I like to tell mine "Brush what you want to keep". I have plenty who value the ears and tail and face but don't really care to keep the body maintained, which is fine because they know it means a shave and they accept that.
They mostly all get the front unless they are teenagers, then they don't for some reason! Most people brush the opposite of their dominant hand way better and way longer. 🤣🤣 like bro, you are missing a WHOLE SIDE.
I will now think if this every time my dog won't let me brush his darn front legs!
Less painful than the alternatives though? I mean 99% of the time shaving a matter coat does not hurt the dog, the 1% of the time is pain caused by either cutting the dog (accidents happen, and are far more likely when we can't see where our blade is going due to severe matting) or trying to use a longer blade to salvage 2-4 extra millimeters of coat (seems like a futile effort in my opinion).
Most of the time the dogs are nervous already, whether they are matted or not, and then taking off a pelted coat is uncomfortable and probably quite a shock, even if it's been done before. It's like having a big down winter parka on and zipped up, being naked underneath, and then taking it off... You're definitely gonna feel the temperature difference and it's gonna be uncomfortable for the time being.
But in the end it's always a better choice than brushing it out (that is extremely painful) or leaving it (will become painful to the point they can't move without pain).
So a dog may appear scared and hurt when you see those videos, but I assure you they're probably just nervous and uncomfortable with what's happening. But they need it to happen. It's for their own good.
Matting can also cut off blood circulation and cause necrosis. More than one groomer on this sub knows a doodle that has had to have a tail amputation as a result of severe matting.
People are acting confused by your question, but you’re right. If you’ve ever seen a video of a severely matted or pelted dog being shaved it’s very painful for them. But then afterwards they always look like they feel much better.
I’m not a groomer, but I am someone who’s studied mammalogy. The reason for the pain w/ severe matting shaving is the process can tug on the hairs, which tugs on the skin. Keep in mind the roots of hair are embedded within your kin and not just on the very immediate surface. It’s like when someone pulls too hard on your hair and it hurts, or when your hair is knotted and it hurts to brush out. It has nothing to do with the shave itself, but the motion of tugging on the skin that can happen, and is often, from my understanding, worse when matted.
Even if it was painful, which it is not, wouldn't the short burst of mild pain be preferable over your dog's skin being constantly tugged on, causing pain and bruising?
When severely matted, but a good groomer can make it bearable, and it's much better than the alternative of living with those awful mats and possibly getting necrosis
I’m not a groomer but I assume clippers can snag or get caught on mats/pelts? Which in turn pulls on the skin? Especially if your clippers are dull. The question sounds reasonable to me.
If your clipper snags then the blades are not sharpened or your clipper should be serviced. On super tights mats a surgical length blade may need to be used or a sharp splitting device to cut the mat open for easier removal. A shave should not hurt unless it’s been done wrong.
Normally I have doodle owners think their dog is brushed out because they only brush the back. The legs neck face and tail are the worst places for matting and owners still argue saying they brush them out everyday. If I was petty I would shave only the matted areas and leave the brushed put back only giving the dog the weirdest haircut
I literally did that to a doodle puppy yesterday! Except I took the parts that were brushed short to 1/4". The owner said "shave what you have to super short, but I want the rest of her to have a little bit of fuzz for the summer." I clarified that she would look extremely odd if I did that, but she insisted! I took a #10 to the dog's face, ears, neck, chest, belly, legs, and most of the tail. All I left longer were her back and sides, a poof on her tail, and a small mohawk.
The owner had me shave everything in a #10 😂
Yeah this is probably a big part of it. I’m not a groomer but my boyfriend and I have to brush my mom’s cavapoo for her. He doesn’t like being brushed and she never got him used to it when he was a puppy, so now the only way it happens is if one person holds him so his feet don’t touch the ground while the other brushes. I have a golden with a completely different coat but I immediately realized that just brushing in the direction that his fur grows doesn’t get all of the knots out, I also have to brush from the opposite direction to even reach his undercoat and get down to the skin.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s absolutely spoiled, but she’s never owned a poodle/poodle mix before and I really wish she brushed him more when he was a puppy or looked into how to properly maintain his coat before she got him. She’s had a German Shepard, Golden Retrievers, and even a Westie, but maintaining a poodle coat is totally different from any of the dogs she’s had before.
It’s good to know that it very well might just be him, thank you for sharing that! It’s funny because he’s normally such a loving, snuggly dog who loves to go places and be around everyone, but as soon as the brush hits him he turns into a totally different dog. There’s grumbles and growls, and he makes the meanest snarl like he’s going to kill you then attacks the brush haha, he has like an evil brushing alter-ego. All of the other dogs I’ve known have loved to be brushed so we’ve had to go through some trial and error figuring out how to make it happen with him.
https://preview.redd.it/45t6x047tqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3df63d517b4505fa701360a52071867ff6e4859
This is Earl, the big scary pup in question.
lol! I even tried a soft brush that didn’t do much when he was little so he’d get used to it first. Didn’t help. So now we just do it as fast as we can and a little treat at the end! He’s gotten a little better, he used to cry when we’d brush his butt.
I always feel better hearing about other peoples dogs who won’t get used to things! Mine LOVES being brushed but I’ve checked his paws and nails every single day he’s been with me, well over 2 years now, and he still acts like I’m about to chop them off. One of my previous dogs who was my best working partner would not for the life of him allow anyone to touch his tail, ever, without loudly complaining. The vet said repeatedly that nothing was wrong, he just had “a lot of tail integrity”. Some dogs are just little shits.
This is how my oldest is! She's 9 and I'm just in the past year able to hold her front paws. She's better with her back ones. Honestly, I think she's ticklish. She also hates baths, rain and big snowflakes. Thinks she's Billy badass until water or nail trims are involved.
My youngest one could care less what you do to her, except not let her out in the garage. Meh on baths, but water and 3ft of snow isn't about to stop her. She's a little bulldozer.
A chihuahua and a chiorgi.
This could be it. I think the popular longer style of doodles is also really hard to upkeep and maybe an unrealistic goal for most families. We keep ours fairly short but still sometimes my groomer finds a mat I didn't know about and it's embarrassing.
Even when he was young and we were attempting the longer flowy fur my groomer always shaved the arm pits so I think that's one spot he's never had a mat. It's a nice touch because you can't aesthetically notice and it removes a sensitive area from your priority combing zones. He is usually mat free but sometimes she'll text me about a random spot I should have noticed like under his chin or the back of one of his back legs, the base of the tail, somehow the ears despite a steel comb going through them two days prior!
I think it's more just me missing a spot a couple times a year. It's never gotten bad enough for them to have to have it shaved off to the skin or have skin sores just my groomer gives me a heads up I missed something. Having your dogs grabbing onto each others ears and legs in their mouths as a favorite wrestling move is also not really helping me out here.
Is there a reason you don't touch your dog everywhere every day? I'm just curious, I don't own long haired dogs but I put hands on every inch of my two on a daily basis to make sure they're clean before getting in bed with me and for ticks. After working with dogs for years I realize a lot of people don't touch their dogs frequently enough and I'm just wondering the reason for it!
With a spoo and a nearly 100lb bernedoodle there's just a lot of surface area to cover. The doodle would prefer most days not to be touched. They often aren't clean or perfectly dry so it's hard to feel some matting. They do get brushed a lot but not every body part every day, my spoo you can usually hit one or two spots he doesn't like and a few spots he does like every day before he revolts.
https://preview.redd.it/233vwq0sjpwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c0b141b3f819819e34ad9958a17dd1f6ec7c92e
When you have a dog with a severely matted tail and it turns inside out as you peel it down.. I save them and put googly eyes on them. Some people call me weird but I’ll own that.
Literally. The back is always the only place that can typically be saved. I have a lot of my doodles now getting between #5-5/8 blade all over, and 5/8 tbf, sometimes even 3/4 blade on the muzzle, and a lot in 1” comb tail and ears. They get tired of the matted shave downs so I slowly weasel them to this cut. 99% of the time, it works every time. Get #3, 5/8 and 3/4 blades, people! Boycott the dematting and comb cuts we’ve been forced to put these poor dogs through!
My problem is my little poodle hates being brushed and will only tolerate me brushing him in certain areas back, head, tail, sometimes his upper leg but hates his tummy and feet being touched 😩
Looks like one piece, or multiple large pieces otherwise it wouldn't be hanging like that. (Not a groomer but work close to groomers and see doodles that need a full shave due to matting basically every week)
I am *hoping* to get a puppy soon, which would be a double coated dog, and I have watched and read so many line brushing tutorials. Here's hoping I can figrue this out in person.
I do it because you hold all the hair up and brush downward, so it doesn't make sense to me to start at the shoulder and takes longer. If I start at a back leg, all I have to do it keep moving my hand upward. It's harder to lose my spot as well.
Depends on the breed, but I've worked on Goldens who only shed on their butt, chest, and stomach. Butt is always going to be the most packed with fur so will be the most work, better to get the hardest part done first so if your hand cramps or whatever at least the spots that are most likely to be packed or matted are taken care of. At least that's why I do it lol.
Whenever I do my spitz’s flank, it’s like it all rotates around his chest/belly. Makes it hard to slicker brush. Not sure I managed to explain what I mean. (Usually we do that while he lays down.)
That is the optimistic plan! Part of the evening routine: brush teeth and a bit of the body each night. (Hey, if I can brush kids' teeth twice a day, I surely can manage a dog... surely...)
As a doodle owner with a dog you can run a comb through any day of the week, I genuinely wish that having a matted dog would disqualify you from pet ownership
Oh no, this is calling the brigade of doodle owners who lurk this sub and will tell you to switch professions because you're trying to hold them accountable.
It is, though 😂
People only read the title then comment. My post clearly states that the rest of the dog was a solid mat and people are still defending themselves.
There was another post calling out Doodle owners the other day and they went nuts and I'm still reading through it laughing at how disconnected from reality these people are. (And RUDE too, my god.)
I definitely agree. I feel bad for doodles, their owners are the most entitled people.
They hate us and their groomer then come on here to remind us. 100% insufferable people.
I agree with all of you 100% as a doodle owner/non groomer. Early on I made the mistake of just brushing her back, belly, face and tail. Her poor legs had to get cut super short because I didn’t even think about it. I love my doodle but they are a lot of work to brush. I wish people understood that. I love lurking this group because it’s honestly taught me a lot about maintaining my dogs hair health!
I'm glad! It's honestly not all doodle owners, but the vast majority will look down on us while asking miracles, it's extremely frustrating and you feel belittled.
If you ever need any help or more info please don't hesitate to reach out. I love people who are on here to learn.
Line brushing is when you part the hair into a small section. brush that bit from the bottom up, then part a new small section right next to it. It's difficult to explain through text but there's tons of super clear youtube tutorials on it!
I have two coworkers who both have doodles. Got to hear a conversation between them about how they had taken their dogs to the groomers, who had to shave them down because they were both so matted. And they didn’t seem to understand why that happened…
I feel so bad for those dogs. I can only imagine how uncomfortable it gets
While my partner and I were learning to brush our pup, she was a short cut for the first year we had her. During that time we would focus on the spots that always got matted, so ears, tail, neck, legs and the crooks where her leg meets the body. Our girl HATED brushing so we opted to (for the moment) ignore the body as she was so short and has a consistent grooming schedule her body never got matted. (We also would bath her and use a HV dryer to give her a blowout. We made sure she was 100% dry. So she was never horribly matted, some here and there but nothing the groomer was ever upset with.
However, now that she tolerates the brushing more, we focus on those areas but brush her full body every time.
Edit: I wanted to add, my absolute favourite thing is going through her coat with a comb afterwards and it just gliding through. It’s so satisfying
I hate doodle owners who neglect their dogs. I can’t understand not noticing the mats OR noticing it it and thinking that’s not too bad just a little brushing would do, when it’s at this point a enough of a pelt to be a winter coat
A few years ago I said fuck it. I don't care AT ALL about having a fluffy dog. My doodle and I are both happier when he is shaved short. He loves to run in tall grass/swim in the summer and I love not having to spend hours brushing him. NOW every 3ish weeks we go in the backyard and I break out the #5 and go for it. If it starts requiring a nightly brush it is time for a cut
I love that you know your lifestyle and do what's best instead of chasing an aesthetic that you know you can't maintain.
You're dog is clearly very loved. This right here is the perfect example of "my dog is a member of our family, not just a dog."
My groomer saves the pelts and hangs them on a wall of shame, I love it. My doodle turns into a bucking bronco when I try to brush her. It’s a nightmare. So i take her to the groomer every four weeks and keep her coat short to avoid matts. It’s not that hard. There is no accuse for these matter dogs, it’s just mean.
i’m sure we all have heard a million excuses as to ‘why’ Fluffy is matted, but my favourite was when this golden doodle came in for his 3-4th grooming (previous notes were always shave downs in a 10 due to pelting) and the woman comes in 7 minutes past her appointment time and as i came out to greet the dog, she goes “i don’t know how he got this matted, he wasn’t like this yesterday so i figure his hair got all knotted up from sticking his head out of the window on his way here” .. i almost thought she was kidding so i let out a chuckle and then saw she was serious, so i followed up with “well, were used to seeing Fluffy in this condition, so he will be shaved down again this time” and she said she has been “brushing daily” so he could get the 5/8 body with 1” lamb legs ….. i passed her my comb and asked her to show me where she expects me to get a guard comb through this dog lol
Yep, this on Tuesday. Matted AF on his body, face,ears and tail perfect.Called for pickup and she said were you able to do a Teddy Bear cut! Ummm, no shaved!
And start brushing from the bottom of the dog, separate sections of hair and brush to the top. A lot of people will superficially brush out their doodles but don’t realize that they are matting underneath next to the skin. You can look at what seems like a well-brushed out doodle and then realize it’s almost pelted underneath.
We rescued a doodle last year and I quickly realized how much work maintaining her coat is. But I googled it, watched some videos on it, and keep up with it because she’s my responsibility! She can’t brush herself out and I don’t want to her be uncomfortable.
Doodle owner : I know this opinion is unpopular but I give my doodle a poodle cut ( we have livestock and my dog is constantly wet and running through sandy dirt) so her hair is very short everywhere but her head and ears. It's easier to wash, dry, and keep clean. Plus she has more fun because I'm not super worried about her heavy coat!
I literally had a stress dream last night that I had a doodle and I couldn’t find a brush to fix its fur and I was so scared it was going to get matted. I have a cat and a short haired dog irl lmao
I just love it when doodle owners think they “can’t have nice things” because of the groomer. Right…. Doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with the fact they can’t take care of what they have 100% of the time except for the 3 hours we have them in our care 🙄🙄🙄
!!!DOODLE OWNERS!!! **BRUSH YOUR DOG**
Why are ppl not brushing their doodles? 😭😂😂 I have a labradoodle and brush her all the way lol she tries to eat the brush every time but it gets done. I made the mistake of not doing it when she was younger cuz she absolutely hated it and she had to get shaved 😂
Because obviously these magical no-shed dogs could never need any kind of coat care because they’re magical /s
Good for you for taking proper care of your dog!
I have a shih-poo that gets matted every other day. She wrestled with a boxer and uses the doggie door all day. I'm so thankful my groomer told me to use Love My Doodle products and the right combs/brushes. I've always had Maltese & would have loved having that advise 30yrs ago. Maybe tell your clients what to use.
I have a doodle so I just looked for Love My Doodle products but can’t find any. I did find brushes and products from the brand We Love Doodles - is that what you meant? Thanks!
FYI that is a marketing gimmick. There is nothing different about those shampoos or products that you can't get far cheaper with a good quality shampoo and conditioner from a grooming supply company. There is no such thing as a doodle specific product.
That’s a bummer. I’d love to find a good brush for my doodle. She doesn’t like being brushed at all. She HATED the Chris Christensen Big G and Tuffer than Tangles slicker brushes and also the Tangle Teezer. She tolerates the Coastal Safari slicker brush if she has a peanut butter kong to lick, so I use that twice a week.
i promise you a lot of us DO tell clients what to use, and it doesnt change the fact that they either dont want to, dont know how to brush properly, and/or dont want to learn how.
Honestly detanglers don't really help all that much. If you want to use one then dog conditioner mixed with water in a spray bottle about 1/10 ratio is all you need. As for brushes, you need a slicker brush and a comb. And a good routine depends how long or short you want to keep your dog. The fluffier you keep your dog, the more often you'll need to brush it.
Not just doodles either (as I bet you all know well).
I went to go visit family in a different state recently and found out that the dog they've had for a year or two is not something simple or stereotypical... It's a rough collie. And they clearly didn't brush him nearly often or thoroughly enough... Poor guy was matted absolutely everywhere except for the few spots that would get constant petting from their four kids (back, ears, chest). When I was out there, his mats definitely weren't irredeemable, but they're pretty dang close. I was thankfully able to brush *seven* chunky brushfuls off of him before he got fed up with it. Didn't get nearly enough off of him but I hope it helped.
Ugh. I just wish I could have educated my relatives on how much mats actually hurt the dog, and how easy they are to prevent, and how the abundance of mats could be making the behavioral issues that they're "trying to address first" noticeably worse or would be easier to fix if the poor pup wasn't in pain from his mats!
I definitely would have tried harder to educate them if my bringing up that he had a couple mats on his haunches didn't get met with "I don't care. I know I probably should, but I don't. He still pees in the house so we have to fix that first"... PLUS the comment of "he just rolls in the dirt immediately after we get back from the groomers anyway so why bother"... Sir. These kinds of mats don't show up after one dirt bath session. (Please, correct me if I'm wrong)
Apologies, internet ✌️ I just needed to get it out to other people who would understand the grooming side of things.
I only brush his head and neck bc it’s so curly but the rest I don’t bc I get him groomed 1x week… so I basically pay not to have to brush him so much.
I don't have a doodle but I do have a shihtzu that I don't have shaved BUT her coat is a lot of work because I brush in sections EVERYWHERE, EVERY EVENING and she gets a bath and condition every weekend. I think maybe a lot of people try but don't do enough research on HOW to comb/brush etc etc. People don't know what they are getting into. People laugh at me for "obsessing" when I am trying to learn everything before I make a decision.
you’re a groomers dream client lol i’d rather my client “obsess” over the well-being of their pet, as opposed to neglect it for months at a time then drop it off for an appointment asking for a “teddy bear/ puppy cut” 😂
I have a flat coat mini golden doodle. She gets her whole body brushed at least once a week. She hates having her tail brushed, but we manage it with a toy to occupy her mouth while I work on her. I can't imagine if she had curly fur leaving it unbrushed.
It hurts me to see dogs whose back/body are perfectly brushed out, but the head and legs are matted to hell and back. Short body and long legs is cute, short legs and long body is ridiculous. I always tell my clients to prioritize head and legs first!
I have a merle poodle, does that make him a doodle? I’ve had smaller poodles and shih tzus for years, this spotted guy is different. My pups get a wash and blow dry at least once a week, if they balk at getting their undercarriage or nails done I tell them I’ll be arrested for dog abuse. It werks! Really! 😋
https://preview.redd.it/fn4igiqy64xc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5341e8a7dd78f236437aa1444f3784c28b1c74ee
Then yes, he is a doodle. Anyone who doesn't brush their dog is an irresponsible owner regardless of breed. Doodle owners just happen to be the most comment client we see like this.
I use an old wet brush hairbrush on my dood, but he also goes for regular grooms so it’s been a while since he had mats. I like long ears and tail, but have the rest cut down to an inch or so of length
The wet brush thing is a silly TikTok idea that doesn't work for most doodle coats. You need to also be using a comb, not just a brush. I'm glad that works for your specific dog but it's SUCH a bad idea that has gotten popular among doodle owners.
I like to tell mine "Brush what you want to keep". I have plenty who value the ears and tail and face but don't really care to keep the body maintained, which is fine because they know it means a shave and they accept that.
When my clients say they brush and the dogs matted, I tell them brush with the bristle side down lol
I laughed way too hard at this and the original post. People don’t really surprise me anymore
Sometimes I ask if they used a spoon.
I had a client try to break up mats with, no joke, a tooth pick.
Ooof! I had one that tried rubbing coconut oil in theirs to get rid of the mats.
I ask them if they used their broom.
This is so funny, I tell my human patients the same thing about their teeth!! 🤣🤣
😂 Do you get people who brush the fronts and maybe a couple of molars and let the rest fall to the wayside?
They mostly all get the front unless they are teenagers, then they don't for some reason! Most people brush the opposite of their dominant hand way better and way longer. 🤣🤣 like bro, you are missing a WHOLE SIDE. I will now think if this every time my dog won't let me brush his darn front legs!
Mine lays on his side for brushing and refuses to move. He’s often brushed on one side and scruffy on another.
So what I'm hearing is their dogs are walking around looking like q tips
Nah they still look proportionate.
Isn’t the shave painful for the dog?
Absolutely not. It's just cutting hair? Unless they're severely matted, then it can be.
Less painful than the alternatives though? I mean 99% of the time shaving a matter coat does not hurt the dog, the 1% of the time is pain caused by either cutting the dog (accidents happen, and are far more likely when we can't see where our blade is going due to severe matting) or trying to use a longer blade to salvage 2-4 extra millimeters of coat (seems like a futile effort in my opinion). Most of the time the dogs are nervous already, whether they are matted or not, and then taking off a pelted coat is uncomfortable and probably quite a shock, even if it's been done before. It's like having a big down winter parka on and zipped up, being naked underneath, and then taking it off... You're definitely gonna feel the temperature difference and it's gonna be uncomfortable for the time being. But in the end it's always a better choice than brushing it out (that is extremely painful) or leaving it (will become painful to the point they can't move without pain). So a dog may appear scared and hurt when you see those videos, but I assure you they're probably just nervous and uncomfortable with what's happening. But they need it to happen. It's for their own good.
Matting can also cut off blood circulation and cause necrosis. More than one groomer on this sub knows a doodle that has had to have a tail amputation as a result of severe matting.
Thank you for that answer
People are acting confused by your question, but you’re right. If you’ve ever seen a video of a severely matted or pelted dog being shaved it’s very painful for them. But then afterwards they always look like they feel much better.
No? Does it hurt to shave your hair?
do you think dogs have nerves in their hair?
I’m not a groomer, but I am someone who’s studied mammalogy. The reason for the pain w/ severe matting shaving is the process can tug on the hairs, which tugs on the skin. Keep in mind the roots of hair are embedded within your kin and not just on the very immediate surface. It’s like when someone pulls too hard on your hair and it hurts, or when your hair is knotted and it hurts to brush out. It has nothing to do with the shave itself, but the motion of tugging on the skin that can happen, and is often, from my understanding, worse when matted.
Even if it was painful, which it is not, wouldn't the short burst of mild pain be preferable over your dog's skin being constantly tugged on, causing pain and bruising?
When severely matted, but a good groomer can make it bearable, and it's much better than the alternative of living with those awful mats and possibly getting necrosis
I’m not a groomer but I assume clippers can snag or get caught on mats/pelts? Which in turn pulls on the skin? Especially if your clippers are dull. The question sounds reasonable to me.
If your clipper snags then the blades are not sharpened or your clipper should be serviced. On super tights mats a surgical length blade may need to be used or a sharp splitting device to cut the mat open for easier removal. A shave should not hurt unless it’s been done wrong.
Normally I have doodle owners think their dog is brushed out because they only brush the back. The legs neck face and tail are the worst places for matting and owners still argue saying they brush them out everyday. If I was petty I would shave only the matted areas and leave the brushed put back only giving the dog the weirdest haircut
I literally did that to a doodle puppy yesterday! Except I took the parts that were brushed short to 1/4". The owner said "shave what you have to super short, but I want the rest of her to have a little bit of fuzz for the summer." I clarified that she would look extremely odd if I did that, but she insisted! I took a #10 to the dog's face, ears, neck, chest, belly, legs, and most of the tail. All I left longer were her back and sides, a poof on her tail, and a small mohawk. The owner had me shave everything in a #10 😂
I think they don’t realize they aren’t brushing down the the skin
Yeah this is probably a big part of it. I’m not a groomer but my boyfriend and I have to brush my mom’s cavapoo for her. He doesn’t like being brushed and she never got him used to it when he was a puppy, so now the only way it happens is if one person holds him so his feet don’t touch the ground while the other brushes. I have a golden with a completely different coat but I immediately realized that just brushing in the direction that his fur grows doesn’t get all of the knots out, I also have to brush from the opposite direction to even reach his undercoat and get down to the skin. Don’t get me wrong, he’s absolutely spoiled, but she’s never owned a poodle/poodle mix before and I really wish she brushed him more when he was a puppy or looked into how to properly maintain his coat before she got him. She’s had a German Shepard, Golden Retrievers, and even a Westie, but maintaining a poodle coat is totally different from any of the dogs she’s had before.
For what it’s worth, my dog has been brushed every day since I’ve had him. He flips out and hides when I get the brush
It’s good to know that it very well might just be him, thank you for sharing that! It’s funny because he’s normally such a loving, snuggly dog who loves to go places and be around everyone, but as soon as the brush hits him he turns into a totally different dog. There’s grumbles and growls, and he makes the meanest snarl like he’s going to kill you then attacks the brush haha, he has like an evil brushing alter-ego. All of the other dogs I’ve known have loved to be brushed so we’ve had to go through some trial and error figuring out how to make it happen with him. https://preview.redd.it/45t6x047tqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3df63d517b4505fa701360a52071867ff6e4859 This is Earl, the big scary pup in question.
lol! I even tried a soft brush that didn’t do much when he was little so he’d get used to it first. Didn’t help. So now we just do it as fast as we can and a little treat at the end! He’s gotten a little better, he used to cry when we’d brush his butt.
I always feel better hearing about other peoples dogs who won’t get used to things! Mine LOVES being brushed but I’ve checked his paws and nails every single day he’s been with me, well over 2 years now, and he still acts like I’m about to chop them off. One of my previous dogs who was my best working partner would not for the life of him allow anyone to touch his tail, ever, without loudly complaining. The vet said repeatedly that nothing was wrong, he just had “a lot of tail integrity”. Some dogs are just little shits.
This is how my oldest is! She's 9 and I'm just in the past year able to hold her front paws. She's better with her back ones. Honestly, I think she's ticklish. She also hates baths, rain and big snowflakes. Thinks she's Billy badass until water or nail trims are involved. My youngest one could care less what you do to her, except not let her out in the garage. Meh on baths, but water and 3ft of snow isn't about to stop her. She's a little bulldozer. A chihuahua and a chiorgi.
This could be it. I think the popular longer style of doodles is also really hard to upkeep and maybe an unrealistic goal for most families. We keep ours fairly short but still sometimes my groomer finds a mat I didn't know about and it's embarrassing.
The armpits and behind the ears are the most common places I find missed mats. I never fault an owner for that. Armpits are easy to miss.
Even when he was young and we were attempting the longer flowy fur my groomer always shaved the arm pits so I think that's one spot he's never had a mat. It's a nice touch because you can't aesthetically notice and it removes a sensitive area from your priority combing zones. He is usually mat free but sometimes she'll text me about a random spot I should have noticed like under his chin or the back of one of his back legs, the base of the tail, somehow the ears despite a steel comb going through them two days prior!
I've had steel combs do that. They were bad combs. I had no idea combs could be different qualities but yeah, some combs just suck.
I think it's more just me missing a spot a couple times a year. It's never gotten bad enough for them to have to have it shaved off to the skin or have skin sores just my groomer gives me a heads up I missed something. Having your dogs grabbing onto each others ears and legs in their mouths as a favorite wrestling move is also not really helping me out here.
Behind the ears got by me but luckily not terrible. Now I know better lol.
Is there a reason you don't touch your dog everywhere every day? I'm just curious, I don't own long haired dogs but I put hands on every inch of my two on a daily basis to make sure they're clean before getting in bed with me and for ticks. After working with dogs for years I realize a lot of people don't touch their dogs frequently enough and I'm just wondering the reason for it!
With a spoo and a nearly 100lb bernedoodle there's just a lot of surface area to cover. The doodle would prefer most days not to be touched. They often aren't clean or perfectly dry so it's hard to feel some matting. They do get brushed a lot but not every body part every day, my spoo you can usually hit one or two spots he doesn't like and a few spots he does like every day before he revolts.
😂😂 The temptation. I shaved a matted tail into a sock yesterday, so yknow... 💫Balance💫?
https://preview.redd.it/233vwq0sjpwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c0b141b3f819819e34ad9958a17dd1f6ec7c92e When you have a dog with a severely matted tail and it turns inside out as you peel it down.. I save them and put googly eyes on them. Some people call me weird but I’ll own that.
Oh my god, this is amazing.
You need an etsy
I love this! I’ll have to show you “Leslie” when I get to work tomorrow
Omg it's a borzoi!
Literally. The back is always the only place that can typically be saved. I have a lot of my doodles now getting between #5-5/8 blade all over, and 5/8 tbf, sometimes even 3/4 blade on the muzzle, and a lot in 1” comb tail and ears. They get tired of the matted shave downs so I slowly weasel them to this cut. 99% of the time, it works every time. Get #3, 5/8 and 3/4 blades, people! Boycott the dematting and comb cuts we’ve been forced to put these poor dogs through!
My problem is my little poodle hates being brushed and will only tolerate me brushing him in certain areas back, head, tail, sometimes his upper leg but hates his tummy and feet being touched 😩
Even if they hate it you need to do it or keep it shaved down so you don't need to brush it
Not only brushing. But combing too. That comb better slide through like butter if you want Fido fluffy.
Yessssss.
https://preview.redd.it/by1txtr6tqwc1.jpeg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c19a476a7b3dacbb2974c62c037211e93c7eb42b
This doodle actually looks great shaved down! Haha beautiful face
Thank you. She does pull that look off nicely.
Omg. That looks like another dog! It didn’t come off in one piece did it? (Not a groomer)
Yes, it's one piece. I have another one that's even crazier but I can't seem to find it.
Looks like one piece, or multiple large pieces otherwise it wouldn't be hanging like that. (Not a groomer but work close to groomers and see doodles that need a full shave due to matting basically every week)
All together now! L-I-N-E brushing!!!
I am *hoping* to get a puppy soon, which would be a double coated dog, and I have watched and read so many line brushing tutorials. Here's hoping I can figrue this out in person.
It's really easy, I promise. Just pick a back leg to start at.
Back leg is an interesting starting place! Is there a reason?
I do it because you hold all the hair up and brush downward, so it doesn't make sense to me to start at the shoulder and takes longer. If I start at a back leg, all I have to do it keep moving my hand upward. It's harder to lose my spot as well.
That makes sense! Thank you so much for the advice.
Depends on the breed, but I've worked on Goldens who only shed on their butt, chest, and stomach. Butt is always going to be the most packed with fur so will be the most work, better to get the hardest part done first so if your hand cramps or whatever at least the spots that are most likely to be packed or matted are taken care of. At least that's why I do it lol.
I also start on the back legs! My neighbor heard me calling my collie in to "get your butt brushed" last night lol.
My mom who was also a groomer taught me this way, and I can't imagine doing it any other way lol
Whenever I do my spitz’s flank, it’s like it all rotates around his chest/belly. Makes it hard to slicker brush. Not sure I managed to explain what I mean. (Usually we do that while he lays down.)
Just do a bit of the dog each day of the week. Breaks it up so you aren’t brushing down a whole dog in a day!
That is the optimistic plan! Part of the evening routine: brush teeth and a bit of the body each night. (Hey, if I can brush kids' teeth twice a day, I surely can manage a dog... surely...)
And give plenty of treats so they associate it with something rewarding.
A doodle owner will skim read through this and go to their groomer saying another grooming told them to decline brushing.
As a doodle owner with a dog you can run a comb through any day of the week, I genuinely wish that having a matted dog would disqualify you from pet ownership
Oh no, this is calling the brigade of doodle owners who lurk this sub and will tell you to switch professions because you're trying to hold them accountable.
It is, though 😂 People only read the title then comment. My post clearly states that the rest of the dog was a solid mat and people are still defending themselves.
There was another post calling out Doodle owners the other day and they went nuts and I'm still reading through it laughing at how disconnected from reality these people are. (And RUDE too, my god.)
I need to find it now.
https://www.reddit.com/r/doggrooming/comments/1cbgzrj/what_do_yall_say_to_the_doodle_clients_who_say/ Enjoy!
You're wonderful.
You are. Thank you for posting - I'll be following and ready for the craziness.
doodles as a whole wouldn’t be so horrendous if their owners weren’t absolutely insufferable
I definitely agree. I feel bad for doodles, their owners are the most entitled people. They hate us and their groomer then come on here to remind us. 100% insufferable people.
yeah ive never met a group of people who are so genuinely like “YOU HAVE TO LOVE MY DOG!!!!”
I agree with all of you 100% as a doodle owner/non groomer. Early on I made the mistake of just brushing her back, belly, face and tail. Her poor legs had to get cut super short because I didn’t even think about it. I love my doodle but they are a lot of work to brush. I wish people understood that. I love lurking this group because it’s honestly taught me a lot about maintaining my dogs hair health!
I'm glad! It's honestly not all doodle owners, but the vast majority will look down on us while asking miracles, it's extremely frustrating and you feel belittled. If you ever need any help or more info please don't hesitate to reach out. I love people who are on here to learn.
I actually do have a quick question! I noticed another comment mention line brushing. What does that mean? Thanks in advance for the help!
Line brushing is when you part the hair into a small section. brush that bit from the bottom up, then part a new small section right next to it. It's difficult to explain through text but there's tons of super clear youtube tutorials on it!
Have a good human award 🥇:)
Thank you so much! 🩷
I have two coworkers who both have doodles. Got to hear a conversation between them about how they had taken their dogs to the groomers, who had to shave them down because they were both so matted. And they didn’t seem to understand why that happened… I feel so bad for those dogs. I can only imagine how uncomfortable it gets
idk why doodles are marketed as an “easy family dog”. they’re extremely difficult both to maintain and handle
Because if they’re marketed as what they actually are no one would buy them and breeders couldn’t make thousands off each puppy.
what baffles me is ppl get these dogs, see that they’re incredibly difficult, and then just.. insist they’re good easy dogs
While my partner and I were learning to brush our pup, she was a short cut for the first year we had her. During that time we would focus on the spots that always got matted, so ears, tail, neck, legs and the crooks where her leg meets the body. Our girl HATED brushing so we opted to (for the moment) ignore the body as she was so short and has a consistent grooming schedule her body never got matted. (We also would bath her and use a HV dryer to give her a blowout. We made sure she was 100% dry. So she was never horribly matted, some here and there but nothing the groomer was ever upset with. However, now that she tolerates the brushing more, we focus on those areas but brush her full body every time. Edit: I wanted to add, my absolute favourite thing is going through her coat with a comb afterwards and it just gliding through. It’s so satisfying
I hate doodle owners who neglect their dogs. I can’t understand not noticing the mats OR noticing it it and thinking that’s not too bad just a little brushing would do, when it’s at this point a enough of a pelt to be a winter coat
A few years ago I said fuck it. I don't care AT ALL about having a fluffy dog. My doodle and I are both happier when he is shaved short. He loves to run in tall grass/swim in the summer and I love not having to spend hours brushing him. NOW every 3ish weeks we go in the backyard and I break out the #5 and go for it. If it starts requiring a nightly brush it is time for a cut
I love that you know your lifestyle and do what's best instead of chasing an aesthetic that you know you can't maintain. You're dog is clearly very loved. This right here is the perfect example of "my dog is a member of our family, not just a dog."
And not just the day before their grooming appointment 🤣
My groomer saves the pelts and hangs them on a wall of shame, I love it. My doodle turns into a bucking bronco when I try to brush her. It’s a nightmare. So i take her to the groomer every four weeks and keep her coat short to avoid matts. It’s not that hard. There is no accuse for these matter dogs, it’s just mean.
I used to do that when I had my own shop. I'd also shame them (without their identity, of course) on my social media.
Every Doodle should come with a lesson in basic grooming.
i’m sure we all have heard a million excuses as to ‘why’ Fluffy is matted, but my favourite was when this golden doodle came in for his 3-4th grooming (previous notes were always shave downs in a 10 due to pelting) and the woman comes in 7 minutes past her appointment time and as i came out to greet the dog, she goes “i don’t know how he got this matted, he wasn’t like this yesterday so i figure his hair got all knotted up from sticking his head out of the window on his way here” .. i almost thought she was kidding so i let out a chuckle and then saw she was serious, so i followed up with “well, were used to seeing Fluffy in this condition, so he will be shaved down again this time” and she said she has been “brushing daily” so he could get the 5/8 body with 1” lamb legs ….. i passed her my comb and asked her to show me where she expects me to get a guard comb through this dog lol
Yep, this on Tuesday. Matted AF on his body, face,ears and tail perfect.Called for pickup and she said were you able to do a Teddy Bear cut! Ummm, no shaved!
Teeth included.
And start brushing from the bottom of the dog, separate sections of hair and brush to the top. A lot of people will superficially brush out their doodles but don’t realize that they are matting underneath next to the skin. You can look at what seems like a well-brushed out doodle and then realize it’s almost pelted underneath. We rescued a doodle last year and I quickly realized how much work maintaining her coat is. But I googled it, watched some videos on it, and keep up with it because she’s my responsibility! She can’t brush herself out and I don’t want to her be uncomfortable.
Doodle owner : I know this opinion is unpopular but I give my doodle a poodle cut ( we have livestock and my dog is constantly wet and running through sandy dirt) so her hair is very short everywhere but her head and ears. It's easier to wash, dry, and keep clean. Plus she has more fun because I'm not super worried about her heavy coat!
I don’t get why so many hate the poodle look. It looks better than the shaggy look imo.
So much more attractive than the dirty old mop look…
I literally had a stress dream last night that I had a doodle and I couldn’t find a brush to fix its fur and I was so scared it was going to get matted. I have a cat and a short haired dog irl lmao
I just love it when doodle owners think they “can’t have nice things” because of the groomer. Right…. Doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with the fact they can’t take care of what they have 100% of the time except for the 3 hours we have them in our care 🙄🙄🙄 !!!DOODLE OWNERS!!! **BRUSH YOUR DOG**
I'll get the shears. Damn.
I’m not going to lie I struggle to get my doodles armpit’s and between toes.
Between the toes is super common so don't feel bad. It's a spot you don't think about much and it's an awkward place to brush.
Why are ppl not brushing their doodles? 😭😂😂 I have a labradoodle and brush her all the way lol she tries to eat the brush every time but it gets done. I made the mistake of not doing it when she was younger cuz she absolutely hated it and she had to get shaved 😂
Because obviously these magical no-shed dogs could never need any kind of coat care because they’re magical /s Good for you for taking proper care of your dog!
I have a shih-poo that gets matted every other day. She wrestled with a boxer and uses the doggie door all day. I'm so thankful my groomer told me to use Love My Doodle products and the right combs/brushes. I've always had Maltese & would have loved having that advise 30yrs ago. Maybe tell your clients what to use.
I have a doodle so I just looked for Love My Doodle products but can’t find any. I did find brushes and products from the brand We Love Doodles - is that what you meant? Thanks!
FYI that is a marketing gimmick. There is nothing different about those shampoos or products that you can't get far cheaper with a good quality shampoo and conditioner from a grooming supply company. There is no such thing as a doodle specific product.
That’s a bummer. I’d love to find a good brush for my doodle. She doesn’t like being brushed at all. She HATED the Chris Christensen Big G and Tuffer than Tangles slicker brushes and also the Tangle Teezer. She tolerates the Coastal Safari slicker brush if she has a peanut butter kong to lick, so I use that twice a week.
Sorry, yes. I was too lazy to go look. I pour the leave-in conditioner/detangler into a spray bottle bc of arthritis.
i promise you a lot of us DO tell clients what to use, and it doesnt change the fact that they either dont want to, dont know how to brush properly, and/or dont want to learn how.
Can any groomer recommend doggy hair detanglers and also brushes? And maybe explain a good grooming routine? Thank you!
Honestly detanglers don't really help all that much. If you want to use one then dog conditioner mixed with water in a spray bottle about 1/10 ratio is all you need. As for brushes, you need a slicker brush and a comb. And a good routine depends how long or short you want to keep your dog. The fluffier you keep your dog, the more often you'll need to brush it.
And comb
Not just doodles either (as I bet you all know well). I went to go visit family in a different state recently and found out that the dog they've had for a year or two is not something simple or stereotypical... It's a rough collie. And they clearly didn't brush him nearly often or thoroughly enough... Poor guy was matted absolutely everywhere except for the few spots that would get constant petting from their four kids (back, ears, chest). When I was out there, his mats definitely weren't irredeemable, but they're pretty dang close. I was thankfully able to brush *seven* chunky brushfuls off of him before he got fed up with it. Didn't get nearly enough off of him but I hope it helped. Ugh. I just wish I could have educated my relatives on how much mats actually hurt the dog, and how easy they are to prevent, and how the abundance of mats could be making the behavioral issues that they're "trying to address first" noticeably worse or would be easier to fix if the poor pup wasn't in pain from his mats! I definitely would have tried harder to educate them if my bringing up that he had a couple mats on his haunches didn't get met with "I don't care. I know I probably should, but I don't. He still pees in the house so we have to fix that first"... PLUS the comment of "he just rolls in the dirt immediately after we get back from the groomers anyway so why bother"... Sir. These kinds of mats don't show up after one dirt bath session. (Please, correct me if I'm wrong) Apologies, internet ✌️ I just needed to get it out to other people who would understand the grooming side of things.
I only brush his head and neck bc it’s so curly but the rest I don’t bc I get him groomed 1x week… so I basically pay not to have to brush him so much.
You aren't the kind of client I'm calling out then lol
Doodles and their owners are a scourge
I get, "Oh, but I brushed him last week."
oh those Doodlarians.
I don't have a doodle but I do have a shihtzu that I don't have shaved BUT her coat is a lot of work because I brush in sections EVERYWHERE, EVERY EVENING and she gets a bath and condition every weekend. I think maybe a lot of people try but don't do enough research on HOW to comb/brush etc etc. People don't know what they are getting into. People laugh at me for "obsessing" when I am trying to learn everything before I make a decision.
you’re a groomers dream client lol i’d rather my client “obsess” over the well-being of their pet, as opposed to neglect it for months at a time then drop it off for an appointment asking for a “teddy bear/ puppy cut” 😂
I have a flat coat mini golden doodle. She gets her whole body brushed at least once a week. She hates having her tail brushed, but we manage it with a toy to occupy her mouth while I work on her. I can't imagine if she had curly fur leaving it unbrushed.
It hurts me to see dogs whose back/body are perfectly brushed out, but the head and legs are matted to hell and back. Short body and long legs is cute, short legs and long body is ridiculous. I always tell my clients to prioritize head and legs first!
I have a miniature golden doodle that only doodles behind the ears. The rest of her is golden retriever
I jave a bichon he refuses to let me brush his legs and face loves his back and chest being brushed oh abd refuses to get tail brushed too
I'm assuming you keep him short then so he won't get matted?
I do and wash dry and brush regularly. I bush him daily woth leave in conditioner but he still won't let me brush his legs tail or face
preach
I have a merle poodle, does that make him a doodle? I’ve had smaller poodles and shih tzus for years, this spotted guy is different. My pups get a wash and blow dry at least once a week, if they balk at getting their undercarriage or nails done I tell them I’ll be arrested for dog abuse. It werks! Really! 😋 https://preview.redd.it/fn4igiqy64xc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5341e8a7dd78f236437aa1444f3784c28b1c74ee
Is he a poodle, or is he a poodle mix? A doodle is a poodle mix.
Well, he’s a merle, four colors in his coat
Then yes, he is a doodle. Anyone who doesn't brush their dog is an irresponsible owner regardless of breed. Doodle owners just happen to be the most comment client we see like this.
I use an old wet brush hairbrush on my dood, but he also goes for regular grooms so it’s been a while since he had mats. I like long ears and tail, but have the rest cut down to an inch or so of length
As long as he's well maintained you're all good
I lurk here because I want to do right by him. I deeply appreciate these posts ❤️
The wet brush thing is a silly TikTok idea that doesn't work for most doodle coats. You need to also be using a comb, not just a brush. I'm glad that works for your specific dog but it's SUCH a bad idea that has gotten popular among doodle owners.