First Hair Cut??

[Ann & Reggie]

My pup is 8 months old and a complete adorable fluff ball...everyone asks his breed. I love the look, do not like the poodle shaved look and am determined to keep him that way, unless I am hurting him to do so. He has mats around his chest, neck, ears and tummy. I have no problem having them shave those away and leave his back and head long, but the groomer wants to shave him all over so his hair can grow back evenly and matt free. I would prefer just shaving the bad areas, even if he looks choppy as his long hair may cover most of it. I was wondering how to solve this probem? Do you recommend an over all trim/haircur but leaving it long, other than the matted areas ? Any advice is appreciated to this vain Doodle Mom. If anyone knows a good groomer in NJ, let me know.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

My dog is going for her 1st tomorrow as well. Here is a pic I found that I will take to the groomer and say "just do this please" lol. Definitely needs to be even - not cut only here and there.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I didn't want to cut Yankee's hair when he was younger and so cute. BUT when the puppy hair started to come out and he got matted, it was causing hot spots so I had to get him shaved. It is a shock at first and I've never had to get him shaved again. I do get him cut shorter in the summer and you will get used to it and it's easier to maintain and easier on the dog.

I hope he doesn't have hot spots already. You can't just take chunks out. Just get him cut shorter for now and make sure he doesn't get any more matts.

[Adina P]

I think it will look really strange to have only parts shaved...at this age your doodle is most likely blowing his puppy coat and in this process there may be MORE matting coming up. Shaving him temporarily doesn't mean you have to keep him shaved forever. It grows back =)

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Hi Ann,
I do not use a groomer. I am lucky that Samantha's coat is basically straight so I can clip her myself so unfortunately, I can't help you with a name.

Ask the groomer to cut him down as low as she can to get the mats out without automatically shaving him to the skin. If she is not willing to TRY that, then maybe you should wait to find a groomer that will try it your way first. He still may have to be shaved but it could be worth trying. I am sure you will be paying more for their time but if that is what you want then try.

IMO he must be cut evenly. Even if he has to have his body shorter, his head and legs to not have to be as short. He should just look balanced. Adina is right - hair grows back.

[Ann & Reggie]

They say his matts are close to the skin so the onloy way to get rid of them is to shave them. They are only on his neck, tummy and ears, so it seems ashame ot shave the rest. I will look around for other groomers to get opinions. Thanks

[Adrianne Matzkin]

ARE they that close to his skin????? You can tell. If they really are, then it sounds like he has to be shaved. It must hurt his skin to be pulled from the mats.
The ones close to the skin, are they in BIG patches. If they clip him to about an inch long and shave just those skin close mats, how big will that patches be?? Will he look ridiculous??
I just don't know if the stress on the pup is worth is but here are another suggestions:
-have them clip him to an inch long on his body (which will make him much more comfortable for the hot and humid weather we are expecting starting today) and just shave to the skin those mats. Then look at him to determine what needs to be done.
-maybe you should stay nearby while they clip him so you can see what really needs to be done for the comfort of your pup.
Ann, I so understand the vanity of wanting our doodles to look great but this really is about the comfort of your pup. If his skin is pulling, you know what has to be done. If not work with your groomer. They may charge you more for their time since this is not going to be a quick shaving, but only you can determine what you can afford.
MOST doodles I have seen in the past few weeks have been cut short due to the season.

[Ann & Reggie]

Thanks again for your honesty on the cutting. I want to get other opeinions of groomers this week to see if they can puppy cut him where there are no matts and shave the matts. If they all say shave him all,. I will do this. I know it is easiet for a gromer to shave so need honesty based on his coat. Would love ot have a play date one day.

[Bernadette Cuccaro]

Baxter just got his first haircut last week at almost 6 months old. I live in North/Central NJ and had a lot of reservations about getting him groomed. I too loved the way he looked with his long wavy hair, but quickly realized that he seemed very hot when we would go for walks, not to mention he had trouble sitting due to the amount of fur he had between his paw pads. I took him to the Morris Animal Inn in Morristown where we will be boarding him while we are on vacation http://www.morrisanimalinn.com/ They clipped him to about and inch on his body, but left the hair around his face longer. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach while I was driving back to pick him up, but I can tell you I am VERY pleased with how it turned out. You should go to Goldendoodles.com to and check out their section on grooming.

[Ann & Reggie]

Thanks so much. That is where I go and the gromers made the suggestion that concerned me so i came here fr osupport and opinions. I do trust them but it seems so radical. They gave me a pic of a GD who looks like Reggie and how they cut him..maybe it was yours. I would love ot see a pic before and after. If you are in NJ please contact me for a play datwe as they say he loves GD and we do not know any. Thanks again

[Chris & Boys]

I loved the way Fozzy looked at 6 months. Part of the charm of a doodle is his shaggy coat, to me anyway. Before Fozzy went for his neuter, I decided to get him cut so it would be easier to comb him after his surgery, and so he would be more comfortable. I had them scissor cut him to 1" all over, leaving the tail as it was. When I picked him up, I though he looked goofy, but adorable. Now that it has grown out for a month, I LOVE IT!!!! I think he is as cute as the day I picked him up. I am thinking I may like to keep him at this length most of the time. I think it is a totally different look - but just a beautiful. I guess they are like our kids, beautiful in our eyes no matter what.
The pictures are of Fozzy just before the groom, the day after the groom, and one month after the groom. I agree, if you are going to shave, shave it all or shave close to the same length, or it may look very sad.... Also, you will be able to see how beautiful his face is!

[Ann & Reggie]

You are rihgt..a beautiful dog in all pics. Did his color change too? Where was he groomed?

[Chris & Boys]

Thank you so much! Yes, he is a lot lighter. The older he got, the lighter his coat was coming in. In the bottom picture, he looks a lot lighter than he is, the middle picture is his true color. I had him groomed at our local Petco. The lady that did him has been doing my GR for years. But she just recently moved to a vet's office 15 miles from my home, but luckily, only 3 miles from my work. So I will continue to go to her - she also said that one of the reason's she left Petco was because they charged WAY TOO much! I never checked around. It was convenient and had great hours, I guess I figured they'd be cheaper since they were a chain.....not too smart eh?