How do I groom my Doodle?

Groom starts with weekly maintenance and cares partnered with bathing using an all-natural shampoo. It is highly concentrated, generously fortified with therapeutic-grade essential oils, and formulated with your pet’s safety and cleanliness in mind. This plant-based, deodorizing formula is tough on dirt, but gentle on your pet’s skin, making for a soft, moisturized, healthy-looking coat! Animal Scents Shampoo cleans, conditions, and protects your pet’s coat without harmful ingredients. Formulated with seven pure essential oils and other natural ingredients, this shampoo is safe and effective for your doodle. Care should be taken to prevent contact with the eyes. We also recommend these organic grooming products for your puppy. Whichever you choose, be sure to check the label. Most shampoos and soaps have sulfates, which are cleansing agents. While they aren't necessarily harmful, they really strip away everything from hair – both the good and the bad. This leaves your hair and scalp dry, and it makes your scalp overproduce oils. Parabens, chemical preservatives, are also very common in cosmetics. These can be especially dangerous to you and your pet, as they have been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Many veterinarians trained in herb and essential oil therapy understand and use natural essential oil sprays that contain lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, catnip, lemon, citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, melaleuca, oregano, palo santo, and basil to help repel mosquitoes, fleas, and lice as well as ticks. Ticks hate the smell of lemon, orange, cinnamon, lavender, peppermint, and rose geranium so they'll avoid latching on to anything that smells of those items. Any of these or a combination can be used in DIY sprays or added to almond oil and rubbed on exposed skin.

Whether you choose to have your doodle professionally groomed or try your hand at DIY Doodle grooming, there are a few basic grooming skills that are necessary for every doodle parent.

Step one: Purchase: a slicker brush, a steel comb, and nail clippers (see below to learn about different types of nail clippers). These are the tools necessary for basic doodle maintenance. Your dog will need regular brushing and nail trimming in between full grooming sessions.

Basic Doodle Grooming Tools

The first step to giving your doodle a complete haircut on your own is to gather the needed supplies. Some you may own already. Others you may need to purchase. You can usually find all of these items at a local pet store, although I have found the same products to be significantly cheaper on Amazon.

1. Dog Clippers (with detachable blade) - a #10 blade will likely be included. If not, purchase one for trimming your doodle's belly, bottom, and under her ears.

2. Coolant

3. Hair Remover

4. Clipper Comb Extension Set

5. Steel Comb

6. Scissors - ballpoint (or blunt-tipped) is best for the safety of your beloved pooch

7. Thinning Shears

8. Shampoo & Conditioner (I prefer leave-in conditioner so I don't have to rinse my dogs twice)

9. Detangler if needed

10. Towels

11. A Leash or other means for keeping your dog still

If you plan to groom your doodle regularly, consider purchasing a grooming table with an arm.

Bathing Guide

Proper bathing is key to maintaining your Doodle's coat and skin health. Here's how:

1. Brush First: Before bathing, brush your Doodle thoroughly to remove tangles and loose fur.

2. Use Lukewarm Water: Ensure the water is not too hot or cold to keep your pet comfortable.

3. Apply Shampoo: Gently massage the shampoo into their coat, avoiding the eyes and ears. Rinse thoroughly to prevent residue build-up.

4. Condition: Use a conditioner to maintain the coat's softness. Leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing.

5. Drying: Towel-dry your Doodle, then use a pet dryer on a low setting to prevent matting.

Brushing Techniques

Regular brushing is essential to prevent matting and maintain your Doodle's coat. Follow these steps:

• Frequency: Aim to brush your Doodle at least three times a week.

• Gentle Detangling: Start with a slicker brush to remove knots, then use a comb for thorough detangling.

• Sectioning: Work in sections, starting from the head and moving downwards, to ensure you've covered all areas.

• Positive Reinforcement: Reward your Doodle with treats to create a positive grooming experience.

Trimming Nails

Keeping your Doodle's nails trimmed is crucial for their comfort and mobility. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Inspect: Examine the nails for a clear view of the quick (the pink area).

2. Cut Carefully: Use nail clippers or a grinder, trimming a small amount at a time to avoid cutting the quick.

3. Stay Calm: Keep your Doodle calm with soothing words and treats.

4. Regular Checks: Trim nails every 3-4 weeks or as needed to maintain an ideal length.

Ear and Eye Care

Proper care of your Doodle's ears and eyes minimizes the risk of infections:

• Ear Cleaning: Use a vet-recommended ear cleaner and cotton balls to gently clean the inner ear. Check for any signs of redness or discharge.

• Eye Cleaning: Wipe around the eyes with a damp cloth to remove debris or tear stains. Be gentle to avoid irritation.

Professional Grooming

While at-home grooming is vital, professional services offer additional benefits:

• Frequency: Consider professional grooming every 6-8 weeks, depending on your Doodle's coat type and lifestyle.

• Benefits: Professionals can handle intricate tasks like coat trimming, hand-stripping, and intensive skin treatments.

• Peace of Mind: Trust their expertise for a thorough grooming experience that maintains your Doodle's coat health.

Trimming your doodle’s Face

Who doesn't love that quintessential hair in the eyes? It's almost a trademark characteristic of doodles. But it doesn't take long that one cute curl to become an entire tuft of hair, hiding her eyes and blocking her vision! Our favorite tool for trimming the hair around doodle's eyes is a pair of thinning shears because they help cut away unwanted hairs without leaving a distinct line. You'll also want a pair of small blunt tipped scissors.

The Sanitary Clip

There are a few extra grooming steps you can take at home to help keep your doodle clean and tidy in between grooming appointments. Expect to perform this maintenance every 4-6 weeks.

A pair of sturdy dog clippers with a detachable blade is a worthwhile investment. Use you dog clippers and a #10 blade to trim your dog's belly, behind, and under the ears. Doing a maintenance trim will help decrease the frequency of your doodle's grooming appointments, so the dog clippers will quickly pay for themselves. Your doodle has a thick coat and will benefit from clippers designed specifically for grooming dogs. Don’t use clippers you would normally use on yourself.

Types of Cuts for Doodles

Teddy Bear Cut

The Teddy Bear Cut, also known as the Doodle Puppy Cut, is by far the most popular type of Doodle haircut.  The Teddy Bear haircut gives your doodle short hair all-around between 1-2 inches in length — some groomers will cut down to 3/4 inch length if you want a shorter haired look and don’t want to go to the groomers as often.  The standard puppy cut looks great and is cute on many different types of curly haired dogs.

There’s no real standard definition to the Teddy Bear Cut, so groomers will often ask the hair length you want.  This trim also typically includes a short hair trim around ears, full-face trim around the eyes, clipped and non-feathered tail cut and a round feet trimming.  If this is the first time your Doodle is getting groomed, we highly recommend that you get the Teddy Bear Haircut.

Teddy Bear Cut features:

• Most common Doodle haircut

• Evenly shaved throughout the body – Approximately 1-2 inches in hair length

• Easy to bathe and clean your dog

• A Doodle short hair style cut

• Ideal to prevent matted curly hair

• Doodle looks younger with a fluffy and smooth look

Poodle Cut

This popular type of Doodle haircut style derives from the traditional Poodle styling, but works on doodles due to the long curly hair. Generally speaking, the poodle cut has extremely short hair around the belly and face areas (<1 inch in length). The hair is left really long around the ears, tail, and top of the head (2-4 inches in length). Some owners also leave the hair long around the legs. The poodle cut makes your dog look refined and smart. This cut is also easy to maintain since the majority of the hair is cut really short. This means less grooming, brushing, and maintaining!

Poodle Cut features:

• Intelligent and mature look

• Common on poodles, but looks great on Doodles

• Easy to maintain

• Short hair around the body. Long hair on ears, tail, and top of the head.

Doodle Lion Cut

The goal of the Doodle Lion Cut is to make your dog look like a lion.  This is done by shaving the hair on the back half of the dog to approximately 1/4 inch in length and doing a light trim around the dogs face.  In order to successfully achieve the Doodle Lion Cut, you have to leave hair on the dogs tail, feet, and around the chest area.

The best looking dog in the neighborhood and at the dog park – stylish, bold, and predator-like look.

• Brings lots of smiles to kids and adults faces as you pass by

• Medium maintenance with lots of brushing on the long-haired sections (mane, feet, tail, chest) to prevent matting.

• The Doodle short hair sections are easy to maintain

• Long hair around the mane, tail, and paws. Short hair everywhere else.

Doodle Lamb Cut

The Doodle lamb cut started as a poodle trend, but let’s be honest, it looks great on all doodles!  The Doodle lamb cut is an adventurous and stylish cut that is relatively easy to maintain.  This is one of my personal favorite types of Doodle haircuts.

To achieve the lamb cut, you must give your dog the Teddy Bear Cut around it’s body (1 inch length) but leave the hair around the legs longer (2-4 inches).  The lamb cut is pretty hilarious because your dogs leg hair will bounce up and down as they run outside.

There are several variations of the lamb cut.  Some people leave the hair on legs and around the ears while trimming the body.  Others leave the hair long on the legs and tail.  Experiment new styles with your Doodle and make them look gorgeous.

Lamb Cut features:

• Easy to maintain since it’s a variation of the Doodle Teddy Bear Cut

• Prevents matted hair around the body

• Adventurous looking hair

• Short hair around the body. Long hair around the legs, ears, and top of the head.

Doodle Kennel Cut

The kennel cut is one of the most popular types of doodle haircuts because its the easiest cut to maintain, easiest to clean, and keeps your doodle cool during the summer months. This is a very practical cut that is the shortest common haircut for doodles aside from a complete shaving.

The kennel cut is basically a very short and even shave around your dogs body (less than 1 inch).  This cut has the most financial incentives: less frequent grooming visits, very little brushing until the hair grows longer than 1 inch, and makes your dog easier to bathe. 

Doodle Kennel Cut features:

• The shortest doodle cut (even shave <1 inch in length)

• Helps your dog stay cool in the summer months

• Save money by having to groom less!

• Easy to bathe, less brushing, and a cleaner coat