My non-traditional grooming

[Jayme K]

I was just talking with someone in another group about my very non-traditional grooming routine with Henry so thought I would share. I've read a lot of info on brushing, combing, dematting, etc... and most of the time I kept thinking...you would never do that to a person with curly hair, their hair would knot and be a total mess. Now I know Henry's hair is not my hair, but I've started to treat it more similarly to how I treat my own curly hair. I do not use shampoo ever, instead I use people conditioner and I really 'lather' him up with it and use the friction of my fingers on his skin to clean it and to comb through his fur. Then I rinse it but leave just the smallest amount in so his fur stays silky instead of getting sticky. Then I zap it with a blow dryer. I don't brush it beforehand as that would be a lot more work and probably make any matting worse (for people with really curly hair you never brush or comb, it just tangles it). If he gets a matt that doesn't slide right out with the conditioner and my fingers, I just take a comb to it while the conditioner is still in and it comes out right away My vet has commented on how healthy his coat is and in particular his skin. It seems like a lot of doodles have dry skin issues in my area, the summer humidity hasn't hit yet. Henry is still a puppy so this may not end up working for long as his coat changes so we'll see. :)  

[Linda And Loo]

That is a very interesting approach! Any special conditioner?

[Donna K & Quincy]

I accidentally 'washed' my hair with conditioner once, it didn't work so well for me. :>) It will be interesting to see if this works when he is older, you will have to keep us posted. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

I am so anxious to hear if this works. My DD has super curly hair and has a whole routine that differs completely from mine. Please update us when Henry is 15 months old. ;o)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

One caveat, leaving conditioners or other products in the coat may make them feel silky, but they also attract pollens, dust, and other allergens like a magnet, and that's a disaster for any dog with inhalant or environmental allergies, which is the case with a good number of our doodles. (These allergies usually don;t show up until a dog is 2 or 3 years old.) Not brushing or combing would contribute to the problem. 

[Melissa and Willa Couch]

It does sound like a great idea to use conditioner to get the tangles out.  My vet warned me that dogs have a different ph than people and advised me to always use dog shampoo.  Not sure why or what harm it can potentially do.  BUT, I will definitely be looking to try this with dog conditioner when I FINALLY get my girl in July!  

[Janice Sutherland]

Thank you for sharing this,

I have arrow straight hair and would never have thought to try this on my doods. I did, however, leave a tiny bit of conditioning in after the last bath on my very curly guy (I was in a hurry). Turned out that his coat was super lusterous and did not need a deep brushing again. Just this last weekend I groomed each one of them down to 1/4 inch though. I have a big pond in the yard and with the warmer weather they are having a ball swimming. I was getting tired of wet floors, damp dogs, and delayed bedtimes trying to dry them. Now I can pretty much towel dry them when needed. I won't be bathing them with shampoo as long as they are rinsing in the pond all the time. I am going to keep your method in mind though for later when they need to grow out for winter. My babes are now 8 months old.

I can understand the idea that if you use a sticky conditioner it will attract pollens and dirt, but if it is a slickery one it should theoretically be easy to blow out easier than without any.

[Jeanne Rose]

I too use regular cream rinse, same as my hair and use my fingers while drying. Olive is almost 7 months old, so far so goid. She has yet to mat but the groomer keeps laughing and telling me that she will one day be full of matted knots but so far Olive is OK. Every day we brush her but for only a couple minutes or so. I sure want to keep her hair long. I think
the human conditioner is better as well. Great to hear it is working for you. Pantene is what I use Ha! I also used this on my golden retriever for eleven years, no skin issues.

[Janice Sutherland]

I may be eating my words someday, but my 5 doodles are 8 months old. We live on a farm and they are in to everything (water, mud, leaves, grass, sticks -- even a couple burrs!). They range in coats from wavey hair to full fleece and in between. I bath when needed. I do a thorough brush every 1-2 weeks using pin brush followed by comb with rotating teeth. I have clipped each over the last few weeks. They were about 2-4 inches long at the time. I keep hearing about matting, and have dreaded and expected them to start happening any time, but have yet to encounter a problem. I have more issues with their baby sitter, my bit Akbash/Maremma (like a great pyrenese). I brush him for hours each week to try and get all his winter under coat out. I will keep my fingers crossed that matting does not become a part of our lives, but I am beginning to wonder about all the warnings.

[Linda And Loo]

Janice, my doodle is 17 months and I have had no trouble with mats. This winter I kept her hair around 4 inches and she is going in for her summer cut this week. I comb her once a week and bathe her when she needs it. Her hair is thick and curly. I keep running my fingers thru her hair checking for mats, when she curls up next to me. I think all doodle coats are different and so far we have been very, very, lucky in that we have no mats! They do need to be brushed and combed more as they loose their baby fur! Hope your luck continues!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It is NOT a given that your doodle will mat, it is just very very common especially as they transition from puppy coat to adult coat, especially for non-shedding, curlier coats.  If this is the case for you with five doodles, you are soooooooo lucky.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I know when I have accidentally washed my hair with conditioner, the result was not good, however  I have thin fine hair. My groomer uses a wonderful conditioner on my guys that leaves their coats silkier, softer, tangle-free, and dirt-repelling for a couple of weeks.