A plea from a doodle groomer!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Hi all! As many of you know, I have a tiny grooming business--I groom doodles and a few Portuguese Water dogs for friends and neighbors....and I also groom a few doodles that have been purchased from the breeder I work for.

Most of my customers are terrific--they contact me when their dog is getting a bit fuzzy and matted--usually about two to maybe three months after I groomed the dog last....in that time, they often have trimmed around the eyes and mouth and may have done the nail trim. The dog has been brushed and combed and MAYBE even bathed--despite all that attention, they usually still keep me busy for a few hours bathing and grooming them and getting all the mats out.

BUT, I have a few customers that like their doodles "shaggy"--that is OK but in these cases,  after they get VERY shaggy (and matted) they really can't brush or comb them anymore and a bath would be too hard too! And they are also afraid to do nails! Oh and trimming around the eyes is so scary! (Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice!?) But since they like them shaggy, they wait 5 or 6 months to schedule a grooming. So, here is a before picture of a wonderful labradoodle that came to me 6 months after her last grooming--I love this dog so much that seeing her like this made me ill. Are you wondering " How can she see??" So was I!

And her nails were soooo long--the dew claws were curled and growing into her leg--but I managed to get in between and trim them....Here is an After pic--there she is, under all that hair! I scolded the owner and told her that I MUST see this dog every two to three months or I am not going to groom her anymore (I am much cheaper and kinder than the other groomers around here, so that is a real threat--and the dog loves me....) Yes, she is quite short, but the legs were all matted.

I have another family with the same issue and once when I groomed their dog, the hair was so long on her face that she had a HUGE abscess that they never noticed....I called them and met them at the vet's office!!

So, PLEASE, if you like a shaggy doodle, keep up with the coat, trim the nails, trim the hair over the eyes--have someone show you how or have the groomer do it between haircuts! Don't let this happen to your doodle! :)

[Adina P]

Ginny do you want to come up with a grooming tip sheet?  Just plain and boring looking, I can turn it into a graphic.  What are common issues that come up in the grooming group?  Email it to me if you do it.  Let me know if you can't.  [e-mail]

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Great idea Adina. And I totally agree with all the comments here. Murphy is non shedding and there is a certain length that dictates his needing a grooming or his matts are out of control. Certainly less than 5-6 months. I can't imagine how uncomfortable he'd be by then. I do sanitary cuts , paws, nails and eyes and ears between grooming and it's still about 2-3 months max.  Bella is a slight shedder and she can go longer, but gets the same in between trims.  It's so so painful for them to have matts, this makes me sad for this poor guy in your pictures.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Yes, I will put it on my list to take a good look at- -- it may be after the holidays though!

[DonMarie and Picco]

Add tools too!    Just running a brush across the coat doesn't always do the job.  You need the right tools that are correctly used.  My husband runs a rake type brush but it doesn't get down deep enough so I let him do "phase 1" then I go after with the slicker brush and a comb!  Ha - I just noticed Stella said the same thing!

[Stella]

I think it needs to be emphasised to people that they have to regularly brush and comb their doodle - comb them right down to the skin, not just run a brush over the surface. I remember when we got Chase I watched a YouTube video of line brushing and combing on a doodle, it was invaluable.

[LORRY SWETLAND]

I took  TURBO to the groomer last month. My limited income only allows me to take him to the groomer 2 times a year. He goes again the end of February and the rest of the time I do him myself for spring and summer, Turbo does not fit in my bathtub anymore. I cannot turn him around to wash the other side. So he gets bathed outside on a very warm day. He loves the hose. I also keep him short cause he is very curly and I like the curly look. My groomer is usually booked up 3 to 4 months in advance. So I make the next appointment when he is finished before I leave. Turbo gets combed everyday but then I am retired so I spend every minute of everyday with him. He goes everywhere with me. I hate to see a dog of any breed dirty  and matted. I think that is abuse too.

[Carol Vernon]

Ginny, you absolutely transformed this dog!  What a job it must have been.  Thanks for all of the great tips.  

My mini AussieDoodle, Dash, is 5 months old & had her first grooming last month.  The groomer showed me how to brush her properly.  I plan to go back every 10 - 12 weeks.  

Thanks to everyone who commented.  It was very helpful to read about how you manage your dogs' grooming.  

[Ginny Nightingale]

All in a day's work! Thanks!

[Suzanne & Jack]

Thanks so much for posting.  I'm afraid I am one of those bad owners, but not with my doodle.  I have two Catalans with coats prone to matting.  One has a coat similar to a briard or wheaten.  The last time he went to the groomer, she called to say he was not having any part of being brushed out.  He will usually let me brush with a Les Pooch type brush for a short time.  His legs and underside are in bad shape.  Is there a brush you would recommend to work on mats on his legs.  We have a rake, a metal comb, and a slicker brush.  The slicker brush doesn't seem to get down to the skin.

[Ginny Nightingale]

You have to keep up with it, I'm afraid--once those mats get in there, it is hard to do anything but cut them out--if the dog gets wet, then it is all over--they are like cement. There is a device--like a rake, but it has razor sharp edges on one side of the teeth--mat zapper is a common name for them--and they will cut out mats...BUT, not always....https://www.petedge.com/zpetedgemain/catalog/productDetail.jsf?area...

I would say that the best way to deal with a matted area (if the dog will allow it) is to use a scissor to cut into the mat (Point the scissor in towards the skin but stay a good half inch away from the skin)---cut the mat in three or four places. Then, take the steel comb and put the end of the comb (or the rake) into the mat and pull out the hairs a bit at a time.

Also, have the groomer shave some of those areas that are prone to grooming--the armpits, the belly area--it does not show and it gives you more time before you have to start grooming that area again.

It is also very inexpensive to buy a post with the noose that clamps onto any table--that way, the dog has to behave while you groom them--put a rubber mat under them and you are all set to go. Here is an example.

https://www.petedge.com/zpetedgemain/catalog/productDetail.jsf?wec-...

[Suzanne & Jack]

Thanks. I have bought a grooming table with a post, just haven't tried putting him up on it. Tonight we had to do some emergency hiney cleaning. Yuk!

[DonMarie and Picco]

I try to keep that hiney shaved short.  If not, I'll soon have an emergency cleaning too!

Picco has his own rubber bath mat that I use for the tub and for grooming table.  He stands still on the table but likes to sit so I use the neck loop around his hips instead.  They do make arms with 2 loops for each end.  I do enjoy grooming myself and it's great for bonding.