At Awesome Doggies, we’ve been seeing more and more large “doodles” in our mobile grooming salons – large dogs like Golden Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers mixed with a Standard Poodle. Doodles make great pets, blending the intelligence and hypoallergenic* coat of a Poodle with the lovable nature of the Retriever, as well as helping to reduce some breed-specific genetic defects. We love doodles, but we also know how much work they can be to groom because of mixing the various coat types. Here are some helpful tips on what you need to know to keep up with your doodle’s unique coat.

Grooming Your Doodle at Home

Unless you’re opting for a very low-maintenance haircut, you’ll probably need to do some grooming at home in between visits from the groomer. The two most important things you can do at home are brushing and dental care. Oral hygiene will boil down to a daily teeth brushing or the use of a plaque-busting gel like PlaqClnz. Brushing will need to be done weekly for most doodles, but some with exceptionally troublesome or long coats may need as much as daily work.

For at-home brushing, we recommend a slicker brush and a metal comb. The trick here is to part the fur when brushing, so you start all the way down at the skin (just running a brush along the dog’s body can miss lots of tangles that are hidden under all that fur). Go over the whole dog with your slicker brush, and then follow up with the metal comb to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Common places that get missed are the tail, in between the front & back legs, in between toes, under the collar, and back & tips of the ears. If you find any areas of heavy matting (that you aren’t able to easily brush out yourself), it’s time to call a professional!

What a Professional Groomer Has to Offer

Most doodles need to be professionally groomed every month. Doodles kept in longer coats may need to be seen more often, and doodles kept in shorter haircuts may be able to go longer between visits from the groomer. How long you like your doodle kept is entirely up to you, taking into consideration how much time you have for brushing at home and how often you want to see your groomer. Your groomer can help you decide what length and style works best for you and your pet.

When your groomer visits, she can help keep your doodle in great shape by clipping and filing their nails, cleaning their ears, thoroughly bathing, drying, and brushing them, and then giving them the haircut you settled on. She may be able to alert you to any issues with your pet’s health (skin, eyes, ears, teeth). She’ll also be able to let you know if your brushing regimen at home is keeping tangles at bay, and can recommend adjustments if needed.

With the right haircut, some brushing at home, and regular visits from a good groomer, your doodle will always be looking and feeling fantastic!

Awesome Doggies Mobile Pet Grooming provides full service grooming at your doorstep for Doodles, Labradoodles, and Goldendoodles in over 30 zipcodes in San Diego county.

*Not all doodles are hypoallergenic! Mixing breeds means the hybrid traits can be unpredictable, but some do end up with the shed-less coats of their Poodle halves.