# Grooming a Labradoodle



## RCGoodin (Jul 26, 2010)

Hi my name is Sophie, my question is what kind of shears, combs and clipper can I recommend to my human owners since they refuse to pay Petsmart $70 for each groom. They're not to smart about matting and getting through it. And, they're not to smart about trimming around the legs and butt area. Any help will be greatly appreciated.


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## Dieselsmama (Apr 1, 2007)

Honestly, at $70 every 4-6 weeks Sophie, your owners are getting a steal!! I charge approx. $85 in my shop for a ST. Poodle and since the grooming on a Doodle is often similar in what it involves, that's what I charge for them too. If I were to go right back to basics and was thinking of what I'd need for grooming equipment to groom a doodle at home:
Brushes: slickers and a metal greyhound comb--about $40
decent (not top of the line) shears--about $60-80
Clippers (you can't skimp here these need to be able to hold up to regular monthly use) $100-150
Blades you'll need a few 10's and either 5Fs or 7Fs about $150-200
Shampoo by the gallon concentrate is a lot cheaper in the long run, about $50/gallon for what I prefer
High velocity dryer you need this to get dry down to the skin and to straighten the coat so you can scissor the head and whatever else you decide to learn to scissor $300 on up

Still thinking $70 a groom is a lot??
Now add in the amount of time you'll invest in the entire process


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## HuggaPug (Oct 21, 2008)

We also charge around $85 for those- I bet your owners didn't refuse to pay $1000 or more to buy you


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

My doodles start at $85..and a few of em are well over $100. Unfortunately, many owners to be don't look into the cost of maintaining a doodle coat, and SO many of these doodle "breeders" say they are low maintenance..ha...Lovessophie's post above is a good start, and there are many videos online of how to clip these kinds of coats. You are going to spend about $500 to get the equipment you need, then alot of practice to learn how to make the groom a good looking haircut. There are many posts on here about home grooming, and many owner/groomers on here too that can help you more when you dive into grooming at home.


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## Bart (Jul 15, 2010)

The grooming costs are fair and while you're not always going to get what you pay for, you should expect to pay for what you get. Grooming the dog takes nearly two hours of skilled labor provided it's groomed every 4-6 weeks and brushed in-between. Besides the skilled labor wage rate, you're paying equipment costs and shop lease costs. Depending on where you live, the wage and lease rates will vary and consequently the charges for grooming will also. I live in a rural area where costs are low but skills are scarce. In a more metropolitan area, you'll find some of the best groomers and also Petco.

For my own dog, I decided to do the grooming myself not because I was on the cheap, but because it interested me and I had the money to cover the up-front capital cost of the tools. The advantages of doing it myself are that I get to enjoy the process, I can groom the dog more often at no additional cost other than my time, in the long-run my savings in grooming labor costs will pay for all the tools. However, since I have lower skill it takes me longer to groom and the cost in my time is higher -- if I looked at what I was "paying myself" in savings, I'd have to balk at the measley wages if I didn't really enjoy it for the fun of it.

The bottom line is that the best reason to groom your own dog is because you like to. If you do, then you'll want to find out what tools your dog takes -- I think that was the question in the OP. I can't answer to a labradoodle's needs but I have a similar dog.

Daily, I use a pin-brush for the legs and a slicker for the back and sides
Several times a week I comb through the entire coat with a "greyhound" comb. I have two, fine and medium, and medium and course.
About once every week or two I use a Mars Coat King to thin dead hair out of the undercoat. I have three which take varying amount of hair out, more or less.
The Coat King is good for breaking matts (although I never get them) and also removing tangled, knotted fur, burrs, caked debris (spots of gummy stuff) etc.

Technically I should be using a stripping knife or hand-plucking but I'm not there yet and the Coat Kings make up for it quite well since I'm not showing the dog.

I guess I clip about every 5 weeks but it varies depending on whether I'm growing the coat long for winter or shortening it for summer. I can also clip in-between to trim pads and the anus to keep them neater than if I waited. I use high-power universal motor clippers (Oster or Andis) with various blades. Very short blade for the pads (I use a #000 or #15), short blade for ears (#1 or #10 or equivalent). Then you need blades for the coat length you desire. Typically you'd use a short to medium blade for the belly and a longer blade for the body and a blade for how you want the legs. A skip-tooth blade will take the coat down faster but then you need a finishing blade to take the lines out or you lose the time saved by multiple passes to remove lines.

You also need a nail tool. My dog wears his down on his own but I cut them anyway with Millers Forge scissor type. I think the grinders are better but I don't need it for this dog.

You'll need the shampoo and any other coat chemicals. I get by with shampoo for now. If I was having matting I'd consider a conditioner or detangler.

A groomer would use a dryer. I get by with a towel and some sun for now but that plan could go bad in the winter.

A groomer would use a grooming table. I clip my dog on the ground outside and do most of the other grooming on the floor in the house. I did make a make-shift grooming table but I tend to do my grooming in small amounts at a time rather than working on the dog for more than 20 minutes straight. If I was working straight through, I'd want the dog on a table.

My dog takes only a small amount of scissor work but he's got a short coat for the summer and if I grew it out to show-length then it would take quite a bit more.

You also have to learn things like to take the eye goobers out, express the anal glands, remove ticks, pluck ear hair, and solve other problems.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

I think that is a fair price. espeacially since you say the dog is matted often, well matting normally costs extra (bad matting) try calling around to some smaller shops. I know petsmart can be crazy prices. I have heard of 80+ bucks for a lhasoapso. and at out shop thats 40 bucks lol


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## MoosMom (Sep 15, 2009)

Your owners should have been prepared with the costs of your upkeep. If they were not, a lab would have been best suited for their needs. Were I you, I might try to convince them that a $70 fee is worth the health of your skin and coat.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

MoosMom said:


> Your owners should have been prepared with the costs of your upkeep. If they were not, a lab would have been best suited for their needs. Were I you, I might try to convince them that a $70 fee is worth the health of your skin and coat.


Yes this!!!! One of my pet peeves (especially as a groomer) is dog owners purchasing a pup without first educating themselves on the care and upkeep that will be needed to keep the coat in shape. If your mom and dad are not willing to pay for your upkeep, maybe they should have gotten a short haired dog.


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## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

I dunno why anyone would think a dog with a Poodle's coat would be low maintenance... have some folks never SEEN an actual Poodle?!


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## AMWord (Aug 12, 2010)

Oh no! Poor Labradoodles. That's the problem.. People hear "A DOG THAT DOESNT SHED!!" and think low maintenance. WRONG! That's the problem with them matting, the doodle hair doesn't shed out so it all just stays there. They are high to maintain and $70 is fair exspecially from a grooming prespective. They almost always come in with matts because owners can't keep up with them. That's a lot of a groomers time with just the dematting. If you don't like PetSmarts work, go somewhere else. Also, keep in mind the potential danger you may put your dog in by self grooming. If you go at a bad angle with those clippers or scissors..... yikes! Then there is $$$ spent at the vet. If I were you... I would go professional and then do a daily groom ritual with your dog in between grooms. Plus... you should be happy that PetSmart didn't extra charge you for the matting that they did try and get out. Yet again... most PetSmarts genuinely suck... atleast the ones by me.


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## Doggysalon (Aug 20, 2010)

Hi Sophie,

Please let your owners know you need to be brushed out almost daily to the skin so that Petsmart isn't hurting you with de-matting while trying to make mommy and daddy happy by saving your coat. Tell your parents that matting is painful and hurts your skin, can leave bruising and tear skin open. Let them know that Labradoodles are very high maintenance and you deserve the best and $70 is nothing to pay for grooming and some people pay that much for a 15lb dog with very little hair to cut that only takes a fourth of the time to groom. The should consider themselves lucky. If they want to groom you let them go to the community college and see if they have dog grooming classes so that they don't go at you all willy nilly this is easy attitude and cut you. Leaving you traumatized for grooming for the next few years but of course it'll be blamed on the groomer.


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