If you though Golden Retrievers or Poodles couldn’t get any cuter, well, you’re in for a treat. Goldendoodle is a crossbreed between these two and can we say – what a great decision. When it comes to dogs it doesn’t get any cuter than this. They’re fairly large, but that doesn’t even come close to matching their absolutely incredible temperament and personality. Those golden locks will leave you speechless the first time you lay hands on them.
Now, as it’s the case with any long-haired dogs, you will have to do some grooming if you want your pet to look as stunning as possible and Goldendoodles aren’t any different. On that note, we’ve decided to give you a few tips on how to groom these lovely pups, so, without further ado – let’s get started.
Source: Utah Goldendoodles
Contents
1. Brush Their Coat At Least Three Times A Week
These locks are gorgeous – there’s no other way around it. However, as is usually the case with curls and locks, they get tangled up incredibly easy. Because of that, you’ll want to brush your pet’s coat at least three times a week. If you can brush their coat every day – that would be ideal. But, we understand if you don’t have the time, so on that note, three times is more than enough.
You’ll most definitely find the mats in the g-doodle’s coat. Curls get all tangled up and mats form – that’s just the way it is. The trick is not to let them get larger, otherwise, you’ll have to cut them out. The main trick with brushing is to start while they’re still pups, so they get familiar with the process.
Always start the brushing with a slicker brush and then move on to a metal-pin comb to really detangle the coat. Once you grab a slicker brush, you’ll want to comb each individual section of the body so you don’t miss a spot.
Here’s a brushing pro tip. Once you pick up the metal-pin comb and get to detangling, you’ll want to start at the end of the hair strands and move your way up so you don’t cause too much breakage.
Source: Uptown Puppies
2. Shave Problematic Areas
Certain areas of the coat must be shaved regularly because otherwise there would be just too many mats and tangles. Now, you don’t have to shave close to the skin, you can leave some length if you wish, but you do have to trim the hairs pretty short so you don’t have to waste time brushing unnecessary areas or hurt the dog. The areas you have to pay special attention to are the belly, genitals and booty area. Too much hair around those areas can cause infections and you certainly don’t want that for your precious little friend.
Source: The Sun
3. Remove Ear Hair
Goldendoodles grow hair around and in their ear canal. Those have to be removed to ensure better airflow and more importantly lower the risk of ear infections. These hairs tend to trap moisture which then makes the ear canal a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria.
The outer hair will be easy to trim. However, the one inside the ear canal can be a little tricky. You’ll have to use your finger to pull it out a trim it with scissors. Be careful however and don’t try to pull more than one section of hair at the time as that will make it unpleasant for the dog.
4. Bathe Your Pet
Bathing the Goldendoodle is not going to be easy in any way. Before you start, you’ll have to brush and detangle the coat, otherwise, you’ll just be wasting time. In addition to that, you’ll need shampoo, conditioner, a comb and a lot of towels. Now, you shouldn’t use shampoos you’d use on yourself. For instance, Paws and Pals is a great shampoo, recommended by DogStruggles. It’s vegan, organic and it will be incredibly soothing to your pup’s skin.
Once you’ve picked up all you need, you can get to bathing. You’ll want to thoroughly shampoo all the areas and afterwards equally thoroughly rinse the shampoo out as any residue left behind can irritate the skin. Once you finish, brush the coat, towel dry the coat first and then grab a blow drier, set it on warm and get to work. This will take some time, but you have to thoroughly dry the coat as any leftover moisture will cause mats you won’t be able to comb out. Also, don’t ruffle the coat while blow drying it, as you’ll only create tangles. Instead, brush down in the direction of hair as you’re drying it so that coat dries with as little tangles as possible.
Finally, we’d recommend bathing the dog at least once a week.
Source: Khaleej Mag
5. Comb & Trim
Once you’re done with washing and trimming, you may begin brushing and detangling the fur again so you can easily trim the hairs.
Before you start trimming the hairs, you’ll need both scissors and clippers. You always want to start with the head when you’re trimming. Start by cheeks and the eyebrows first. A couple of strokes with clippers with a 1-inch attachment should be more than enough for the cheeks. As for the ‘eyebrows’ you’ll want to use scissors, but make sure you don’t cut hair too short.
For the rest of the body, you’ll want to use clippers for the rough cut and then add finishing touches with the scissors. However, keep in mind those tend to heat up, so unless you’re quick or have an extra clipper – make sure you have clipper cooling spray on hand. Once again, a 1-inch attachment should be more than good for most of the body. Once you’re done, add the finishing touches with the scissors so that the coat is nice and even all throughout.
If you’re struggling with trimming and scissors at first, don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal – practice makes perfect. You’ll get quicker and better as time goes on.
As you can tell, these beauties are a bit of a high-maintenance, but, if we’re being honest – all the beauties are. Once you get experienced and good at it, it shouldn’t take too much time off your hands, but you’ll have to put in work. In the end, once you’re done with the grooming, you won’t be able to stop looking at your cute, little Goldendoodle.
