We frequently get asked “When should I take my puppy to get groomed for the first time?” and “What type of haircut should I ask for to get the perfect teddy bear look?” Since we are not professionals when it comes to grooming we thought we would ask someone who is. We interviewed our grooming artist, TeAnna who is the owner of Ruffledales Pet Resort & Paw Spa and asked her several of those questions.
When should a puppy go to the groomer for the 1st time?
After the puppy has received at least two sets of DHPP, one bordetella, and the veterinarian agrees it’s safe to be groomed. Typically it is around the 10-12 week mark. We recommend coming in for a bath and brush so the puppy can feel safe and confident with the grooming process.
A few tips to get your puppy familiar with getting groomed:
Brush your puppy at an early age. Get the puppy familiar with the brush and comb so when they go to the groomers it’s a positive experience.
Play with your puppy’s feet. As groomers, we see a lot of puppies that are really freaked out when we touch their feet. If the owners of the puppies played with their feet and got them comfortable with people touching that area it makes our job a lot easier.
How often should you brush your Goldendoodle?
This is tricky, all goldendoodles have slightly different coats and some are more prone to matting due to genetics. We definitely recommend brushing out the coats daily or three times a week. If you are noticing little mats and only brushing three times a week, definitely increase the brushing schedule.
How do you prevent matting?
Get a good quality comb! Sometimes brushes only go over the beautiful top coat and don’t fully get the mats. Mats start at the skin and are likely to hide under all the fur. We recommend using a hard wire comb and starting at the skin and combing the hair out. It’s very important in areas of high friction, where the collar is, around the armpits, where the tail meets the body and around the face and behind the ears. After combing your doodle, we recommend using a high quality brush.
“If you keep up on combing and brushing, then you can keep your doodles hair any length.”— TeAnna
A matted goldendoodle.
Why is combing and brushing so important?
This picture says it all! Mats can be extremely painful for dogs. If a small mat is not properly addressed, it can turn a small issue into a much bigger one for your doodle. Mats have the ability to lock down against a dog’s skin. With every move your dog makes these knots can get tighter and harder to comb through.
If these mats are left untreated, they can be a great place for fleas and other unwanted parasites to hide and live. In fact, sometimes groomers find mold and yeast infections under the coats.
How often should you groom your Goldendoodle?
This depends on how you choose to keep their hair. The longer lengths really need to be groomed more often due to having a higher risk of matting. The matts are just like dread locks and can be very difficult and painful to brush out. There is also a risk of hematoma to the ears if they are badly matted and have to be shaved. If you’d would like to leave your doodle long, we recommend getting bath and brush outs between grooms around every 3-4 weeks and getting grooms 6-8 weeks apart. If you like your doodle shaved short, then every 6-8 weeks is usually adequate, as long as you are doing your part and brushing them at home.
How to get the Teddy Bear haircut on a Goldendoodle?
The best advice is to be very specific to your groomer!! Everyone has a very distinct style and like different looks. If you are wanting a certain look make sure to talk to the receptionist and show pictures of what you have in mind. If you are wanting the teddy bear hair style ask for the following:
Small notch shaved between the eyes
Short hair trim around the ears and eyes
Have the groomer use round scissors around the dogs muzzle
Use blending shears to help blend the hair evenly around the face and ears
Evenly shaved throughout the body – Approximately 1.5-2 inches in hair length
Round feet trimming
Long tail feathering and tapered towards the tip
Show pictures of teddy bear styles that you like!
How much does it cost to groom a Goldendoodle?
Depending on the size of the doodle it can range from $40-$120. If you have a doodle weighing 80 lbs or more it will be in the $80-$120 range. Please note when scheduling to be groomed, be aware of hidden added charges. Some grooming facilities will give you a base price that doesn’t include: nail trimming, ear cleaning and anal gland expression. They add these charges on after and the groom ends up costing you double. Not fun! Ruffledales doesn’t believe in adding charges on so that is another reason why we recommend them.
We hope you find this information helpful and don’t forget to ask for the teddy bear cut next grooming! We would love to see your photos. Email us at matthewslegacyfarm@gmail.com or tag us on instagram @matthewslegacyfarm.
-MLF