There are many reasons why people might choose to groom their Doodles at home. Not all dogs like going to the groomer as it can cause them too much stress and anxiety. Some owners might want more control over what their dog looks like after a groom, and others might want to save some extra money as it can be pretty pricey to go frequently to a professional groomer.
Whatever your reason is, this will be a guide to share with you some of the best-recommended tools on the market. With the right tools, you can groom your Doodle from the comfort of your home. And as the hair and coat types are similar for all Doodle-breed dogs, you can apply this guide and these tips to whichever Doodle you own so that you can begin your at-home groom routine today.
Tools Needed For Doodle Dog Grooming
These are the tools that we recommend using for Doodle-dog grooming:
Brushes
You will need a minimum of four types of brushes to groom your Doodle. To tame the tangles and knots and to avoid mats, these brushes should be used weekly, if not daily:
Pin brush: removes tangles and knots. The pin brush is great, but it won’t work down to the base of the skin
Comb: removes any tangles that the pin brush missed, which is excellent when your Doodle’s hair is longer
Slicker brush: removes loose undercoat hair, gets rid of mats, debris, and tangles, and fluffs up the hair
Dematting brush: removes any mats
The brush and comb mentioned above (also linked in the bullet list above) are of fantastic quality. They hold up well and get through knots and tangles effortlessly.
Grooming
Here are a few products that we highly recommend for actual grooming:
Wahl Clippers: These are perfect for the sanitary areas, the face, and the paws.
Scissors: These come in two different sizes (for body and face) and have rounded tips to avoid accidentally poking your Doodle.
Nail clippers: For trimming the nails (but you can also go to the pros for this).
Body Clippers: these work great with the Doodle’s thick and long hair on their bodies
Dremel: If your dog hates nail clippers, you may want to try using a dremel. We had better luck with a dremel.
How To Groom Your Doodle At Home
Brush and Comb your Doodle and Remove Any Mats
Mats are incredibly painful for our furry friends. And even with frequent brushing, they can sometimes sneak up on us. The most frequent spots you might find mats on your Doodle are:
The underarms
The chest
The belly
Behind the ears
On the ears (if the hair is kept long)
Over time, you will become more familiar with your Doodle’s specific coat type as you groom them, and you will begin to notice which spots will mat more frequently than others.
Here are some things to remember about mats:
Never bathe your dog before removing tangles, knots, and mats. Water makes mats tighter and more challenging to work out.
Don’t try to cut out matted dog hair. Mats can be very close to the skin, and you might accidentally cut your dog’s skin in the process.
They trap bacteria and are painful, so you’ll want to avoid them on your dog.
If you think your dog is severely matted, it’s better to call a professional groomer and get help.
If your dog has more manageable mats, ones that you believe you can work through on your own, then there are a couple of different ways to do it.
Use Cornstarch (A Groomers Secret Weapon)
A secret weapon that groomers use to help you work out the mats is Cornstarch. Simply sprinkle some cornstarch on the mat and work it in gently with your fingers. Then, take your slicker brush and start gently brushing through the mat.
When faced with stubborn mats and knots, you will want to use a dematting brush. Be careful when using one of these, as the blades are sharp and can slice through your dog’s skin. The Safari dematting comb is one we highly recommend as it has a thumb rest that will help you remember how to hold it properly so that you won’t accidentally misuse it and hurt your dog.
Now that you’ve brushed, combed, and removed mats from your Doodle, you are ready to move on to the next step. It is essential to ensure that there are no knots or tangles before moving on.
Bathe Your Doodle
Before beginning any cutting or shaving, it’s a good idea to bathe your Doodle because dirt and debris will dull your blades. You must make sure to remove all knots, tangles, and mats before bathing, or else they will become worse afterward.
For Doodles with white beards, Wahl White Pear Brightening Shampoo for Pets is a must! Keep your dog’s beard beautiful and white with this whitening shampoo.
You can’t forget about cleaning the inside of your Doodle’s ears! We recommend this ear cleaner to wipe down any wax or debris from time to time.
Be sure to ask your vet about plucking the hair, as not all hair types require plucking.
Dry Your Doodle Fully
Next, it’s time to dry your Doodle. We love how thick and beautiful their hair is, but it can take hours to dry your Doodle completely when using a regular blow dryer.
Instead, we recommend this high-pressure pet dryer, and it is a game-changer.
Not only will it make your dog look way better, but it also cuts down drying time. The dryer has two heat settings (cool and low heat) and comes with various nozzles to help you dry your Doodle easily.
With their thick coat, a drier like this one will help you achieve that at-home grooming look in a snap. We can’t recommend this drier enough!
If you like to keep both hands free and prefer a stand dryer, we recommend the Free Paws Pet Dryer 4.0.
Shave and Cut
Once your Doodle is clean and free from mats and tangles, you can begin to shave!
Before you begin shaving, you should check the blade of the clippers as some can get very hot, which can burn your dog’s skin. When checking them, you can check them the same way that you’d test a warm bottle of milk for a baby. If it’s too hot for your wrist, let it cool before continuing to shave your dog.
If you need to cool your blades down, you can use clipper cooling spray. If you don’t want to purchase the spray, you can also take frequent breaks to give the blades time to cool.
You must be patient and only groom if your dog remains calm. You won’t want to let grooming become something that causes your dog’s anxiety. A grooming table is a perfect solution if your dog does not like to lay or stand still. It’s the cost of roughly one visit to the groomers, so it will pay for itself after a few months!
For the more delicate work, such as trimming around the eyes, mouth, paws, and tail, or if you want to take a little length off the ears, we use scissors.
Something you can consider is getting thinning scissors to cut around the nose and the muzzle. They aren’t necessary, but they help eliminate blunt edges created by the scissors around the face.
3 Tips For Doodle Grooming
- The paw pads can mat and need to be cut, so don’t forget them.
- Sanitary cuts are a must for your Doodle (around their genitals and anal area). Seek a groomer’s help if you aren’t comfortable doing this area.
- Remember to clean the inside of the ears and check with a professional if you are unsure whether or not your Doodle needs the hair removed from their ear canals.
It can take lots of time and practice before you can groom some of these areas right. In particular, the sanitary cut can be tricky if you are new to grooming your dog, especially if your dog doesn’t sit still. Another challenging part of the Doodle grooming process is trimming around the face.
So don’t worry, if there are any parts of the Doodle grooming process that you aren’t quite comfortable in doing on your own, you can always send your dog to a professional groomer to get help with those specific areas. Your groomer will always be there to help!
Maintenance Between Grooms
With daily and weekly brushing, you can easily prolong the time between grooming sessions. One product we can’t end this post without sharing is the MudBuster. It makes cleaning dirty paws a breeze and keeps your Doodle from tracking dirt into your home.
There are silicone bristles on the inside of the MudBuster to gently remove debris and dirt from their paws and lower legs. This is a lifesaver during rainy and wet seasons!
Doodle Grooming Tutorials
As there are so many great and different ways that you can groom your Doodle, searching for tutorials on Youtube will be the best way to find videos that suit the style you are after.
YouTube is a great resource with dozens of great grooming tutorials that will help you understand how to groom paw pads and ears, do a sanitary cut, and so much more.
We recommend checking out My Favorite Groomer on Youtube for excellent grooming tutorials.
Grooming for doodles is very similar, so when looking for tutorials, search for “doodle grooming” as opposed to a more specific “Sheepadoodle grooming” or “Goldendoodle grooming”. That will provide you with more results and a better chance of finding a grooming video tutorial that works for what you want!
A Recap of Grooming Your Doodle at Home
Grooming at home can be a great bonding activity for you and your Doodle! With practice, you’ll soon be able to groom your dog from the comfort of your home. Here’s a quick recap of how to groom your Doodle at home:
- Comb and brush your Doodle to remove mats, knots, and tangles
- Bathe your Doodle
- Fully dry your Doodle
- Shave and cut
And if your Doodle doesn’t look as good as they do from the groomers, don’t worry! Grooming is a lot of work and takes practice!