# Help! A confused new dog owner with grooming questions...



## fshine (Sep 5, 2010)

Hi,

My wife and i are relatively new dog owners and have a 8-month old english goldendoodle puppy. He's great and mild-mannered, but also very white, often dirty and hasn't met a mulch pile he doesn't like to romp around in! We have taken him to two of the 'higher end' groomers in our area and, although we provided very specific instructions about wanting to keep him looking like the cute scruffy doodle that he is, he came back looking distinctly poodle-like. We've decided that since he is calm and since we prefer the disshevled look he usually sports, we'd like to attempt to groom him at home.

He has a soft, wavy coat and we brush him regularly to ensure he doesn't have mats. We like keeping the hair on his head/face/beard longer, but not so much as it obscures his vision. We prefer to keep the rest of his body at around 1 3/4" long. What i'd like to know is:

1) In order to trim his body uniformally, is it possible to use a clipper? If so, could someone explain what combination of tools we would use to keep his hair 1 3/4" - 2" long? Everything i've read about clippers only talks about 1 1/4" comb attachments or smaller and i'm not sure how to achieve a longer length.

2) For trimming around his face, what type of scissor(s) should we purchase?

3) What other recommendations / considerations should we know about, if any?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Fshine


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## LDMomma (Jul 19, 2010)

I have no idea about how to groom. You could take a picture of what you want to the groomer so that they know exactly what it is that you are after.


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## HuggaPug (Oct 21, 2008)

When you say distinctively poodle-like, what does that mean? Did they shave the face and feet? Or did they take him short all over because of excessive matting caused by an 8 month old soft cottony coat-changing doodle that likes to romp in mud and leaves? Whenever you brush always check your job by using a metal comb and start at the skin and comb out. If the comb catches or you can't see the skin there's a knot there. You have to use a comb- a metal one. When you find the knots and try to brush and comb them out, then you find out just how calm your pup is. If he is really calm while you brush now chances are you are not getting the knots out. But to answer what you need here it goes: a quality clipper will run $100 to $200 depending what kind. If its under that price it won't work for your doodle. I prefer Andis 2speeds. Several blades a #10 or #30 to go under the clip combs and a set of clip combs. They now make these combs that will leave hair up to 6" long if you like. Any pair of pet grooming scissors will do for the at home pet groomer. After you get that stuff the rest is really easy  Brush and comb every inch of hair- the comb should glide thru the coat everywhere from skin out.Put whatever size comb over your blade and simply run the clippers over the entire body. Super easy... but if you miss a knot or two the comb will pop off the blade and then you will have a nice bald patch clear to the skin. Then take your sharp scissors and trim over the eyes and round the feet. It's good that your puppy is so calm and relaxed it will make the grooming go so much faster too- the whole process including the bath and blow dry should take you 3 hours or less. And that's it- easy peasy. I don't know why everyone doesn't groom at home- there's nothing to it


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## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

HuggaPug said:


> I don't know why everyone doesn't groom at home- there's nothing to it


I will admit, it's pretty intimidating the first few times you try, but I agree that it's great once you get the routine down!


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## fshine (Sep 5, 2010)

HuggaPug said:


> When you say distinctively poodle-like, what does that mean? Did they shave the face and feet? Or did they take him short all over because of excessive matting caused by an 8 month old soft cottony coat-changing doodle that likes to romp in mud and leaves? Whenever you brush always check your job by using a metal comb and start at the skin and comb out. If the comb catches or you can't see the skin there's a knot there. You have to use a comb- a metal one. When you find the knots and try to brush and comb them out, then you find out just how calm your pup is. If he is really calm while you brush now chances are you are not getting the knots out. But to answer what you need here it goes: a quality clipper will run $100 to $200 depending what kind. If its under that price it won't work for your doodle. I prefer Andis 2speeds. Several blades a #10 or #30 to go under the clip combs and a set of clip combs. They now make these combs that will leave hair up to 6" long if you like. Any pair of pet grooming scissors will do for the at home pet groomer. After you get that stuff the rest is really easy  Brush and comb every inch of hair- the comb should glide thru the coat everywhere from skin out.Put whatever size comb over your blade and simply run the clippers over the entire body. Super easy... but if you miss a knot or two the comb will pop off the blade and then you will have a nice bald patch clear to the skin. Then take your sharp scissors and trim over the eyes and round the feet. It's good that your puppy is so calm and relaxed it will make the grooming go so much faster too- the whole process including the bath and blow dry should take you 3 hours or less. And that's it- easy peasy. I don't know why everyone doesn't groom at home- there's nothing to it


Thanks very much for your detailed reply! In response to some of your questions/advice, we do use a metal comb as we had one of the groomers we tried recommend this to us prior to bringing him in for his appointment to minimize the amount of dematting they had to do. When we went to pick him up from the groomers, she commented on how he had no mats and we were doing a great job... so i take that to mean we were correctly combing him, making sure we did so down to the skin, and that we could work the comb all through his coat without any 'snags'. It's certainly not an easy task and i would imagine is probably the most difficult part prior to actually clipping him. He does let us comb him, even when we hit a mat, but tries to gnaw at the comb... a bone is usually distracting enough for him to blissfully ignore us.  

As far as his appearance when we picked him up, since his coat is definitely more poodle-y than golden, it's definitely a challenge to make it not poodle-like when you blow dry him straight out. But while we didn't love the length they cut him to for his body (knowing it becomes more difficult to maintain his coat for us by leaving him longer), it was really the face that made him look like a poodle. They didn't shave him like the traditional poodle cut, but they did trim too much of his beard and around his eyes which made him lose his doodle-ness. It's been a couple of weeks now and his hair is perfectly how we want to keep it -- hence, my post. We have taken lots of pics of him (we can't resist anyway!) and i will use these to make sure I'm trying to maintain his current 'look'. 

Thanks for the detailed info on the equipment. For the clippers, what should I search for to find the comb attachments that you mention? Whenever I look through search results for this stuff I can't seem to find anything above 1 1/4"... is there a specific model or product name (in addition to the one you provided for the clipper itself) that you you provide? Lastly, since he is part poodle and is prone to hair in his ears, what's the best way to take care of it?

Thanks,
Fshine


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## HuggaPug (Oct 21, 2008)

The extra large clip combs are called Mammoth Combs and I believe they are made by Laube Co. As far as the ears any pet store or a PetSmart will have ear powder- the ear powder dries the hairs in the ears so that it comes out easier. If you take your time and just pull a couple hairs at a time it is pretty much painless. If there really isn't alot of hair in the ears, and you haven't had any problems with infections, it's usually best to leave them alone. Sometimes if you are overzealous with ear hair pulling you can cause problems just from that. When you are done take a cotton ball soaked with ear cleaner and wipe out the excess powder.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

As a groomer, your complaint is the exact same thing I get from most doodle owners. It seems doodle owners want these mixes to look like just that..lol Scruffy mix breeds, and as a perfectionist groomer, that is VERY hard to do! I want to tidy the dog all over, neaten the scruffies on the face, trim in front of the eyes and nose, tidy the ears and tail, round up the feet, and neaten and even up the body all over..hehe..cause thats my job..So when doodles come in asking for grooms, we talk about length, face styles, ears, tails, etc..but I think owners are shocked when everything is tidy and neat, as they aren't expecting that. They (like you) like the looks of a haircut that is grown out 4 or 5 weeks, and really, we just can't take length off and make it look scruffy and messy at the same time, because attachments cut evenly, or we even it up with shears (which you will have to do especially on those really long attachments..lots of scissoring to make the lengths even). And whenever a client doesn't like a haircut, they always say it looks like a poodle..lol However, poodles faces are shaved bald...and have a big topknot on top of the head..You will have a great time grooming him at home, and you will be able to play with the results to get the look you are striving for. I would also strongly recommend you get a grooming table and arm, as it will make your work MUCH easier, and be easier on your body as well. I would also recommend a HV dryer, as it will be much faster to get him straight and dry before you start clipping with a HV dryer. But you can always use a human dryer and brush while you dry. Always wash and fluff dry BEFORE clipping. You will save lots of life on your blade, and get a much more even cut, especially with attachments..they are going to be rough going thru a coat that isn't freshly washed and dry.


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## fshine (Sep 5, 2010)

HuggaPug said:


> The extra large clip combs are called Mammoth Combs and I believe they are made by Laube Co. As far as the ears any pet store or a PetSmart will have ear powder- the ear powder dries the hairs in the ears so that it comes out easier. If you take your time and just pull a couple hairs at a time it is pretty much painless. If there really isn't alot of hair in the ears, and you haven't had any problems with infections, it's usually best to leave them alone. Sometimes if you are overzealous with ear hair pulling you can cause problems just from that. When you are done take a cotton ball soaked with ear cleaner and wipe out the excess powder.


After seeing your post, I read some things about Mammoth Combs and have seen some very mixed reviews. Since I don't fully understand all the equipment at this point, do these combs work with an Andis clipper? People seem to have had trouble with them. Also appears that I need to buy a special blade with them as well. Thanks again for the help!


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

fshine said:


> After seeing your post, I read some things about Mammoth Combs and have seen some very mixed reviews. Since I don't fully understand all the equipment at this point, do these combs work with an Andis clipper? People seem to have had trouble with them. Also appears that I need to buy a special blade with them as well. Thanks again for the help!


Yes, those combs can be used on an Andis clipper, like the AG 2 speeds, etc. And you will need a 30 or 40 blade to go under them (the blade attaches to the clipper, and the comb clips onto the blade). Personally, I don't use any combs longer than 1 1/4 inch. I find the longer ones leave an uneven clip and by the time I am done hand scissoring over what I clipped with them, I could have saved myself time and just hand scissored the whole dog..however, not being a professional groomer, you may find them helpful to get you started. And on another note, I'm not a fan of Laube products. The company is well known for not standing behind their products, and having less than stellar customer service, but they do have many very loyal customers. I hear they are trying to turn their image around, but at this point...their image is not comparable to Andis, Oster, Wahl, etc. and the way those companies stand behind their equipment.


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## misty073 (Mar 31, 2009)

I agree with the grooming table, I am soooo not a groomer LOL but I do groom both of my dogs and my husband made me a table with two poles one for the head collar and one for around the waist to keep the dogs from sitting and it has made grooming so much easier than when I just had the dog on the floor (although my dogs are small LOL)


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## staffymom (Apr 16, 2010)

my 2 bits.... I am also a groomer and as stated earlier....this is the most common complaint from my Doodle owners. What finally solved the problem? Groom the dog in what ever length the owner is shooting for. That means the dog is hand dried and yes poofy "like a poodle". Then once done go back re-wet the head and muzzle with a spray bottle let air dry and voila! a scruffy Bob Marley pup.
When you buy a pair of scissors, look for ones with a ball tip. Safer especially for newbies working around eyes. Dubl duck makes a decent affordable ball tip shear.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

staffymom said:


> my 2 bits.... I am also a groomer and as stated earlier....this is the most common complaint from my Doodle owners. What finally solved the problem? Groom the dog in what ever length the owner is shooting for. That means the dog is hand dried and yes poofy "like a poodle". Then once done go back re-wet the head and muzzle with a spray bottle let air dry and voila! a scruffy Bob Marley pup.
> When you buy a pair of scissors, look for ones with a ball tip. Safer especially for newbies working around eyes. Dubl duck makes a decent affordable ball tip shear.


LOL @Bob Marley pup!! 
With longer coated doodles, I usually do a messy version of a drop-coat hand scissor BEFORE bathing (a good job for crappy, dull shears, lol). I've found through trial and error, less is REALLY more when it comes to leaving the most natural look possible. I get the base length set, take length off anywhere else (tail, ears, face, etc) and bath and dry. After the dog has been blown dry and combed out, I can even up spots I missed. 
I'm lucky. I work in a salon with 2 groomers, my mom and myself. She's the expert at "perfection" (think hand scissoring standard poodles), and I'm the one who gets "natural" looking dogs (hence I usually get the doodles). Thinning shears really, REALLY help on finishes where scruffy and natural are what you're going for. Leaving a scruffy, outdoors-y dog from the neck down and perfectly scissoring the face just doesn't work for me--clean the face up with thinners and you'll be all set  JMO.



Graco22 said:


> As a groomer, your complaint is the exact same thing I get from most doodle owners. It seems doodle owners want these mixes to look like just that..lol Scruffy mix breeds, and as a perfectionist groomer, that is VERY hard to do! I want to tidy the dog all over, neaten the scruffies on the face, trim in front of the eyes and nose, tidy the ears and tail, round up the feet, and neaten and even up the body all over..hehe..cause thats my job..So when doodles come in asking for grooms, we talk about length, face styles, ears, tails, etc..but I think owners are shocked when everything is tidy and neat, as they aren't expecting that. They (like you) like the looks of a haircut that is grown out 4 or 5 weeks, and really, we just can't take length off and make it look scruffy and messy at the same time, because attachments cut evenly, or we even it up with shears (which you will have to do especially on those really long attachments..lots of scissoring to make the lengths even). And whenever a client doesn't like a haircut, they always say it looks like a poodle..lol However, poodles faces are shaved bald...and have a big topknot on top of the head..You will have a great time grooming him at home, and you will be able to play with the results to get the look you are striving for. I would also strongly recommend you get a grooming table and arm, as it will make your work MUCH easier, and be easier on your body as well. I would also recommend a HV dryer, as it will be much faster to get him straight and dry before you start clipping with a HV dryer. But you can always use a human dryer and brush while you dry. Always wash and fluff dry BEFORE clipping. You will save lots of life on your blade, and get a much more even cut, especially with attachments..they are going to be rough going thru a coat that isn't freshly washed and dry.


What really throws us off is when peoploe have doodles and want them poodle-y, but the next person has a standard poodle and DOESN'T want them poodle-y. It gets really mind boggling at times  We're boarding a standard poodle who gets a fluffy face and a "blunt" topknot (think bichon). She looks like a very cute brown doodle. Next to her is the goldendoodle who is the carbon copy of a red standard poodle. (I won't even get into making bichons look like poodles and poodles look like bichons, and taking an adorable 3 month old poodle puppy and having the owner ask for a shaved, bald dog...no topknot, no nothing...sigh)



LDMomma said:


> I have no idea about how to groom. You could take a picture of what you want to the groomer so that they know exactly what it is that you are after.


Where's the like button? 
Seriously, I love it when people bring me pictures (good ones) of how they want their dogs to look. It's really important to get my hands on the dog BEFORE the client leaves to make sure I can make that happen. A 12 year old matted dog isn't going to look like they looked at a 6 month old puppy, and we gotta be realistic. But people who have their dogs groomed regularly and can't quite explain what they want done differently, well...a picture is worth a thousand words. I had a very nice person with a rare breed email me a grooming tutorial on said breed because I wasn't getting the head just so. After reading the tutorial, I was able to "copy" what I saw. It was really cool


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## RinseAce (Aug 16, 2010)

Hi, I personally do not like the clippers at all. Our dog is older and has several warts so any clipper tool would make a bloody mess out of her. We have always just cut her with a nice pair of sharp dog scissors (rounded edge). It takes a little longer and it takes a little practice to get it even but it really is not hard to cut the dog that way and it's in-expensive! Be gentle and after a few trimmings your dog will not mind it much at all anymore and not fight with you. When it get's to the hard part, it becomes a little of a team effort with one person holding the dog and the other clipping (our dog does not like the cutting around the feet). But it's never real hard and with some nice petting while you're holding on to her it becomes almost pleasant for her.


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