Doodle Friendly Groomers in DC/MD/No. VA Area

[Ellen]

Hi, I'm looking for recommendations for doodle friendly groomers in the DC metro area.

My goldendoodle puppy has relaxed curls, and when he was recently groomed, the groomer brushed out his fur, shaved the cute curls on his forehead, and gave him a poodle-like cut. I barely recognized my pooch! Any tips on instructions for the groomer?

thx!

Ellen (first time doodle owner)

[Adina P]

hello Ellen,

I can't help you with the names of groomers in your area, but I can tell you where to find information about grooming. If you look on our forum page (click the tab labeled Forum at the very top of any page here on doodle kisses) you can do a search for various grooming terms such as: grooming, groomer, brushing, grooming. That will yield links to past discussions we've had on here about grooming -- and we've had a lot of these discussions. We also have a group on here dedicated to learning about grooming-- if you click on the tab labeled Groups you can search for the grooming group and join and read the discussions there.

IDOG.biz has a nice handout that you can give to your groomer to explain what you want done on your dog. Some groomers simply have little experience with doodles and so lean on their experience with poodles which is not what most of us want. There also is not a specific "doodle cut" as there are cuts for other breeds.

If all else fails, you can learn to do the grooming yourself :-) I and many others have ended up going that route and are always happy to help.

[Joe R.]

Hi Ellen, Where in the DC area are you? I know the groomer at our vets in Waldorf does a great job. She's does both Gus and Lilly. Not sure of any actually in DC itself. I've been told one of the groomers at "A Dogs Day Out" daycare place in Vienna, VA knows doodles. The handout on the IDOG site Adina mentioned is good. I've used it a couple times. Let me know if you want more information for ours in Waldorf.

[Karen Steshko]

HI
I had the same experience at our groomers - who used to take care of our schnauzers. Gabbi was only 5 months old - they did not cut her body hair - but they shaved her nose - and it looked horrible - at least to me.
The next time I had her bathed - I told them to only do the nails, ears and rear areas. My dog has slightly wavy hair- not very curly at all - and she looked like a big ball of puff!!! That settled down in a couple of days - at least they did not clip her. I am sure you like the shaggy dog look - and I feel bad when I take the dog to the gromers and they try to make her something she isn't......Will let you know if I get her really "groomed" and find a good match. Where are you located? We are in Fairfax County.
K

[Ellen]

Thanks for everybody's input on grooming! All of the info was very helpful, esp. the iDOG checklist. I live in Arlington, VA (near Ballston Mall), so I may check out A Dogs Day Out for my next grooming trip.

Thanks again!

[BJ KHALSA]

DOG A DO -IN Herndon,Va does a good job on our goldendoodle -Bodhi