Proper Length for a Doodle's Tail

[Wynnie & Jim]

Trimming a Doodle's Tail.

What is the proper length of a Doodle's tail?
My puppy has a gorgeous sabre tail that is getting a bit long.
When she is groomed, she has a puppy cut.

See the attached photo of Wynnie.

[Joan Bollaert]

I was told the tail should never be cut because it's to remain full.   The only time to cut is to take wire brush, brush  out and cut straggly ends.  That's it.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I think it is  just a matter of personal taste. Tara is about Wynnie's size. I used to just let her tail grow and it ended up being pretty wild and out of proportion but I liked it long at that time:

Now I keep it considerably shorter and more evenly trimmed and I think it blends better with her shorter body hair. I also think that with the mini's the tail can become "too much"  (see above photo :) more so than with a standard doodle. I think Wynnie's tail (you're right it is gorgeous!) looks just about right in the photo especially since her ears are longer. It looks like a good balance.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

It's all a matter of preference but I cut Luna's tail when it starts to drag on the ground and pick stuff up from the grass etc.  Since she's a mini/medium doodle she is closer to the ground :p

Once it gets over about 8" long then I give it a trim, usually down to 4" or so, but I use thinning shears to give it a more "natural" look.  She is also a flat-coated doodle so it looks a bit goofy sometimes if she has a super long tail with her short coat.

Due for a trim:

Good length:

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

As others have stated, its a matter of preference (as is the case with other areas of a doodle's body). Generally speaking, the tail, beard and ears are trimmed significantly longer than the rest of the body, with the legs being a bit longer than the body. Proportion is a good rule of thumb, as any body part that is noticeably longer than the other longer parts can look odd. With that said, my 2 are curly/wooly and their tails do mat after a certain length, so I trim them to about 5"

[Wynnie & Jim]

Thank you everyone. Your comments and pictures were very helpful.
Other Doodle owners should feel free to add there own pictures.
The Doodle Kisses site is the best. Valuable information everywhere.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Here's a link to doodle grooming instructions you might find helpful:

http://idog.biz/Pictures/Professional%20Groomer%20Inst.pdf

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

I like ours to have shorter ears, beard, and tails than most doodle owners. I can't embed pictures from my iPhone. :-/

[Katie]

Abigail, that is what I would like Bonnie to look like.. We live on a beach and whilst sand and salt water are a way of life here (most of the family surfs too) it is easier to keep dogs short. Does that clip have a name? And do you clip them yourself?

Katie

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

Idk if it has a name, I usually just show lots of pictures (I've accumulated a lot of what I like after tons of searching)

I groom ours some, but most of the time I take them to the groomer and then (if they didn't get the face short enough) I touch it up at home. I hate paying and then touching up at home, but it seems to happen more often than one would think. Honestly I try to emphasize that I want them proportional. (No bobble head, trim the tail and ears..short beard.) but it doesn't always work because most doodle owners don't want that, and I guess they think I'll be upset?

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Abigail ~ I added your photo.  Juno looks great in this cut!

[Katie]

Linda, thank you for posting the picture. Abigail, please may I copy it and use it to show the groomer later
( Bonnie is only 12 weeks yet)

Katie.