Caring for your Doodle

Grooming

Labradoodles have significant grooming requirements, and must be regularly tended to if you are to avoid matting. Depending on your labradoodles coat, they may require grooming as often as every 6-8 weeks.

Ensure you factor this into your decision to adopt a labradoodle, and consult your local groomer for care instructions.

Getting puppies accustomed to grooming early in life makes it much easier to handle them as they grow older. Start with short sessions, touching their ears and their paws gently and giving them a “massage” with your hands. They will soon learn to enjoy the attention and this time together is a great opportunity to check for fleas, injuries and cuts.

Introduce brushes gradually although initially they may think this is a toy. If this is the case, stay calm and use positive reinforcement to reward them for even just a few seconds of success. Avoid raising your voice or getting angry with your pet so that they learn to enjoy the experience and will not become anxious the next time they are due to be groomed.

Puppies should only be bathed when they are really dirty as over-bathing removes the natural oils from the coat. Choose a specific puppy shampoo. These are far safer than a human shampoo which doesn’t have the right pH for a puppy. Have everything ready before collecting the puppy for the bath – several towels, a sponge, luke warm water and a brush. Place a rubber mat in the tub or sink so that they don't slip. Brush through any knots before applying water to their coat. Rub in the shampoo paying special attention to around the tail, paws and underbelly keeping the suds away from their eyes and ear canal and then rinse well. Depending on the puppy’s fur, a second shampoo might be necessary. Finally, use a chamois towel to take off excess moisture and then dry with a nice fluffy towel.