Grooming your Bernedoodle or Australian Mountain Doodle

Mats

Sigh.  The inevitable mat.  We know they are bad and should be avoided, but sometimes they appear to just crop up overnight.  One minute we have an adorable puppy with a silky coat, the next thing the groomer has decried they are matted and your adorable fluff ball has come home practically naked.  Rest assured, it has happened to the best of us. Remember me nagging about those mats close to the skin and remembering to run a comb through after brushing?  Small tangles grow up to be big knots.  But sometimes,  a short clip really is the best course of action.  It is probably easier on your doodle (and your groomer) to not be tugging and pulling to try to remove a knot.  Trust me it grows back quickly.  

So how to avoid mats?  Bi-weekly brushing. I have a pretty wooden box on the table by our couch which hides my slicker brushes and a small conditioning detangling product. Even if you only get one side, you can work on them a little bit at a time.  As you brush, when you hit a mat use your fingers and/or a little corn starch to pull it apart from the base. Many early mats can be worked through with fingers and a pin brush but switch to a small slicker or the end of a poodle comb if necessary.  Keep your fingers on the root section attached to the skin so the slicker is only pulling on the hair, not tugging at the root if possible. Really difficult mats can be cut out with a Safari mat cutter which is only to be used for this purpose.  Worst case, use your clippers just on the impossible ones.  Keep your doodles armpits and groin areas kept clipped short as these areas rub and are therefore quicker to mat.  You can ask your groomer for a maternity clip (even on male dogs) or a sanitary trim.  Never wash a matted dog as the mats tighten in water.  If you haven't kept up on your brushing, you will need to brush them completely through before the bath and then again as you blow them dry. Clipping the coat should only be done on a clean coat to avoid clipper marks.

Transitioning From the Puppy to Adult Coat

About the time your puppy is 9 months of age, their coat will be transitioning to an adult coat.  The fluffy coat of a curly haired dog becomes noticeably curlier.  The change is less noticeable in straight to wavy coated dogs, but you will need to be extra diligent on your brushing during this time to avoid matting while the new coat comes in.  It will seem like knots are forming overnight. This process usually finishes just after a year in age, but can last up to age 1-1/2 or even 2.  This is almost always the time when something gets missed and the dog will need to be "shaved down" or clipped much shorter by the groomer.  While they will come home looking noticeably different, this isn't necessarily a bad thing and this utilitarian cut will allow you to stay on top of their coat again while it grows out.

Bathing

I often get the question, how often can I bathe my dog?  My response is pretty much whenever you feel you need to.  I wouldn't recommend daily or really even weekly bathing but that said, if your puppy or dog is getting dirty every week then this may be what you have to do.  Today's shampoos are far less harsh than what used to be available and therefore don't damage the coat.  But doodles don't get that "doggie odor" typical of dogs with fur so you may find that your dog doesn't actually require a full bath when a detangle/condition spray and brushing will achieve the same thing.  Remember not to bathe a matted dog as it will tighten the knots and always use a conditioner after the shampoo to keep their coat moisturized. I high recommend investing in a force dryer. After bathing or getting wet in the rain or yard, drying them with a force dryer, dries them quickly, straightens and fluffs the coat and helps work out smaller tangles before they worsen into mats. The dryer also separates the coat so you can see down to the skin, making it easier to spot if they brought home a tick on a walk.

Trimming, Clipping & Shaving

The Doodle coat will need regular clipping and trimming.  On a curly coat, you can decide to keep the face shaved smooth (like on a poodle) or just kept neat and trimmed in the doodle beard style.  Your straight or wavy coated poodle will need extra care and attention of their beard to ensure they are not getting matted close to their skin and by their lips/gums where food, water and friction can cause matting.  Trimming the hair between the eyes helps them see and is especially important to keep hairs from irritating their eyes. If you are like me, I enjoy the messy, unkempt doodle hair which allows them to look like a big sheep dog, but a little trimming under the eyes is still a necessity.  Using thinning shears of blunt nose scissors, trim just the hair beneath each eye, from the inner corner and slightly down towards the outer corner.  If preferred you can use the clippers to shave between the eyes and down part way towards the nose, then repeating just to the left and just to the right.  For clippers, use a #5 or #7 blade to start so you don't get too short the first time.  The top knot hair on their head that drops down in front of their eyes is usually far enough from their eye to not irritate it.  If you like the look but worry they can't see, you can use thinning shears to remove just some of the hair here while keeping the overall shaggy look.  Play with it and know it will grow back if you trimmed too much on the first attempt.

Long haired breeds are know for getting "danglers" in the hind area.  To put it un-delicately, poop can sometimes catch in the hair of their cute furry butts and can sometimes make what is called a "fecal mat" right on the anus, blocking the next poop from coming out.  This is especially common in puppies or adults that have had a slightly loose stool for whatever reason.  Warm water is necessary to gently dissolve the mat and a careful trimming of the hair under the tail and around this area is necessary to prevent future potential problems.  

Doodle hair can be clipped with no concern of it not growing back correctly.  If you prefer your doodle to have a shorter, easier coat, ask your groomer for a "puppy clip" which is an allover shorter look that will be easy to wash and brush.  Dogs with fur (not a Doodle breed) should only be shaved as a last resort. Their fur often does not grow back the same. It also can leave them unprotected from the sun or harsh weather. A dog's coat helps them keep cool in summer and warm in winter so be especially cautious of temperature when making this decision.

Eye Boogers & Tear Stains

Poodles and thus Poodle hybrids an be prone to tear stains and eye boogers. Junk in the eye or ocular discharge is normal. When discharge collects at the corner of the eye it forms the ‘booger’ as it begins to dry. Mostly they are dried tears, skin oils, dead skin cells and/or mucus. It may also contain some dust and other environmental debris. An accumulation of this dried material is normal and healthy and a sign that your dog’s eyes are doing what they should. If the eye didn’t wash away dust, skin cells and other debris it would cover the eye itself over time. They can be gently removed with a sterile wipe or a cotton ball and warm water. They should be removed daily to keep the eyes clear and prevent blocked tear ducts in the future.

Tear stains are not the same. This is the reddish-brown streaks that sometimes forms at the corner of the eye. Tear stains don’t have anything to do with how many eye boogers your dog gets. The color comes from dye molecules known as porphyrins and contain iron which then causes the reddish-brown color. They are a result of your dog’s body breaking down red blood cells. Tear stains are common in Poodles and Poodle hybrids. Iron is stubborn to remove so stay on top of this one and gently cleanse this area daily.

If you see yellow or green discharge, this is likely sign of an infection and you should bring them to the vet for treatment.

Some of My Favorite Tools

My assortment of brushes, scissors, shampoos, sprays, combs and grooming accessories would rival any groomers. Many are very inexpensive, purchased when I had only a few dogs I was grooming.  Many years later, with multiple doodles and seasonally puppies, I have invested in better products as I find they have consistently done a better job. I spend 4x the money on a brush for my dogs then I would ever consider spending on a brush for my own hair.

Your bare minimum necessities will be a comb, pin brush and slicker brush along with shampoo, conditioner and a detangling/conditioning spray. I highly recommend having a set of clippers with a #10 blade to clean up sanitary areas in between regular grooming appointments. Canine nail clippers are also essential unless you plan on doing in between visits to your groomer for nail trims.

Many of my favorite grooming tools can be found on the Our Favorite Products page.