Grooming

Grooming the Australian Labradoodle

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Australian Labradoodles are a high maintenence breed, despite what anyone may have told you and that includes the Australian Labradoodle Associations. I am shocked and abhorred to see that they state ''A distinctive feature of this breed is that the coat is non-shedding and easily maintained'' what a load of codswallop! It's no wonder that groomers are exasperated with Labradoodle owners bringing in Doodles with matted coats. You can believe me or believe them, it matters not to me except that your poor Doodle is going to suffer if you choose to believe the Associations and the breeders who have simply copied and pasted from their website. Grooming comes under the section Health as it is a very important aspect of keeping your Doodle healthy, a matted dog suffers terribly. There are far too many breeders out there giving false advice with regard to the care of a Labradoodles coat, some breeders even suggest that you don't need to brush your Labradoodle! I pity the poor dogs that these misinformed people own. Although they are termed 'Non Shedding' they change their coats twice a year just like any other coated breed of dog, even a Poodle does the same but instead of the hair falling on the floor and sticking to your clothes it will matt into itself, so you will be grooming rather than hoovering.

Puppy parents

We advise our puppy parents to brush their puppy 'thoroughly' once a week. When a puppy is young he has quite an easy coat to look after, which is what often gives the unsuspecting owners who have not been educated by their breeders a false sense of security but when he changes to his adult coat at around seven months old these people are in for a massive shock and so is their dog. So many people just surface brush their Doodle, usually with a pin brush or a slicker, now these are fine for a Labrador, Golden Retriever or the majority of shedding breeds but they are not suitable for Australian Labradoodles as you need to get right down to the skin and to the tip of the hair, basically if you can't run a comb through your Doodles coat then you are not brushing him correctly.

Bathing

Australian Labradoodles don't have a doggy odour, that's because they don't have the protective oils in their coats that other breeds have, another reason why they need regular bathing, imagine wearing the same wooly jumper every day.

Face

Their hair grows continually and in places that they don't need it too, the hair on their face will grow inwards into their eyes, this needs trimming back regularly to avoid eye infections.

Ears

Excess hair grows in their ears, this needs to be removed, you will need a product called Thornit which helps you to grip the hair aiding plucking and also to repel ear infections, you pluck the hair a little bit at a time just like you would do your eyebrows, full instructions are given with Thornit powder. If you don't pluck your Doodles ears regularly he will get yeasty ear infections and you will end up paying hundreds of pounds in vet bills, Thornit costs as little as £6.

Genitals

Excess hair grows all around the genital area too, this needs to be removed so as to keep this area clean. Anal glands also need to be checked.

Feet and pads

Excess hair also grows in between the pads of their feet, this needs to be removed or it will compact like concrete and cause considerable pain. Nails will also need to be trimmed.

Arm pits

Doodles should have the hair around their arm pits removed too as friction causes them to mat and it's far better to keep this area clipped. A good groomer will do all of this as part of their grooming service. On top of your weekly brushing your Australian Labradoodle will need bathing and grooming thoroughly to include all of the previous mentioned care, if you don't wish to do this yourself  he will need to go to a professional groomer at least every 6-8 weeks. When your Labradoodle goes to the groomer they will bath him, blast him with a high powered dryer which helps to get the matts out, then they will brush him from head to toe and finally comb him, it is a lot of work to undertake and if you have not been brushing your Doodle correctly as described previously your groomer will be forced to do a 'shave down' it is all that they can do, I've heard so many Doodle owners complain about the groomers doing this to their Doodle but it is very painful for the dog to suffer hours of de-matting and a good groomer will not cause stress or pain to any dog. Most people like the cute shaggy teddy bear look of the Doodle that makes them look like Walt Disney made them but that shaggy teddy bear look takes maintenance. It is not always easy to find a groomer that likes Doodles and I can understand why if owners don't take correct care of their Doodles coats, some of them say the most disgusting things about us Doodle owners, this comment being the worst I have seen so far: "Doodles need to stop being bred and doodle owners need to be put to sleep 98% of problems complaints are due to this breed of people! Ban the lot! Hahahaha!”I would not want that groomer to do my Doodles, would you. Most groomers say that they only ever see matted Doodles, unfortunately I believe this is due to lack of correct information given by breeders and I hope that this page will help to educate people in the care of Labadoodle coats and thus help Labradoodles. You would be best to find a groomer through recommendation of other Doodle owners. At the bottom of this page I will add groomers whom I know embrace the Labradoodle and who I or other Doodle owners recommend.

Products

There are two fabulous products to help maintain a matt-free coat Secret Weapon and Demelex, available to purchase from Canine Design and Amazon. The Mikki Pro Slicker brush that is imperative for all Doodle owners to purchase. It can be purchased from Amazon. If you are going to groom your Doodle yourself you will need a good pair of scissors, personally I like Diamond Edge for beginners, if you are a complete novice you may be best using round edged scissors. To do a good home groom a blaster dryer is also required really, it not only dries them but it helps remove matts on most dogs, of course it can't perform miracles though any more than a professional groomer can if you've not been taking care of your Doodle’s coat. Thornit powder is a must for Doodles and can be purchased through Ebay and many grooming suppliers. You will need a metal comb available from grooming suppliers