Grooming a Goldendoodle
"How to groom your Goldendoodle" (By Dee
Gerrish-Goldendoodle World)
There are many different ways you can groom your
Goldendoodle. As a puppy, most do not need but a slicker brush ran through the
coat once a day. Maybe a bath, once a month unless your puppy has gotten him or
herself into a messy situation. Young puppies only need to be trimmed around the
anal area, the front and back paws and in front of the eyes. Clipping the coat
in front of the eyes prevents the growing hairs from turning inward and causing
a corneal abrasion on the eye itself. Unlike the Poodle, a Goldendoodle should
never be shaved down completely to the skin. The reason for this is because the
Goldendoodle has very fine hairs that appear to be thick and its coat actually
protects him or her in the heat as well as in the cold. If you are going to have
your Goldendoodle shaved down, we recommend leaving at least 1 1/2" - 2" of the
coat out from the skin.
Unless your Goldendoodle has extensive Poodle within
its DNA genetic make-up, the doodle coat is never as thick as a purebred Poodle.
As your Goldendoodle becomes a teenager, you will have noticed he or she has
gone through many coat changes and phases. This is why only scissoring to even
up the hair and remove any straggly hairs may be the only necessary "grooming"
at this age. The Goldendoodle's coat will thicken and become shaggier as your
doodle nears its first birthday. We recommend using a slicker brush during the
Goldendoodle's coat phases and changes because the slicker brush has different
lengths of bristles inside of the brush and the bristles will remove any dead
hairs or lingering "baby" hairs. It will also help your Goldendoodle's coat from
matting. Leaving an upside down "V" shape about the face is the most popular
trim for a Goldendoodle.
While there are many fine canine shampoos on the
market, I never recommend using them because many canine shampoo products have
harsh chemicals that can cause dry skin with the Goldendoodle. I always use
either baby shampoo or Pantene that has a conditioner inside of the shampoo.
Non-tearing shampoos, though, work out better for your Goldendoodle dog. Lets
discuss the matter of bathing and then we will discuss trimming. When bathing
your Goldendoodle, using either a large utility type tub or your own tub is
recommended. This is dependent upon the size of your Goldendoodle. If he or she
is too large to lift, you can even use your shower. With the dogs that stay
inside of my home, I will put them in the tub with myself or the shower and I
never have to worry about getting wet! With my outdoor dogs, I use a normal
sized bathtub that is elevated and situated in my grooming shop. Any time you
bathe your Goldendoodle, you want to make sure that you do not use any soap or
shampoo on the face or near the eyes. I am sure that you know what it is like to
have soap or shampoo in your eyes and its the same feeling for your lovely dog!
I always use a wet washcloth to clean the face, that is just wet with water. To
clean the ears, I recommend a "spritzer" bottle that is one part white vinegar
and one part hydrogen peroxide. This helps clean your Goldendoodle's ears and
also helps them smell better. Never use Q-tips! A Q-tip can cause damage to the
ear canal. You can use cotton balls or a thin washcloth and use your finger or
pinky to clean inside the ear as far as you can reach. Depending upon whether or
not your Goldendoodle has hairs growing inside of the ear, you may feel more
comfortable having your vet clean his or her ears.
Grooming is one of the biggest expenses in owning a
Poodle hybrid because of their long coat. If you can afford it and don't have
the time or knowledge on grooming your Goldendoodle or don't want dog hair in
your bathtub or shower, have them groomed by a professional groomer. It's very
important to Pick your groomer as carefully as you would pick your own
hairdresser. There are many lazy groomers who use anesthesia or other sedatives
on dogs when they groom and this is highly inappropriate as well as dangerous!
If a groomer has a problem with you watching them work on your dog or waiting
while they work on your dog, I'd find another groomer. Unfortunately, many
canine deaths and injuries have been linked to lazy, inexperienced groomers.
Grooming your Goldendoodle is not as hard as one might think. It usually takes
the coat approx. 2 hours to completely dry, depending upon the thickness of the
actual coat. Even using a blow-dryer, your Goldendoodle's coat will take two
full hours of drying time. Make sure the room is nice and warm.
When bathing your Goldendoodle, it's important to work
up a good lather from the back of the head on down. I always use a fine comb to
go through the coat while I have the Goldendoodle all lathered up. This helps
remove any small debris that might be in the coat or little tangles that can
occur from lathering. You have to remember that shampooing your Goldendoodle is
a great time to bond with him or her. I always gently massage their legs, back,
belly and neck as I lather the coat. This not only feels good to your
Goldendoodle, but it helps him or her know that this is a pleasant experience
and not one to be afraid of. Some Goldendoodles may not like being groomed at
first, but over time, they do learn to accept it and like it. After working up a
good lather, using a shower nozzle or sprayer will make it easier to rinse the
coat. You'll want to rinse your Goldendoodle's coat several times to make sure
you have removed all of the shampoo. Never rinse the shampoo towards your
Goldendoodle's face. Always from the back of the head and downward.
When drying your Goldendoodle, you have to remember
that the loud noise from the dryer may scare him or her. While holding your
Goldendoodle, you may want to start with the slow speed and then increase the
speed once your doodle gets use to the sound. I personally use a commercial,
cool air type of dryer for my dogs but they can be very costly ($400 and up).
This type of dryer forces out only cool air and blows the water out of the coat.
For family pets or homes with just one or two dogs, a good hand dryer will work
just as well. If the weather is warm you can partly air dry them and just use
the hand dryer to fluff and brush the coat out but NEVER, partly dry your
Goldendoodle in the winter and then allow him or her to go outside until your
Goldendoodle's coat is COMPLETELY dry! If you do use a commercial cage dryer
make sure that your Goldendoodle does not get too hot especially if they are a
senior dog. Some can cause older dogs to have a heat stroke, especially if
placed too closely to the dog with out proper ventilation. When using dogs dips,
I always recommend partly drying the doodle's coat and then allowing the coat to
"air" dry. This prevents the dip from being blown off of the coat, which would
be a waste of money.
If you decide to groom your Goldendoodle in the winter,
make sure that you pre-heat the room that your Goldendoodle is going to be
groomed and bathed. We all know how cold we feel AFTER getting out of the tub or
shower. You don't want your Goldendoodle to catch cold from shivering after his
or her bath is complete. Assuming that you are using a regular heat blow dryer
after your Goldendoodle's bath, if you use the slicker brush while blow-drying,
you will help remove any dead hairs inside of your Goldendoodle's coat. The
slicker brush will also help prevent your doodle's coat from tangling. Never
allow your Goldendoodle to go outside until he or she is completely dry,
especially in the winter. If using a heat dryer, keep the heat on low and do not
place the nozzle too closely to your doodle's coat as it will burn his or her
skin.
Bathing your Goldendoodle can either be a nightmare or
a pleasant experience. I have a raised bathtub (it's easier on my back) with a
non-slip mat inside of the tub. This prevents my puppies from slipping and
becoming injured during the process. It is necessary to have a long shower hose
with good water pressure if at all possible. The biggest mistake most home
groomers make is not getting out all the shampoo in the coat. This is why I
recommend rinsing your Goldendoodle several times after a good lathering.
Leaving soap in the hair will dry out and irritate your Goldendoodle's skin;
perhaps you have seen your Goldendoodle scratching even after you checked his or
her coat for fleas. Speaking of fleas, regular shampoo will not kill fleas or
their eggs. You must use a shampoo specifically for ticks and fleas or you can
use "Equate". This is a human "lice" shampoo that has pyrithins that will help
kill fleas, ticks and lice that may get into your Goldendoodle's coat. Make sure
to Read the label on any flea and tick shampoo or preventative. Some canine flea
and tick preventatives will kill only the fleas on the dog and some will kill
the eggs and adult fleas as well as the ones that may jump on later. While you
can certainly use a light cream rinse on your Goldendoodle's coat, make sure to
use it sparingly. Creme rinses can cause your Goldendoodle's coat to lay "flat".
If you decide to towel dry your Goldendoodle, don't rub the coat against the
grain or this will encourage knots and tangles. Also do NOT towel dry your
Goldendoodle if you use flea and tick dips. This will remove the dip and be a
huge waste of money. Just squeeze the coat out with your hands if you have
dipped him or her or if you have not used any dips, squeezing the coat with good
absorbent towels will help, should you want to "air-dry" your Goldendoodle. I do
recommend NOT bathing your Goldendoodle but once a month unless he or she really
requires a bath. Bathing more than this can cause your Goldendoodle to have dry
skin.
Cleaning the ears of your Goldendoodle is very
important, each and every time he or she is groomed. Some Goldendoodles tend to
have ear problems for a number of reasons. Many tend to have very long, heavy
ears and the long hair that drapes over the ear prevents air flow that causes
moisture build up. This causes the ears to become a perfect environment for
breeding bacteria. It seems that once you have ear problems with your
Goldendoodle, they are very hard to clear up and they seem to re-occur. While
Goldendoodles generally do not have the issue of the hair growing inside of the
ear, some will if they have more Poodle DNA. Goldendoodles who have more Poodle
DNA and have hair growing in their ears prevents their ears from "breathing".
Cleaning the ears and keeping the hairs plucked or pulled out of the ear canal
is a must each and every time you groom or have your Goldendoodle groomed. Check
the ears frequently if you only groom your Goldendoodle once a month. This is
important. I remove unwanted ear hairs by "plucking" any hair I can reach in the
ear canal with my fingers. Hairs that can not be reached with my fingers, I
personally use small canine forceps that lock, so that I can clamp onto the
hairs and in a slow twisting motion, gently pull them out of the ear. While this
is not a pleasant experience for your Goldendoodle, it will help him or her from
getting an ear infection later down the road. I then wipe the ears out with one
part white distilled vinegar and one part hydrogen peroxide. It's important to
make sure the ears are dry when you are done. If you think they are damp inside
(after bathing this could happen) use a hand dryer to dry them out. (Wet ears
grow bacteria easier then dry ears). As I mentioned before, never use Q-tips to
clean the ears. Q-tips can cause the ear canal to rupture as well as drive ear
wax, if any, further down into the ear canal. If your Goldendoodle dog does have
an ear infection or issue, talk to your vet about the best way to treat it.
Excessive shaking of the head can cause the ear canal to rupture and ear
infections, as we may well know, are very painful. A couple of drops of "IVERMECTIN"
can be placed inside of the ears to kill ear mites and "IVERMECTIN" works the
best. If your doodle has a slight ear infection, you can use "Otomax", purchased
through your veterinarian. This is a gentocin based solution that can be placed
inside the ears.
Now that your Goldendoodle is dry, lets discuss how to
trim him or her. If you can't afford expensive sheers, you can check the sewing
section of any department store and purchase a good pair of scissors. You can
generally find a very good pair for under $20. Canine grooming scissors are very
expensive and can run into the hundreds of dollars. Be very careful with a new
pair of scissors as the blades are sharp and you can severely cut your
Goldendoodle's skin if you are not careful! Trust me! I've had a few pups get
nicked because they would not sit still and one quick turn will cause YOU or
your doodle to get cut. Your Goldendoodle should have a fuzzy face or an upside
down "V" shape to the front of its face, from the forehead down to the nose.
Above its eyes you can create bangs or just trim the hair so that the hairs are
not sticking towards the eyes. I usually trim the hairs close underneath the
eyes and in an upward motion so that I can keep the "V" shape between the eyes
down to the nose. Some Goldendoodles tend to have dirty mouths because of all
the hair around the face, so you can even trim the hair around the mouth if you
like. Trimming is really not only to keep your Goldendoodle comfortable, but to
help him or her keep as clean as possible. It's also a personal preference of
whether you trim or leave your doodle shaggy. Every Goldendoodle should sport a
full facial beard by the time he or she is a year old. This facial beard is
generally in the shape of an upside down "V". Looking at the eyes in a frontal
position, and then glancing at the nose, you can visualize the upside down "V"
and this helps you maintain the appearance of your Goldendoodle, if you decide
to trim him or her on your own. Sometimes the coat will mat underneath the
armpits, so you may want to check there as well as behind the ears. Little
tangles that can't be brushed or combed out can be trimmed off. Your
Goldendoodle should also have paws shaped like the Golden Retriever. I
personally trim the coat around the paws closely and I also trim the hairs
in-between the pads but care is the be taken so that you don't accidentally cut
the pawpads of your Goldendoodle. While trimming the coat, you can also clip
your Goldendoodle's nails. I use the guillotine type of nail clipper but they
all seem to work well and if you want, you can even use a sharp pair of scissors
if you are trimming a Goldendoodle under the age of one. Young puppies can have
their nails trimmed with simple nail clippers. The most important thing to
remember when trimming the nails is to not get them to short. Remember, cutting
your own nails too short is painful! Take off a little once a week because this
will help the quick stay short. If you do plan on grooming your own doodle
regularly have some "quick stop" on hand in case you nick your Goldendoodles
"quick". You can purchase this at most pet stores or feed stores. The "quick" is
a small blood vessel running through the nail, similar to our own nails. The
pink portion on our nails is where we feel the pain if we cut our own nails too
short. Clipping the nail too short and hitting the quick is not life threatening
to your Goldendoodle, but it will make it harder to do his or her nails the next
time. Trust is an issue here! It is painful for your Goldendoodle if you cut
into the quick and should definitely be avoided.
| Your Goldendoodle is more than
likely a very shaggy dog. All dogs that have a thick
coat or a shaggy coat will have an issue of fecal matter
becoming imbedded into the coat, if this area is not
kept trimmed. Special attention underneath the tail is a
must with any Goldendoodle! |
|
|
He or she
will also thank you because fecal matter that builds up around the anal area can
cause your Goldendoodle to have constipation issues or rectum issues. This
should definitely be avoided. While there is no wrong or right way to actually
trim your Goldendoodle dog, I do find that the Goldendoodle's skin is sensitive
to the sun if he or she is light in color. You must remember that your
Goldendoodle can be harmed by the sun's rays just like we can.
Keeping your Goldendoodle's coat trimmed no less than 1
1/2"- 2" out from the skin will also help protect his or her skin from insect
bites as well. During the wintry months, you may want to allow your
Goldendoodle's coat to stay shaggy. Remember that unless he or she wears a
sweater when going outdoors, that shaggy coat is all they have to weather the
elements. Having grooming equipment will help with coat maintenance if you plan
to groom your Goldendoodle yourself. Good clippers are costly and should be very
well cared for. They will last longer this way and your clipper blades will stay
sharper. A good set of Oster clippers costs about $175 and blades can be
anywhere from $2 to $40 or more. Never use clippers on a very dirty dog or you
will have to sharpen the blades quicker. Clippers must be oiled and greased
inside regularly. They will break if you drop them and it always seems that they
get kicked off the table by your doodle, so never leave them on the table. It is
convenient to have a number of blades for your clippers. I generally have about
10 blades on hand with some still in the package in case I forget to send them
out to be sharpened. They can be changed in the midst of clipping if they get
too hot, but I do recommend using a blade wash or blade "cooling" spray, as this
helps prevent the blades from overheating. Whatever size blade you choose to use
is always ready if you have several sizes on hand. I personally use a "10
medium" on my Groom Master clippers by Oster. The blades should be changed
rather often, since a dull blade pulls the hair and tends to leave the coat
ragged. Not only this, but a dull blade will eventually stop cutting and only
pull the hair causing your doodle to get upset! The small carbon brushes and
springs wear out quickly in an old clipper, making the machine rattle when it
runs; They are easily replaced by unscrewing the small knobs on the side of the
machine and its important to always have these extra parts around in case you
suddenly find yourself in need. As I said, grooming equipment isn't cheap, but
paying a Groomer over time can become more expensive.
Groom Master, by Oster, is a very good clipper. I've
had owned two in 11 years and my second one is still going and going and going,
like the Energizer bunny. They are long lived clippers and do very well. Some
breeders and groomers like to use clippers that have two speed settings; Some
even use what is called "clipper boosters". This is really not necessary unless
you intend to shave down or groom multiple dogs in a single day. Money should
NOT be spared where clippers blades are concerned. I learned the hard way. A
good set of clipper blades are "Cryogenic" and run approx. $28 each. Oster will
sharpen them for you but they are usually behind by up to 4-6 weeks. Another
reason I say it's good to have at least 10 sets of blades on hand at any given
time. You can send out 7 and have three new ones on hand while waiting for Oster
to send your other blades back. During the summer heat, we always recommend
trimming your Goldendoodle's coat down but as stated above, it's really personal
preference. Most Goldendoodles with a shaggy coat are more comfortable with a
short coat during the summer and in the winter, many do better with a shaggy
coat to help keep them warm. Keeping your Goldendoodle groomed will always make
your doodle happy! It's also a great way to bond!
*Author/breeder: 2007- Dee Gerrish *Goldendoodle World*
