Grooming Your Doodle
Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, and other doodles are some of the newest and most popular pet dogs. The Doodle is a cross between a purebred Labrador Retriever and a purebred Poodle. Here at the spa, we specialize in serving Doodles: they currently make up about one-third of our clients.
There are many kinds of Doodles besides the original Labradoodle. The Australian Labradoodle has a lineage that includes Cocker Spaniels as well as Poodles and Labrador Retrievers. The Aussiedoodle is a hybrid of the Australian Shepherd and Poodle. The Goldendoodle crosses a Golden Retriever with a Poodle, and the Bernedoodle combines a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Poodle (read more about the Bernedoodle here!)
All Doodles are classified as F1, F2, F3, and so on, depending on how many generations down they are from the original crossed breeds. Doodles are considered crossbreeds rather than a true breed, because they are a combination of two (or more) pure breeds. Most Doodle clubs are working toward getting their type of Doodle recognized as a true breed. The American Kennel Club, which recognizes 193 dog breeds, specifies that to qualify, a type of dog must always “breed true,” with consistent and predictable traits that can be described as its “breed standard."
Most Doodles of the same type share some common traits, but their appearance and behavior can vary widely, especially if they are early-generation. Those that come from a multi-generational line of Doodles (at least four generations) have traits that are more stable and consistent.
While we are excited to see the day when Doodle breeds become recognized by the AKC, in the meantime we are perfectly content to enjoy their temperaments and gorgeous coats and specializeing in doodles brings joy to the spa!
Doodles are popular because they have calm, non-aggressive personalities, are very child- and family-friendly, and are bred to be great companion dogs. Because of this, breeders often advertise Doodles as an “easy-maintenance” dog. However, Doodles are NOT easy-maintenance when it comes to grooming. Some dogs (such as Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers) can go 2-3 months between grooming appointments. The Doodle is not one of those dogs!
To properly groom your Doodle, plan on scheduling a haircut regularly. “Regularly” includes a range of time, depending on the type of haircut you want your dog to have. A short puppy cut can last 6 to 8 weeks, whereas a fluffy, longer scissored cut should be done every 2 weeks. You can see various types of Doodle cuts at our Oodles of Doodles album on Facebook!
Most Doodles need to be thoroughly brushed and combed at least every other day. If you decide to bathe your dog at home in between professional grooming appointments, be sure to use premium shampoo and conditioner, and brush her out thoroughly both before and after the bath.
When tangled fur gets wet, the tangles tighten, which contributes to matting. If your Doodle is active outdoors, check him often for tangles. If he is going out in the rain or swimming, brush him thoroughly and comb through his fur immediately before and after. Doodles tend to be prone to ear infections, so if you bathe your Doodle at home, be sure to put cotton balls in his ears (don’t forget to take them out afterward!).
Most dogs who require haircuts grow dead hair inside the ear canal, which must be removed. Doodles, however, are descended from both breeds that do and breeds that don’t require haircuts. As a result, we have found that a majority of Doodles grow live, rooted hair in their ears. This hair is painful to remove, and often removing it is just as likely to cause an ear infection as not. To help mitigate this, we recommend that anytime your dog is going to get wet, you put cotton balls in her ears so water doesn’t enter the ear canal. Remember to remove the cotton balls afterward, and then wipe out the inside of the ear with a cotton ball dampened with dog-specific ear cleaner.
All types of Doodles are well-loved for being friendly, intelligent family dogs. They tend to be highly affectionate and easy to train. Some of them (especially the Australian Labradoodle) can be hypoallergenic as well. For these reasons and more, Doodles continue to capture our hearts. If you own a Doodle, we encourage you to learn about his individual grooming needs, so that he can always look and feel his best!
If you need help with this, check out our Brushing 101 article. Contact us with questions and advice, we love to help!
Title photo credit: Bruce Williamson