there! I have an almost 14 week old Chocolate Goldendoodle (multi-gen) who will be 14 weeks old this week. I know that we will be taking her to a groomer regularly and took her to one yesterday for the first time to start getting her used to it. She did great!

 

I am sure as a new member to the forum I have already missed many useful discussions, questions and answer about grooming so feel free to point me to past discussion threads.

 

We have another appointment in one month to do a shave of the puppy coat as suggested by the salon manager who showed me where the adult coat (curly) is starting to come in. Thoughts?

 

I think we got more of a poodle 'do but we love the longer shaggier look. Any pics I can take with me next time? In particular I am not sure if the trim/shave of the face area is right - I want Foxy to be able to see but she looks a little over-groomed.

 

Looking forward to comments from veteran groomers and doodle owners.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

PS - The groomer was helpful in showing me how to backward brush, and forward comb the coat as well as pull the hair out of the ears. She seemed knowledgeable and dedicated.

[Trudy Harlow]

I have to say that your pup looks nowhere near as curly as my F1 goldendoodle, whose baby coat was tightly waved and who now has spiral curls everywhere except on his tail and lower back.  You can see pictures on my page.

I don't have the grooming skills of many people here but I can warn you that with curly coats, matting is a serious issue and so regular grooming is necessary.  I shave my boy down (well, I have the groomer do it) in the summertime because otherwise he's way too hot and I just can't keep him clean.  But I never shave his head -- I keep it curly all over, and I scissor-clip his head and face myself, using blunt scissors.

I recommend you look at many other grooming threads on this board -- the subject lines are pretty descriptive -- and read up on all the grooming issues.  As time goes by, you'll find you're a lot more confident about what your dog needs.

BTW, I don't strip my dog's ears unless he develops a persistent ear infection.  I truly believe that constant irritation of the ears through regular plucking creates a welcoming environment for yeast and other infections.  My vet agrees, even though my dog has really, really furry ears.

Your baby is awfully darn cute!

[Jennifer Halkovitch]

Sorry, I don't have much advice to offer, but I have to tell you...I think your dog is SO adorable!!! I love chocolate doodles! I've found the hair grows so fast, I'm usually used to the look after a few days & happy they cut it a little short. Save $$ not having to go as often!!

 

Jen

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I have had very little to do with goldendoodle coats, so those owners of golden doodles need to pipe in here. In the labradoodle world, shaving off the puppy coat is not helpful at all for the bigger picture. The puppy coat needs to be stripped out by thorough brushing and combing over time. Usually at around 8 to 12 months of age the coat change comes and serious matting can start.

If you shave the coat, the puppy coat is still in there to cause matting. If you never pull out the puppy coat, it stays there and looks like an undercoat but it isn't. Once it has all been pulled, the adult coats become a lot more manageable.

PS your pup is very beautiful

[Carli & Hank]

Hmmmm.... I have a 16 week multi-gen labradoodle, chocolate as well! I certainly don't have much grooming experience yet but have taken Hank twice for a bath and on that first visit they just did a little scissoring around eyes and then did the bottom area:):). But I have been told that the puppy coat you brush out/have groomed around 9months.....until then you should just be brushing regularly and keep them in what's called a "Teddy bear"cut....that is the cute shaggy puppy look:):). My groomer said nothing about shaving this young??? I am anxious to hear what others say as well.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I have a ALD and was told not to ever shave him down.  He is 11 mos. old now and my regime has been to let him grow to about 4 of 5 inches and then scissor cut back to 2 inches.  I do not think he completely has his adult coat yet, but I am looking forward to that because I have heard it is easier care in general.  Charlie has a fleece coat and it seems like we are brushing at least every other day!  I am paranoid about him getting mats! Yikes!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

 Do not shave. You need a good brush and comb and you need to brush/comb them almost daily while they are in this stage. It is a good idea to go a bit shorter at this time, but shaving is really not necessary.  Some dogs mat a lot, some don't. For some the matting stage lasts quite a while.  My dog will still mat is we don't brush him, but at 3 1/2 we can often go a week or longer. This is amazing because he matted badly for over 2 years.  We are keeping him a bit shorter right now because we don't have time to brush him more often.  But this is shorter.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Noooo she is adorable, not over groomed in my opinion.

If you want to keep her shagginess a little while longer don't have her shaved, keep that puppy coat but brush brush brush.If you can see her curly coat coming in it will eventually be curly.

Daisy ended up with a curly fleece thick coat, we had her cut very short at 5 months and her shaggy never came back. Her sister Bella did not get cut short (same parents, same coat at 5 months) and now at 7 months she looks just like Foxy does.

[Lorraine Bromley]

I would not shave this doodle! I would tell the groomer that you like this cut and to keep it this way each time. If you can't keep up with brushing and start matting so badly you can't keep up then that will be the time you may think if going shorter based on your ability to keep up. We leave Neely long all year summer and winter. I trim him sanitary area and thin out the areas that mat where more friction creates mats. And trim the wisps that are a bit longer than his main coat. The other reason to shave is if your doodle is uncomfortable with the heat in the summer or where you live. The teddy bear look is what I like and what makes my doodle a doodle to me. I leave the hair on the bridge of the nose longer and trim out around the eye, where she seems to have cut the bridge out instead of leaving it longer, take a look at other doodles that you like the look of and take the pic or show her this site.

[Jane Smith]

I have to agree with the don't shave group.

I live in Arizona, and I don't even shave mine in the summer.  For one, their hair protects them from sunburn and helps them regulate their temperatures.  The shortest I go is 1 1/2 inches on the body and 2 inches on the legs.  The head of course stays full, but trimmed.  Ethel is just getting out of the matting stage, which has been quite a job, and she is 1 year and 4 months.  She has the thick fleece coat, while Lucy has a thinner wavier coat.  I love her chocolate coat! 

[Debbie Bradshaw]

Jane -

Do you do the grooming yourself or take them to a groomer?  I'm assuming Ethel is on the right in the picture above.  She looks just like my Max.  I could use any tips you have on keeping her looking so beautiful.

 

T

[Jane Smith]

Debbie, I do not do the grooming myself.  It took a couple bad haircuts to finally find someone who would actually listen to my requests.  Ethel has to get brushed every other day because her hair is so thick and matts easily.  Lucy only need brushing once a week.  I bathe them every two weeks, because I hate smelly dogs, and I like to have them close to me.

 

Ethel being so white get dirty very easily.  Mainly her feet and lower part of her legs.  One walk through a parking lot or down the street and she is black.  We are avid campers too, and that was quite the experience taking little Miss Whitey camping.  She came back looking more like Lucy.  You couldn't tell them apart by hair color. 

 

Max is a good looking boy.  How old is he.

[Donna K & Quincy]

I can't imagine why anyone would suggest shaving a 4 mos old puppy. If you don't like the over groomed look you will absolutely hate the shaved look. If you keep up with the brushing and the combing you will never need to shave. I also wouldn't let them shave the nose area. Roxy is a little beauty and it would be a shame to shave off that beautiful coat. Quincy is almost 3 and has never been shaved. Some doodles don't have a problem with matting and maybe you will be one of the lucky ones. Combing is the single most important thing you can do as it help find problem areas you may miss with just brushing. Good luck.