Congratulations on your (new) Doodle!
There you are, holding that precious furball in your hands: playful, cheerful, super cute and a fluffy coat to die for! You are the happiest dog owner on earth and you want to offer your Doodle everything to guarantee that it lives a happy dog life.
A proper coat maintenance plays an important part in the upbringing of your Doodle.
Unfortunately a lot of new Doodle owners do not know what is needed to maintain the coat of their dog properly. This can cause a great shock when they visit a dog groomer for the first time. Or they experience that the fluffy, lovely coat they fell in love with is shaved and reduced to a short coat and very different look when they visit the dog groomer.
Read the response of Linda Holdtgrefe who participated in a grooming workshop with her Doodle Noara. She is only one of the many Doodle owners that had this kind of experience.
To keep the coat of a Labradoodle, Golden Doodle or Poodle mix breed nice, long and tangle free, regular brushing and grooming is a necesssity.
How does the coat get tangled?
Because the undercoat let’s go, but keeps clinging in the upper coat (a Doodle doesn’t shed so to speak), the coat needs to be brushed regularly (at least once a week) to make sure it does not tangle. The thicker and longer the coat is, the more chance of getting tangled, and the more often it needs brushing.
How do you know if your Doodle has tangles?
You can feel lumps of hair that keep you from reaching the skin and you can see spots where the coat is less shiny. If the tangles are really bad they change the shape of the body, letting a Doodle look fatter then it really is. See the picture on the right.
How often is grooming required?
As soon as the puppy coat turns into an adult coat (after 7 to 12 months) a grooming session is essential every 2 months to keep the coat tangle free and at a cuddly maintenance-friendly length.
Most dog groomers do not know how to groom a Labradoodle the right way and shear them, so that the lovely, fluffy coat you fell in love with is gone.
What is so great about learning to groom your Doodle yourself?
Learning how to groom your Doodle yourself is a fun way to be creative, while spending quality time with your Doodle.
It saves you a lot of money, gives you insight in what your dog really needs to live a happy life and gives you the opportunity to take the responsability of your Doodle's wellbeing in your own hands.
As a bonus your Doodle always looks his fluffy, lovely best, other Doodle owners will be jealous of it's looks and grooming your Doodle all by yourself enhances the bond between the two of you!
Can I really do it myself after taking the workshop?
YES, because everyone can learn how to groom!
But...
You only learn grooming by DOING it!!! (From watching and taking notes alone you will learn nothing.)
Although dog grooming is a profession and a trade, to which a professional training and an internship with an experienced groomer precedes, I have broken down the entire grooming process in easy to digest pieces.
I will explain the entire grooming process step by step, from the basic maintenance and coat treatment to trimming and modelling, so every step will be manageable. After I have shown you one step, I will let you get to work yourself, while I give you tips about how you can groom your dog in the best way. Because I have simplified the steps, EVERYONE can learn to groom his dog.
Even the most insecure participants have learned that they could do a lot more than they thought
and EVERYONE will go home with a beautiful groomed dog!
