@maple.the.goldy

We frequently get asked “When should I take my puppy to get groomed for the first time?” and “What type of haircut should I ask for to get the perfect teddy bear look?” Since we are not professionals when it comes to grooming we thought we would ask someone who is. We interviewed our grooming artist, TeAnna who is the owner of Ruffledales Pet Resort & Paw Spa and asked her several of those questions.

When should a puppy go to the groomer for the 1st time?

After the puppy has received at least two sets of DHPP, one bordetella, and the veterinarian agrees it’s safe to be groomed. Typically it is around the 10-12 week mark. We recommend coming in for a bath and brush so the puppy can feel safe and confident with the grooming process.

A few tips to get your puppy familiar with getting groomed:

1. Brush your puppy at an early age. Get the puppy familiar with the brush and comb so when they go to the groomers it’s a positive experience.

2. Play with your puppy’s feet. As groomers, we see a lot of puppies that are really freaked out when we touch their feet. If the owners of the puppies played with their feet and got them comfortable with people touching that area it makes our job a lot easier.

How often should you brush your Goldendoodle?

This is tricky, all goldendoodles have slightly different coats and some are more prone to matting due to genetics. We definitely recommend brushing out the coats daily or three times a week. If you are noticing little mats and only brushing three times a week, definitely increase the brushing schedule.

How do you prevent matting?

Get a good quality comb! Sometimes brushes only go over the beautiful top coat and don’t fully get the mats. Mats start at the skin and are likely to hide under all the fur. We recommend using a hard wire comb and starting at the skin and combing the hair out. It’s very important in areas of high friction, where the collar is, around the armpits, where the tail meets the body and around the face and behind the ears. After combing your doodle, we recommend using a high quality brush.

“If you keep up on combing and brushing, then you can keep your doodles hair any length.”— TeAnna

Hard Wire Comb | Brush | Nail Clippers | Dog Dryer

A matted goldendoodle.

Why is combing and brushing so important?

This picture says it all! Mats can be extremely painful for dogs. If a small mat is not properly addressed, it can turn a small issue into a much bigger one for your doodle. Mats have the ability to lock down against a dog’s skin. With every move your dog makes these knots can get tighter and harder to comb through.

If these mats are left untreated, they can be a great place for fleas and other unwanted parasites to hide and live. In fact, sometimes groomers find mold and yeast infections under the coats.

How often should you groom your Goldendoodle?

This depends on how you choose to keep their hair. The longer lengths really need to be groomed more often due to having a higher risk of matting. The matts are just like dread locks and can be very difficult and painful to brush out. There is also a risk of hematoma to the ears if they are badly matted and have to be shaved. If you’d would like to leave your doodle long, we recommend getting bath and brush outs between grooms around every 3-4 weeks and getting grooms 6-8 weeks apart. If you like your doodle shaved short, then every 6-8 weeks is usually adequate, as long as you are doing your part and brushing them at home.

How to get the Teddy Bear haircut on a Goldendoodle?

The best advice is to be very specific to your groomer!! Everyone has a very distinct style and like different looks. If you are wanting a certain look make sure to talk to the receptionist and show pictures of what you have in mind. If you are wanting the teddy bear hair style ask for the following:

• Small notch shaved between the eyes

• Short hair trim around the ears and eyes

• Have the groomer use round scissors around the dogs muzzle

• Use blending shears to help blend the hair evenly around the face and ears

• Evenly shaved throughout the body – Approximately 1.5-2 inches in hair length

• Round feet trimming

• Long tail feathering and tapered towards the tip

• Show pictures of teddy bear styles that you like!

How much does it cost to groom a Goldendoodle?

Depending on the size of the doodle it can range from $40-$120. If you have a doodle weighing 80 lbs or more it will be in the $80-$120 range. Please note when scheduling to be groomed, be aware of hidden added charges. Some grooming facilities will give you a base price that doesn’t include: nail trimming, ear cleaning and anal gland expression. They add these charges on after and the groom ends up costing you double. Not fun! Ruffledales doesn’t believe in adding charges on so that is another reason why we recommend them.

We hope you find this information helpful and don’t forget to ask for the teddy bear cut next grooming! We would love to see your photos. Email us at matthewslegacyfarm@gmail.com or tag us on instagram @matthewslegacyfarm.
-MLF

Most dogs would rather skip bath time, but bathing plays an important role in the health of your dog’s coat and skin. Giving your pup a bath at home can be an easy task. To help make bath time a positive experience, we’ve got a few tips to help!

1.    Brush your goldendoodle before a bath. Goldendoodles tend to have matted hair. Invest in getting a good brush that will help get all those knots out.   

2.    Use lukewarm water. Dogs skin is different from ours, and hot water can burn them more easily. 

3.    Talk to your goldendoodle in a calm and reassuring voice. Dogs know when you are anxious so it is important to stay calm. Give them a treat during bath time so they associate the tub as a positive experience. 

4.    Use dog shampoo. While there are many types of dog shampoos available, we suggest getting a shampoo with natural ingredients such as aloe to help moisturize the skin. We use Barklogic on all of our goldendoodles— it is natural, gentle, and sulfate free formula. It is rich in Omega 3 and Vitamin E and will help your doodles coat be shiny.

5.    Avoid getting shampoo in the ears and eyes. It is important to avoid getting shampoo in the goldendoodle’s eyes during the bathing process. To ensure no suds come in contact with the eyes, we use a moistened washcloth and wipe down the face and ears.

6.    Apply shampoo from the neck to tail. When shampooing the body of your goldendoodle, the shampoo should be applied directly to the coat from neck to tail. When working up lather it is important to move down the dog's body to avoid getting shampoo in the dog's eyes. During the shampooing process, a fine-toothed comb can be used to remove knots and tangles. In addition, the comb helps remove debris that can be caught in the dog's coat. The entire body, including the undercarriage, legs, tail and back should be shampooed to ensure the dog is fully clean.

7.    Rinse, rinse, rinse. Rinsing properly is important to the health of a Goldendoodle's coat and skin. When shampoo is left in the dog's fur it results in dry and irritated skin. Goldendoodles must be rinsed several times with a long shower hose that allows owners and groomers to remove all traces of shampoo from the dog's body. To avoid the possibility of shampoo getting in the dog's eyes, they should be rinsed from front to back.

8. Blow dry. Nothing is worse than a wet dog running around your house. Invest in a dog blow dryer. This one has low temperatures which is safe for your doodle.

9. Reward your dog. Once bath time is over follow up with praise, petting, or play.

Wand | Brush | Dryer | Comb | Shampoo | Treats

Cleaning your goldendoodle doesn’t have to hard. We hope these tips make it easier for you and your dood!