Grooming

[kye71]

Hi everyone,

We've had our puppy Henri since August this year, he is our first ever labradoodle and I'm having issues with grooming!

He is a miniature 5th gen labradoodle with a wool coat. He's just finished puppy preschool at our vet clinic who suggested that we bring him in for a 'puppy clip' just to get him used of things and also trim his face up a little...when we got there the groomer told me that he had matts and would have to be clipped quite short I have been grooming him daily with a firm slicker brush that was suggested to me by a poodle owner and I thought he was still matt free! Needless to say, he came back looking quite silly

Any suggestions on grooming tools for wool coats? And also directions I can give the groomer in future?

Thanks so much

[Remy]

Remy has a fleece coat but we had the same problem. We too were using a slicker brush. Our groomer suggested a brush called les pooch. It was expensive but it really works. We brush her daily and she goes for a thorough brush out at the groomers every 2 weeks. There is also a horse product on the market called cowboy magic. This works quite well getting the matts out.

We like to keep Remy's coat long, but the only way that seems to be possible is a fair bit of work. But hey, she worth it

Good Luck

[Jac]

Hi, welcome! Henri is gorgeous...and his coat is not wool... it is fleece, curly fleece (wool is much tighter!) Maybe the groomer was trying to make a few extra bucks or...didn't know how to groom a doodle so they said "mats"...who knows...but, Remy has given you some good suggestions.

One thing that I didn't know early on was how to properly brush our dogs...it is very important that you get to the skin and there is an easy technique...there is a video that has been posted on this site that give directions...but I'll have to find the link for you a bit later...just wanted to say welcome and I'll be back in a bit to give more advice.

[Jac]

Ah, here we go... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szIij_zknNs

I always loved the long, silky, fleece coats and when I first had to clip my dog short (due to matting) I was heart broken...but I got used to the look and I rather like it now. In fact, I shave my dogs down twice a year, spring and fall.

Check through the archives about grooming and you will probably find some good info.

Nice to have you here...hope to see more pictures of your beautiful boy!

[kye71]

Thank you so much for the advice!

I was told by the breeder he had a wool coat, but everyone that has met him has commented on his 'fleece coat' LOL. Its quite tight at the root, but very loose at the ends...perhaps thats why the breeder thought he would have a wool coat AND the groomer thought it was matted...who knows Turned out to be quite convinent having him clipped so short, he had to have his umbilical hernia repaired this week but at least he doesn't look as quite as silly

I'm on the hunt for a les pooch brush now...though it doesnt seem to be avaliable is AUS so I'll have to try over the net somewhere! Thank you all again, so glad I found this forum! [attachment=0:3ojl3xw3]terrorpuppy.jpg[/attachment:3ojl3xw3]

[Elina]

Hi!

Henri is identical to our Taco ...when he was that small, now his a giant! Exactly the same kind of coat (gotta love that soft fleece!) that I love to have long but as Jac we shave him down twice a year. It grows back really quickly

What's that with the brushing? We brush Taco really rarely because the coat does'nt seem to need it, but does it ? Combing is almost impossible because the coat is really thick. I have to watch that video Jac posted...

[Remy]

Hi

Les Pooche brushes are not that easy to find in stores. I got mine directly from them. Just google search les pooche brushes and it should come up. I was also warned by the groomers that there are lots of fakes out there. Avoid them like the plaque, they break! There are many different ones .I was told to get the double purple one, and it is working out really well.

Hope this helps

Annika

[lindamarie]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM ELINA AND HENRI!

Henri looks so CUTE.........little dollbaby!!

I lucked out with Bogart. He has a fleece coat and no matting whatsoever!
Yet, I recall my Bouvier matting quite a bit. I generally brushed him with some sort of undercoat gripping brush.......that was sort of metal-like....but I don't recall the name of it.
He did require much more attention than Bogart.

I am sure the help given here will pull you through this. Henri is well worth it! You'll need to just stay on top of it like I did with my Bouvier.

Jac..........who is Sully? What an adorable doodle!!

[kye71]

I found the les pooch brushes and hopefully will receive it in the next few weeks! I'm just hoping it might be a little more pleasant for Henri then normal, he cant sit still long enough for me to brush all over in one sitting! I did see something about dogs loving marmite, I'll have to give vegemite a go and see if that distracts him!

Elina - Taco is just gorgeous! I hope Henri turns out something like him....only on a much smaller scale

And I'm beginning to really like Henri's shorter coat, I can really see how much he is growing! We went to the vet's today, 5kgs!! He's put on a little over 2kgs in the last 8 weeks With his long coat I couldn't tell at all LOL. I think we might have to keep it short for the summer, they're predicting heat waves again so he'll appreciate it in 40+ degree weather!

[Remy]

Congrats on your purchase You won't regret it.

We found that brushing Remy whilst just sitting on the couch just didn't work - she wriggled around too much. We then started to put her on the kitchen countertop and my husband would hold her whilst I brushed. She still didn't like it but I believe that being consistent has paid off. Using a les pooche brush also gets the job done quicker as well. Now I don't need my husbands help. She knows that when I put her up there everyday it is time for her brush out. She also knows that if she just lies there the job will get done faster and then she also gets a treat afterwards

Good luck, and don't get discouraged if the first couple of times are not that successful. Please let us know how you get on

Thanks
Annika

[deepnite10]

since Toby s second cut i ve been grooming him myself..seems the groomers around here
have no idea how to cut a doodle..he had always ended up looking like he had a poodle
cut..

i ve found that regular use of a Stars Coat King keeps his coat thin d out mat free..i ll
use it on him about once a month..since he spends alot of time playing at the dog park with
his friends he gets a good combing each day..i don t use a brush..but, a course coat comb
followed by medium..just doing this seems to keep his coat at around 2" constantly..

since we got him..i ve brushed and now comb his coat each day..so it s not uncommon for
him to snooze off during one of our grooming sessions..

[David]

Originally Posted by Remy

I was told to get the double purple one, and it is working out really well.

I've got the double purple one too. Its like magic. Bailey easily gets lots of little matts. Just little clumps of fur, but she gets them all over and deep, so she's had to have been buzzed a couple times. I've probably bought at least a dozen different brushes and matt cutters and whatever.

The first time I tried the Les Pooche on her I spent maybe 30 minutes just brushing her 1 area at a time and taking extra time when I came upon a matted area. By the time I was done, I had removed every single one of the matts. Her coat looked and felt like she had just spent hours at the groomer. Now I just give her a once over every couple days and it stays perfect.

Worth every penny.

[tororider]

Great info, I am getting my puppy in a little over a week and was wondering about how hard grooming was going to be. Thanks

[Epizza]

We had to give our Kizzy a close cut because of matts. She looked funny at first but the hair is growing back really nice.

[Taekwondodo]

Matting seems to be a common problem with doodles. We have recently had to "shave" Roxy as well and it was a bit like how I would imagine shearing a sheep would be... We've got used to her new radical haircut (she's so SKINNY!) and are thinking of keeping her short. She seems to prefer it as well as she's like a different dog, it must have been WARM!