Goldendoodles are adorable furry little creatures. They are a cross between a poodle and golden retriever and possess both breeds’ best traits. Their hair dictates their look and you want your doodle to look the best. Here are a few tips and some grooming tools for golden doodles.
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The Importance of Grooming Your Goldendoodle
Grooming is not just about cleanliness. It’s about the overall physical health of your dog, especially their appearance. A well-groomed dog is a happy dog. The grooming process itself makes them feel loved and taken care of.
You need to start priming your puppy very early on. It takes some training for them to learn how to stay still as you groom them. Yes! Grooming sessions can be extremely lengthy and will test your and your pup’s patience. Grooming however is very beneficial as it:
- Maintains your dog’s hygiene
- Maintains that healthy shiny coat of hair
- Helps eliminate dandruff
- Helps you identify any abnormalities or health issues
- Keeps flees at bay
- Provides a good massage for your pup
To top it all off, it makes for some good quality time spent with your doodle.
Goldendoodle Grooming Steps
Your dog is not going to need a full on grooming session every day. A full session once a week and regular upkeep is good enough. To groom your dog follow these simple steps:
Clean your doodle
To begin the cleanup process, you need to first brush your doodle’s hair. Use a slicker brush for this process as it goes well the doodle’s coat. Brushing detangles their hair, removes excessive dirt and debris and basically makes the next step easier.
Detangle and remove knots
When brushing, you will have identified where the doodle has knots. It is now time to remove those. Do not use scissors to clip knots as they may accidently hurt your doodle. Buy a pair of grooming clippers. They quickly and effectively remove all sorts of tangles without hurting your dog.
Bathe
Prepare a warm bath and immerse your doodle in it. Wash their hair with dog shampoo. Dog shampoo is specially-formulated for dog skin. Using human shampoo can harm their skin, so do not make that mistake. While applying shampoo, further identify any problem areas in the coat and make a note to trim them.
Dry your doodle
Doodles have curly hair. It is essential that you dry their coat before you trim their hair. You may end up giving your pup a disastrous hair cut if you don’t follow this step.
Trim excessive hair
The trimming process is a bit lengthy. To make it easier, let’s divide it into two parts:
Trimming the head
- Trim the doodles ears. Make sure to get grooming scissors as the dog ears are flexible and they provide better precision. Cut excess hair leaving only an inch behind.
- Using the same scissors, cut the hair blocking the ear canal. You should make a clear opening for the ear. This helps improve your doodles hearing. A word of warning though, never put scissors inside your dog’s ears. You may end up hurting them if they move even the slightest bit.
- Then trim the hair around the eyes switch with an electric clipper. Make sure your dog is calm before you proceed. Cut away excess hair ensuring that they have a clean line of sight.
- For the muzzle, you may switch back to scissors. Cut the hair at the top of the muzzle short but keep the bottom and the sides long. Don’t get creative and try to gradually decrease the amount of hair you cut. You may pretend as if you are layering your doodles hair.
- Bring out the electric grooming clipper again and chop away at the back of your doodles head. The fur on the back of the head can be slightly shorter than the rest of the body or it can be the same length.
Trimming the body hair
- Trimming the body is relatively easier. A word of advice, keep your clippers’ guard on for this round to ensure you give your doodle a uniform cut.
- Use your grooming clippers and cut away all excess hair at the back. Make sure to go over it multiple times removing big chunks at a time. Make sure to go over the little areas such as behind the legs and hound area.
- For a tidy look, clip the hair on the paws shorter. This helps you keep their paws cleaner and also makes it easier for them to run around. Make sure to go over the hair between the toes.
Lastly, cut their nails short and your doodle is good to go. It’s a very lengthy, time consuming process but it’s worth it. You can start grooming your pup after three weeks of birth. It is recommended that you start as early as possible, as your dog needs to get used to staying still for so long.
The 7 Best Grooming Tools for Goldendoodles
To ease the grooming sessions, we are listing some must have grooming kit tools. A plus is that all of these are readily available on chewy.
FURminator Firm Slicker Brush
This dual-sided slicker brush has fine straight bristles on one side and bent ones on the other. It is ideal for detangling medium and long curly haired dogs. It features an Ergonomic handle, which provides a secure and comfortable grip. Made from anti-microbial plastic, the brush is hygiene friendly as it minimizes germs and bacteria accumulation.
Wags & Wiggles Silky Dual Sided Bristle and Straight Pin Brush
Another great brush for a golden doodles’ coat is a straight pin brush. Twice brushing your dog not only detangles but also removes excess dirt from its coat. The dual-sided brush features an ergonomic grip for comfortable handling. One side has straight pins meant to remove tangles from the undercoat. The other side has black pins to remove excess dirt and provide a cleaner smoother top coat.
Andis AGC2 Clipper
The Andis Clipper is a professional 2 speed clipper with detachable blades. It produces minimal sound and provides your dog a very comfortable grooming experience. With built in fans and air vents, the clipper remains cools for as long as you’re working.
Andis Cool Care Plus
In case your clipper runs hot, a cooling spray at hand is always a blessing. The Andis Cool Care plus is a 5 in 1 spray. It’s a coolant, disinfectant, lubricant, cleaner, and rust preventative all in one. You can’t go wrong with a purchase like this.
Pet Magasin’s Professional Thinning Scissors
Pet Magasin’s thinning scissors have a toothed blade made from the finest quality of surgical stainless steel. Boasting an ultra fine cutting edge these scissors are perfect for even the thickest of coats.
Conair PRO Dog Rounded-Tip Shears
These round-tip shears feature a soft grip handle. They are lightweight, comfortable and safe to use around the eyes and ears.
Millers Forge Nail Clipper
The Millers Nail Clipper feature a safety stop making that mani pedi as effortless and safe as possible. They come in a plier style with comfortable plastic grips and a secure handle. The spring-loaded cutting mechanism makes for a swift and painless cutting action.
Our Final Thoughts
The details and extensiveness of the process can be overwhelming for both you and your dog. So make it a habit as quickly as possible so it becomes routine for the both of you. Do not skip out on it and do it regularly. We hope our tips and recommended grooming tools for golden doodles make it easier for you.
