I don't want to shave my 11 mo Goldendoodle! :(

[Nicole & Dexter]

Hello ya'll!

I was curious, have any of you been told you have to shave your Goldendoodle when you took him/her to the groomers? Did you let them? My husband and I took our 11 month old Goldendoodle, Dexter to the Groomers today, for the first time, and they said they will have to shave all of him to about half an inch. He has some matts on his chest and his front legs. The matts aren't to the skin yet and they aren't that tight either. Does anyone know any tricks for getting these out? We scheduled an appointment with the groomers for next Wed and I would LOVE to be able to find a way to get these out before I take him back so we don't have to have him shaved. I know it's probably impossible but I thought I'd ask.  I think my husband is more upset than I am about it!

Thanks, ya'll! 

[Leslie J]

I wish I could groom Cocoa in 10-15 minutes!!! Her hair is so dense I have to comb her in small sections, and it takes a very long time. If I don't take my time, I'm not able to get all the way to the skin where the mats grow. If I stay on top of it (no mats) it still takes a full hour ): When my kids were younger, I couldn't take the time and kept her hair shorter. Now that they're older, I spend the time grooming her. I groom her once a week, and there are no mats :). I have to comb through every hair with the metal comb to remove any moulted hair !

Hopefully Dexter doesn't have such a dense coat!

[Nicole & Dexter]

thanks for your response, Leslie! We will definitely be spending way more time grooming Dexter once we get these mats out! My husband was mortified when the groomer said "we have to shave all of him" after she only touched one little area of his entire body. We went and saw another groomer yesterday, who said he wasn't that bad and we could save his hair. We are working his mats out ourselves as much as we can and then we will take him to the groomer at Petco who said she can even his hair out in the places that have to be shaven, such as under his legs.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Good News, Nicole!

[Pat and Traveler]

Trav has been shaved a couple of times.  It isn't my favorite look, but I've just lost control of the mats a couple of times. You might have to just go for it--better than causing Dexter a lot of pain and hatred of grooming.  Once the dog is shaved, you can keep up with the combing/brushing..  The other thing is--it's cold this time of year, and they really do get cold after they go from the thick coat to a shave! 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You can often brush/comb most of them out if they aren't too bad, but it is a lot of work.  Get a spray on product that has silicon like Bedhead or Horse Mane 'N Tail Detangler.  Spray a section and line brush, then comb.  You can use a product called Cowboy Magic ON the actual mats. It is like Vaseline - you massage a bit into the mat, wait a bit, then gently work the mat out.  On an especially bad mat, you can slice sideways through the mat in several places - sideways means going with the direction the hair grows and, using scissors (I use nail scissors that are blunt at the ends)) make your slice from the skin side out - always away from the dog's skin.  Begin now and work for as long a session as you can, take breaks and begin again.  Good equipment is a must.  My favorite is LesPoochs but you can't find them anywhere right now, so my second choice is the MGT slicker - have it overnighted to you.  You also need a steal comb.   First you brush, then you comb - section by section.

[Nicole & Dexter]

Thanks so much for the advice! You really helped my husband and I out when we went to petco yesterday and started looking around for tools. We bought some conditioner spray for this matts. Last night my husband and I spent most the night working through his matts. First we washed him and then conditioned him. We kept him in the tub because that's the only place we can have him stay still. When his hair was damp, that was the easiest to get his matts out. We got quite a few out! We will be working on him again tonight but both my husband and I were relieved!! Thanks so much for your advice :)

[Bonnie and Kona]

What good news! 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Another bit of advice  - at least in Ned's case.  We have to get the mats out before he is wet or they just become hopeless blobs.  Did you get a conditioner spray that has silicon in it?  That is the ingredient that makes the hairs more slippery.  We get the Horse Mane 'N Tail spray and the Cowboy Magic at our local 'feed' store.

[Nicole & Dexter]

Okay. I don't know whether it has silicon in it or not. I'll have to look! I'm going to have to try those! Thank you :)

[jenn D]

You've gotten some great advice. All I would add is it seems like he is around the age of the coat change. When brisby went through It he matted daily. Now that we are done with it, his fur is easier to manage. Hang in there. The coat change is the worst!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I have no advice to offer, but just wanted to comment what a great pic this is! Dexter is awesome! Hoping you can keep his shaggy look!

[Nicole & Dexter]

Thank you, Rosemary!! :)