Grooming doodle dogs is easy as long as you don’t fall behind. The longer that you neglect grooming your doodle, the more difficult grooming becomes. Here are a few grooming tips for doodle dogs to help you keep your pet’s coat healthy and beautiful.
Learn your doodle’s coat
Not all doodle coats are the same. Take Goldendoodles for example. F1b Goldendoodles typically inherit the curly coats that Goldendoodles are known for, but Goldendoodles can have curly coats, wavy coats, or fairly straight coats.
A dog’s behavior influences grooming needs, too. Some doodle dogs don’t want to mess up their hair while others hunt for puddles to play.
You have to spend time learning how your doodle’s coat responds to bathing, brushing, and routine grooming maintenance.
Matting and tangles
While doodle coats differ, all doodles can develop matting and tangles. Matted fur can be painful for your dog, and it traps dead fur, pet dander, and odors.
These tangles can quickly get out of control, so make sure that you are brushing out your doodle’s coat often.
Brush your doodle daily
While not all doodles need daily brushing, it doesn’t hurt to gently brush your dog’s coat every day. Make it a habit — like brushing your teeth.
Here are some things to keep in mind.
- Doodles with curlier coats need more brushing.
- The longer your doodle’s coat, the more you must brush him.
- Doodles that spend a lot of time outside must be brushed more often than doodles that stay indoors.
How to brush a doodle
If you’re brushing your doodle every day, a comb should get the job done. There may be some patches of fur that you can’t comb through; there are too many tangles that catch on your comb. Line brush theses areas with the comb and your slicker brush.
Start from the ground and work your way up. This allows you to gradually work through each tangle as you work your way to the top of your doodle.
Always make sure to brush down to the skin. Don’t just brush the top of your doodle’s fur and call it a day. Only brushing the top of your doodle will lead to deep tangles next to the skin that can’t be removed.
Brush before and after bathing
Make sure that you brush your doodle before giving him a bath. This helps prevent tangling. Also, brush your doodle once his coat dries after a bath.
Bathing doodle dogs
Some doodle owners make the mistake of bathing their pets too much. Excess bathing, especially when using a harsh shampoo, can irritate your dog’s skin and damage his fur.
Bathing once a month is plenty for most doodles. If your doodle dog has an unpleasant odor even after bathing, make sure that you are brushing his coat, to remove lose fur and dander, often.
How often should you trim a doodle dog?
Doodle dogs, like Goldendoodles, Bernedoodles, and Aussiedoodles, have hair-like fur that can continue growing up to eight inches in length. Even if you prefer a longer coat, you must trim your doodle every once in a while.
Trim the hair between the pads of the feet, above the eyes, beard, around the ears. You can do this whenever you notice the fur getting too long — about six weeks.
Consider investing in a good quality pair of clippers to keep your doodle’s entire coat trim and tidy. You can trim your doodle about every six weeks.
Start them young
The younger you start brushing and trimming your Goldendoodle, the easier it is to groom him; your doodle will enjoy grooming and be more agreeable.
Make grooming fun
Grooming should be a fun and enjoyable experience for your doodle. It’s an opportunity to bond with your pet and he will love all of the pets and attention. Reward your doodle after grooming.
Consider a trip to a professional groomer at least twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall.
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