Grooming Question

[Joanie]

Hey everyone :)  Just wondering, does anyone keep their labradoodle's hair short just because of the fact that it is so hard to maintain?  My Lani girl her hair is ALWAYS getting knotted and she LOVES to dunk her face into her water bowl and play rough with her sister.  I find if her hair is short no problems with knots and matting.  I try brushing her but she hates it.  So, just wondering that other people do.

[Anthony Leong]

How often do you brush your labradoodle's hair?

[Joanie]

I try to brush her hair like twice a week but it never works... I try doing small sections but I never accomplish anything

[Pat and Traveler]

Hi, Joanie!  Trav's hair sounds a lot like Lani's in terms of knotting and tangling easily.  Trav hates being groomed too.  I've been keeping his fur about 1-1/2 inches long lately.  It does tangle, but not quite as badly as when he was younger.  It was a lot easier to deal with when he had a shorter haircut, but I really prefer the longer look so guess I'll just have to keep on brushing and combing.

[Joanie]

yeah I perfer the longer look to and keep it short in the summer but she's so hard to groom and it's very hard for me with my back, so idk what to do :(  it's not as bad now since she lost her puppy coat but still it knots and tangles like no tomorrow

[Anthony Leong]

You try using the Safari De-Matting Comb on a daily basis, combing downward from head to tail and upward tail to head.  My friend got a big labradoodle and her hair is never tangle.  Since the labradoodle don't really shed their hair, you really need to get underneath the hair to avoid it from getting tangle.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Check out this group, there are members here who keep their doodles short for many reasons. Allergies, convenience, or they just like the way their doodles look short. I shave Darwin down when he gets too long to brush thoroughly every night, then let him grow out again.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/shorthaireddoodles

[Joanie]

awesome :)  thanks.  I didn't know this group existed

[Ginny Nightingale]

I groom doodles and the hair and amount of matting really varies. I have three and one never mats (coarse coat) , one mats a bit (mixed coarse and fine) and the other (very fine soft coat) mats a lot--I groom her dad and his hair mats the minute I finish combing it out! LOL! It seems that the softer coats that have less coarse hair mixed in and the hairs tend to stick together so that they mat easily. If you brush your dog you are not getting the mats out--you need to use a dematter or a steel comb after brushing to get down to the skin and remove the mats.

If the dog hates it, I think keeping it short is the nicest way to go. I do that with my doodle that tends to mat--it is much easier on her. 

[Joanie]

Thanks :)  Your doodle that mats sounds just like Lani.  I do have a dematter but she fights... she just wants to get away from me and go rough house with her sister lol

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Hi Joanie!  I have an Austrailian Labradoodle and if her hair gets too long it does have a tendancy to mat.  It gets very curly and knots up.  I keep her shorter during the summer and let it grow out a little in the winter.  Her hair changed so  much the first year, but my groomer who specializes in Doodles helps me keep her nice and neat.  I try and brush her every day and she is very good for me.  I do like the look of the longer hair on her.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I have two very curly ALDs.  I am of the shave and grow out school of thought.  For Roo and Tigger and I there is just no sensible way to keep them umatted.  We would all rather go for a walk, a swim, or a nap!  So I left them grow to 3 inches or so and then shave them.  In the summer I keep them under an inch as they swim everyday.  Since they are both curly and heavy coated they look great about two weeks after I shave them to 3/8".

[Joanie]

Lan who is an ALD is the same way... curly and heavy coated.