starting to panic a little

[Stephanie]

So my female F1 goldendoodle was just born. And I did a lot of research about the breed but I dont know how I missed about all the grooming involved? I previously had a golden retriever that we took to the groomers i would say about 3-4 times a year but other then that I didnt have to brush out any matts.  I was just wondering how often they have to be brushed? and is an F1 less brushing then say an F1B coat.  I just cant picture dedicated an hour a day lets say to brush the dogs hair. Please help and tell me its not that bad!!!! and when picking out the puppy is there something I should look for in the coat that would be less grooming?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I will probably be tarred and feathered, but I never brush my dogs :)  I do, however, have them groomed professionally about every 6 - 8 weeks. I have an F1B Labradoodle and an F3 Labradoodle. I do check for mats frequently as they can be painful for the dog and I usually try to comb them out, but often end up cutting them out instead. The F3 is far easier with mats, but he rolls every day in something. Many people on here do their own grooming and are far more diligent than I am, so hopefully they will chime in. It is important to get your dog used to being brushed at an early age and used to you touching his ears, eyes, etc. I took mine to the groomer, who we still use, early on to get them used to the groomer, too.

[Stephanie]

when you take them to the groomer is it to be clipped or to be brushed out? do you keep their coat short?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Stephanie, Go to my page and look at pictures. The last one posted of Fudge shows her and she was groomed today. Vern, our cream colored doodle, was groomed last week. I keep both of them short in the summer, because they swim almost every day at the nearby lake. Every time I take them to the groomer, she bathes them, does all the regular things, and clips them, dries and brushes them out. We also have a grooming group on DK and maybe more answers there. Fudge matted a lot as a puppy, but mats far less now. She is 3. Vern rarely mats. If you can learn to do the grooming yourself, it is far cheaper than paying for them to be groomed. Unfortunately, you do have to groom or have groomed these Doodles.

If I were you, I would join the Grooming Group and post this discussion there. I bet more people with far more knowledge than me will respond :) I have two dogs and we are out every single day, swimming or walking, and I have been able to manage their coats, but then I am not that picky about how they look. LOL

[Stephanie]

lol thanks for your help

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Unfortunately even the most reputable breeders don't usually highlight the high level of grooming these beautiful dogs require (or, at least that isn't the first thing they mention). However, you don't need to plan on spending an hour a day brushing your dog as long as you keep up with it in smaller bites throughout the week. I started brushing Rooney right away as a pup just so he would get used to being handled and groomed, even though for the first couple of months his puppy coat didn't really even need to be brushed or washed much.  He is now just about 9 months old and between starting to transition to his adult coat and lots of swimming, we finally started having to battle the matting on a regular basis. I had thought I would handle all of his grooming myself but realized that it might be good to have some professional help at least occasionally. So, I went to the best groomer I could find and she did a terrific job of getting Rooney all cleaned up again.  She did cut him pretty short and had to shave his belly where the worst mats were, but it's been great to have him mat-free and with a nice, short easy-maintenance coat.  

So, my recommendation would be that you enjoy your Doodle's puppy coat but be looking ahead to the day when his adult coat will start to come in and prepare him by getting him used to brushing, bathing and maybe even a trip to the groomers once he is old enough.  Then, you might consider getting him a pretty short cut at around 7 months in anticipation of his coat transition and just keep it short for awhile as you work through the coat transition and then watch and see what sort of coat he ends up having. I actually wish I had Rooney's coat cut short before summer and I think we could have avoided some of the more difficult matting we experienced.

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Oh, I just realized that you said your puppy is a female! Sorry- for all the "he's and him's" in my response. :)

[Stephanie]

thanks! to keep his coat easy maintenance how often does he need to be cut?

[Shannon and Finn]

Finn is an F1 with a thick,wavy fleece coat. We keep his coat long. Fairly curly/crimpy but not like most f1b coats. I use a basic pin brush and thoughly brush him 3-4 times a week. Takes 15-20 minutes depending on the mess he got in or if I slacked on the previous brushing. If I do it daily it takes 5 min. Finn doesn't really shed (yet) so I brush him while watching t.v. Or talking with my husband. It's really no big deal! Never had a mat. I use a "line brushing" technique. Don't panic just get in the habit right away. Finn doesn't mind being brushed at all and he is so fluffy and soft after that I don't ever procrastinate. I enjoy it actually, which is shocking to me! I only use the groomer for nail trims since Finn hates it when I try. I trim his bangs with blunt kid scissors and bathe him at home every couple months followed by a blow dry.

[Stephanie]

that makes me feel better and I can handle that lol. Some things I heard scared the heck out of me, cause I just don't have the time to commit to that much grooming daily. But I guess it all depends on what kind of coat your dog has. Hopefully mine will be like yours! How old is your dog? I've had dogs before but never bathe them at home. When you do bathe your dog it doesnt have that wet dog smell?