Yes, Goldendoodles require regular grooming to keep them clean, beautiful, and healthy. While all dogs need maintenance, the charming Goldendoodle requires more meticulous care because of its hypo-allergenic thick and fluffy coat.
If you’re a proud owner of a Goldendoodle or thinking of adopting one, you’ll want to make sure they look their best. Bathing, brushing, and trimming are all essential components of grooming your Goldendoodle. Is it necessary to groom Goldendoodles regularly?
In this article, you’ll learn how frequently you need to groom your Goldendoodle and what a professional groom involves. We will also discuss grooming your Goldendoodle at home and maintaining its coat. Let’s dive right in!
How Often Should You Groom a Goldendoodle?
Goldendoodles usually shed their hair mostly between cold and hot season transitions. Without attention, shed hair can form mats and tangles in the undercoat. For this reason, you should brush your Goldendoodle daily with thorough grooming at least twice a month.
As a mixed breed of golden retrievers and standard poodles, Goldendoodles have different coats. Some are wavy or curly, while others have straight coats. How to groom your dog and the frequency depends much on its hair type. For example, wavy and curvy haircoat will require more frequent grooming.
If you want to keep your dog’s hair long, you could opt for expert grooming after every 6–8 weeks. However, if your Goldendoodle is short-haired, you could groom it after 8–10 weeks.
Even though you can groom your Goldendoodle at home, it’s a good idea to visit a professional groomer at least twice a year, preferably at the beginning of summer and at the end of it.
You should bathe your Goldendoodle every two weeks if it is an active dog. Similarly, if it loves rolling in mud or has an odor, you should bathe it immediately after every activity. Lastly, if your Goldendoodle is ill, get professional advice from a vet on how often you should groom it.
Reasons To Groom Your Goldendoodle
Here are just a few reasons why regular grooming is important for your Goldendoodle:
- Grooming helps keep their coat healthy and free of matting.
- You get a chance to check for any skin problems or parasites.
- It helps reduce shedding.
- It’s a great bonding experience for you and your dog.
What Does a Professional Groom Involve?
As mentioned earlier, taking your Goldendoodle to a professional groomer at least twice a year is recommended. You can do it more often than this to keep its coat in good condition. So what do you expect from a professional grooming session?
A professional groomer does everything, including the icky stuff you may not want to do at home. They do the following tasks:
- Brushing the dog before and after a bath
- Remove fleas and ticks
- Bathe the dog to remove all hair dirt
- Clip the dog’s nails
- Trim the hair and style it
- Clean and massage the ears and check for infections
- Brush the dog’s teeth
Notably, taking your Goldendoodle to a professional groomer isn’t always possible; you’ll need basic grooming skills to do it yourself.
How To Groom a Goldendoodle at Home
For starters, you need the right Goldendoodle grooming tools. You may need a slicker brush, metal/steel comb, dog clipper with a guard and detachable blade, grooming scissors, thinning shears, nail clippers, and a grooming table. Now that we are set, here is how to groom your Goldendoodle:
Brush the Dog
To begin with, give your dog a good brush using a slicker brush. Start from the bottom, brushing one line of hair at a time. Brush the whole body to remove all tangles, mats, and debris in the coat.
To help comb through your Goldendoodle’s hair, use a clipper to remove knots and a metal comb to eliminate stubborn tangles. Brushing stimulates the production of natural oils that help keep the dog’s coat healthy and shiny.
Bathe Your Goldendoodle
Make sure you have everything you need before you start, including a tear-free dog shampoo and a towel. Using warm water, wet your dog and apply shampoo, avoiding the eyes and ears.
Gently massage the soap into their coat, ensuring it gets to their skin. Use a dampened washcloth to clean your dog’s face. After a good scrub, rinse the soap thoroughly to remove all the suds.
Next, towel dry your dog and let it shake itself dry. Use a cool, low, setting blow dryer to speed up the drying process. Also, remember to dry the ears to prevent infections. Brush your dog again to remove any leftover tangles and knots.
Trim Your Goldendoodle
A Goldendoodle’s thick, curly hair is one of its most distinguishing features. While this hair can be a beautiful addition to your dog’s look, it needs proper trimming and grooming to keep your pup looking polished.
Using dog clippers, trim any long hair around your dog’s face. Start from the ears cutting the fur to a uniform length. The hair around the ear entrance should be kept short for better air circulation. Use a thinning shear to thin the fur between the eyes.
Don’t forget the muzzle. Cut down far, keeping the top and bottom shorter than the sides.
Now proceed from the head down the neck to the rest of the body, keeping the length you prefer. Start with the longest setting and work your way down to the shortest.
Ensure the fur around the paws is shorter than the rest of the body. With the clipper guard on, you’ll give your Goldendoodle a uniform coat. Finally, use a brush to smooth out your dog’s hair to give it a fluffy and polished look.
Trim the Nails
The Goldendoodle is typically a low-shedding breed, but they still require regular nail trimming. Dogs’ nails can also bring about agony and pain if they get too long.
Invest in a good pair of nail clippers. Ensure your dog is calm and relaxed before you clip its nails. Be gentle, and be careful not to cut too far down. You don’t want to cut into the quick—the vein that runs down the center of a dog’s nail.
File down the edges. If you accidentally cut too deep, don’t worry. Just use a file to gently smooth down the edges of the nail.
Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
Brushing your Golden doodle’s teeth should be a daily routine. Brushing helps prevent periodontal diseases and other infections. Use toothpaste and a toothbrush specially made for dogs.
Make sure your dog is comfortable and relaxed. Once ready, lift the upper lip and brush gently. Brush the whole mouth in a circular motion to remove plaque.
Do You Need To Groom Goldendoodles – Yes, and Regularly
A Goldendoodle is an intelligent dog with a friendly and outgoing personality. While it’s a gem, especially if you suffer from allergies, its coat requires extensive grooming. To keep it in good shape, fluffy, and stunning, brush it daily, bathe it at least twice a month, trim its coat, cut its nails, and clean its teeth and ears.
Although you can regularly groom your Goldendoodle at home, you should visit a professional groomer at least twice a year. This will increase to every 6-8 weeks if you are not able to or confident of tackling some of the more regular doodle coat care duties. In any case, be sure to add regular grooming to your Goldendoodle’s care routine. Your furry friend will thank you for it!
