GROOMING

INSTRUCTIONS

Goldendoodles need regular grooming care. Some of the care should be done daily to weekly, and other care depends on the coat length you keep on your dog as well as your lifestyle.

This page includes ear cleaning, nail trimming, brushing and combing, bathing, and coat trimming.

Please see this page for grooming and care product recommendations.

Grooming instructions

During the COVID pandemic most pet parents found themselves unable to take their dog to the groomer. To help with this, we created a series of videos for those who want or need to do all of their grooming themselves at home. Check them out here!

Ear cleaning

(Weekly, bi-weekly if you live in a very damp environment, such as the SE US in summer, or if you have a lifestyle where your dog is often in water, such as swimming or hunting).

Lack of ear care can result in painful ear infections for your dog.

Here’s a good ear cleaning video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mn8Dtgh2eMc

Nail trimming

(weekly, bi-weekly if you are trying to shorten excessively long nails or if your dog is either a fast nail grower or doesn’t spend much active time on rough surfaces).

Here’s a good nail trimming video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTbML0WNsGk

Most vets provide nail trimming and ear cleaning services for their regular customers, so this is easy to have done even if you don’t want to do it yourself. Costs typically range from $10-20 per trim and $10-15 per ear cleaning. Many groomers will also trim nails and clean ears.

Bathing

(biweekly to every 6 weeks)

Bathing frequency depends on your lifestyle, the length of your dog’s coat, and your personal tolerance levels.

We recommend no more frequently than every two weeks, and no less frequently than ever 6 weeks. That said, if you bathe your dog and she comes home the next day covered in mud, then please go ahead and bathe her again, but just don’t bathe that often on a regular basis.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ON BATHING:

Because Goldendoodle coats can mat, you need to take care with bathing to avoid inadvertently creating a horrible matting situation.

Bathing a dog the wrong way can literally felt it’s coat, and in the worst cases you will have to have your dog shaved down.

Before you wash your dog, brush and comb out all the snags and mats.
Even small snags can turn into mammoth mats in a bath.
When bathing, work shampoo and conditioner VERY GENTLY into your dog’s coat.
Strong rubbing or lathering can also have the “felting” effect and even a well-brushed and combed dog can come out of a bath with a matted coat.

Coat trimming

(as needed)

Length of coat is a choice of personal aesthetics coupled with lifestyle. A longer coat understandably requires more care, as does a more active lifestyle. Find your own personal style with your Goldendoodle taking your lifestyle and maintenance preferences into consideration.

We have found that Goldendoodles with longer coats can “run hot,” so you may want to consider seasonal styling differences, depending on your climate. For example, it’s common to keep Goldendoodles in a shorter length during the summer.

Brushing

(daily to weekly)

Goldendoodles can mat easily if their coats are not maintained. How frequently you should brush depends on the length of your dog’s coat, it’s individual coat type, and your lifestyle.

Someone who keeps their dog in a very short coat and has a low-key lifestyle may be able to brush as infrequently as every two weeks. Someone who keeps their dog in a very long coat and has a very outdoorsy, active lifestyle may need to brush every other day or daily. We recommend starting to brush your dog at least twice a week, and then adjust in either direction depending on your dog and your lifestyle.

Brushing MUST include combing and must be done down to the skin. Brushing only works on the superficial part of the coat and misses most of the coat closer to the skin. To properly brush, use your brush on a small segment of coat, separating it until you can see the skin. Brush that out and then move on to the next section.

After you have brushed, repeat this process with your comb. Brushing can miss many of the mats hidden near your dog’s skin, but the comb will find those and comb through them. Again, be sure to comb to the skin.

Many people find brushing to be a lovely bonding experience with their dog, so why not try to get on a regular schedule and enjoy this time with him.

A NOTE ABOUT MATTING

A Goldendoodle can look fine but have a very matted coat that you may not realize until you go to a groomer and the groomer tells you the only option is to completely shave down your dog. If left long enough, a Goldendoodle coat can mat to the point that when it’s clipped, it looks almost as if you were shearing a sheep. Regular brushing AND combing can help avoid this. Always discuss matting with your groomer PRIOR to leaving your dog at the salon to avoid any unpleasant grooming surprises.

Matting can be very painful for dogs. The larger the mat, the more it can pull on the skin, and the more likely you may be to have skin problems under the mat. Matting can hold in dirt, bacteria, funguses, as well as painful debris such as burrs. Even a good bath won’t remove these from a matted area. Mats can even form between your dog’s toes.

Mats most commonly form behind your dog’s ears, behind its elbows, and in the genital region. If on occasion you don’t have time to do a full brushout, at least try to brush the commonly matted areas.

This isn’t the most professional video, but it’s actually got very good content and shows you how simple brushing can be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdfeO5Ic2dk

This video shows little more detail in case that fits your personality better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9iXELY0EJ0