grooming

[Cindy Beauloye]

Help !! My doodle is 14 mo. and I have been thru 2 groomers. First one was so agressive in the ear hair trim tha t Reece got an ear infection. Second one shaved her entire belly and behind her ears because she said she had mats, then called me to pick-up the dog leaving her a mess. How do I find a doodble groomer that understands thick curley hair?
Thanks for your help- Cindy Beauloye

[Adina P]

Hi Cindy...this is a VERY common topic on doodle websites and forums. So you've come to the right place. I would like to direct you to two things:

1) Join our Doodle Grooming group to learn LOTS from people in the know

2) Click on the tab labeled "Forum" at the top of any page. Then on that page do a search for the word "grooming" and "groomer" and you will find a WEALTH of information from our past discussion on this topic...

3) Depending upon where you live there might be a geographically centered group for your area on here. Check out our "Groups" page to see. IF you find a group for your location, ask in the group for groomer recommendations in your town or nearby.

[Cindy Beauloye]

Thanks so much.Will check out these areas.
Cindy

[Maya]

I learned a lot from the Doodle Grooming group. Our Cassie's first grooming was scheduled for 1/12/09, and I was very nervous about it, having read a lot of stories like yours. I joined the Grooming group, and read all the advice. Then I printed the grooming pages from http://www.alpsdoodles.org/pages/ALPSjournalfinal.pdf, and grooming guidelines at http://www.idog.biz/QuickDownloads/Professional%20Groomer%20Inst.pdf, and took them to the groomer - she listened but didn't seem overly interested, so I wasn't sure if she was REALLY listening... however, when I went to pick up Cassie, I knew that the groomer had listened very well, because she did exactly what I had asked her to do. And this is just at our local (Issaquah, WA) Petco grooming department, not a fancy or expensive place.

A couple of days ago we met some Doodles at an off leash park we go to, and their owners wanted to know our groomer's name and number :-) When I told them it was the grooming manager at Petco that had done Cassie's grooming for only $50, they were very surprised, as they were paying between $90 and 'I-am-embarrassed-to-tell-you-how-much', and were not happy with the results!

So, my experience is - don't fall for fancy places, but be prepared, know what you want and don't hesitate to go over all the details with the grooomer. Any groomer should be able to do a good job, with good instructions.

You can see Cassie's before and after photos on my page... but I have to warn you - since she's black, you can't see much difference :-)

Good luck finding a good groomer!!!