DOGS by kate Public service announcement! Thanks Kate!
‼️WARNING‼️ Long educational post geared towards doodle owners and potential new doodle owners, since puppy season is upon us and my inbox and voicemail have become inundated with new doodle puppy client requests!
This is Calvin, adorable right?
Calvin is a full sized doodle (lab or golden, I don’t remember which, and frankly it doesn’t matter).
He (and ALL doodles) is NOT hypoallergenic.
He (and ALL doodles) DOES shed.
He (and ALL doodles) requires consistent and regular grooming.
Calvin (and 98% of all doodles) has a difficult coat to work with. Because he’s a mixed breed and there is no breed standard, his coat just has a mind of its own. It’s part poodle coat and part shedding-breed coat and so it exhibits characteristics of both – matting and shedding.
You can see Calvin has a full coat and fluffy teddy bear look. But guess how much work is involved in maintaining his look?! TONS!!
Let me elaborate 😜:
Calvin comes to me for grooming every 4 weeks, and he’s booked for the year so he doesn’t miss an appointment.
Every 4 weeks I bath him with a de-shedding shampoo (because his mixed-breed coat DOES shed), and rinse. Then I bath him again with a hypoallergenic shampoo (he has sensitive skin), and rinse. Then I condition him and comb the conditioner through his coat, and rinse. Then I towel dry. Then I spray him all over with a leave-in conditioner, because although part of his coat wants to be harsh and curly like a poodle, the other part of his coat wants to be soft and downy like a golden.
He gets velocity dried then fluff/hand dried, brushed, combed, and then I rake out any undercoat that’s lingering.
On top of his 4 week professional grooming schedule, Calvin’s Dad brushes and combs very frequently at home.
This is the ONLY way to keep your doodle’s coat in a full, fluffy length like this. It takes time and energy and money.
Calvin’s Dad likes this look, and he’s willing to be consistent with professional grooming, brush and comb at home, and listen to all of my advice on technique, tools, and products. So the end result is a lovely, fluffy doodle with healthy skin and coat. But as you now know, it’s an investment!!
Food for thought for all you new and potential doodle owners – if you love the fluffy or shaggy look of these dogs keep in mind it takes work!
*I’ll just follow up by saying that I do a LOT of doodles and I love every one of them. All of my doodle clients are on regular schedules, usually every 4-8 weeks depending on their coat type and desired hair cut. And….because there’s no breed standard on size, coat, temperament, or trim….prices vary!
If you’re a doodle client and you took the time to read this far, leave a photo of your doodle in the comments so potential new doodle owners can see how much these dogs differ from one another 👇🏼 … See more
