About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Another Doodle Vent!

Don't get me wrong, I actually like Doodles.
I haven't met a mean Doodle yet.

I do tend to like the Goldendoodles coats more.


  I have groomed some nervous, scary ones.

This one is very, very sweet, but she tends to be a cowering mess till you have worked on her for awhile.

By the time you are almost finished the groom, she has relaxed and settled in, but of course by then you are done.








I tend to like the  Goldendoodle coat more than the Labradoodle coats.

The Goldendoodle coats tend to be easier to work with, although  most of the Goldendoodles that I've groomed are giants.



 



I have also notice that the black Labradoodles coats tend to be a lot easier to work with than creme and white colored Labradoodles.

Black Labradoodles also seem to be the ones that shed.









Every creme and white Labradoodle that I groom has a thick, tightly curled coat like a Standard Poodle.

They do look beautiful when they are blow dried and groomed.








So what is the problem?

Why am I venting again?

I want to know just one thing.

Why, why, why, does every Doodle owner want their dog long and fuzzy?

I don't mean a longer version of a nice puppy cut, teddy bear cut, want ever you want to call it.

I mean that they want them left as long as possible.

The only problem is, I haven't met a Doodle owner yet that can keep their Doodles combed out and mat free.

I always find some mats.
More on some than others.


To end 2011 I had this girl come in for a grooming.

We have been grooming her for a few years now, but not continuously.
The owners will stay on a schedule for a while, then they miss an appointment and take a little while to get back on track.

A few months ago they got off track again and we were too booked up to get them in right away.
So they made an appointment for 8 weeks, and in the mean time, took her to the local chain store.







 Her coat is very tight and curly.
Most of the time she comes in matted.

Of course her owner never thinks that she is matted.

It is incredible how every Dooodle owner that I have dealt with does not believe that their dog is matted.

It is like a sickness.

So I take pictures and keep mats to show the owners.








Even though she comes in matted a lot of the time,  but not always, I still manage to get a longer blade through her, and save her head, ears and tail.






Back in August, when they took her to the other groomer, that groomer shaved her.

Boy, did they shave her.

From the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail with a #10 or #15 blade.

Correction... they shaved everything except for leaving a flag of long hair hanging off the bottom of the tail.
?????

She came in last Friday for her second bath and neaten since her crew cut.

This picture shows how much she has grown out since August.



The main thing that gets me, is that every time her owner brings in this dog, he says the same thing.

"You know that these dogs are supposed to be long and fluffy."

Who said!!!

I really want to know.

Who in the world said that these dogs are supposed to be long and fluffy?

They are half Labrador right?

Last time I checked that breed was short haired.
And most Goldens coats are about medium length.

So, who is the pain in the a** telling Doodle owners that their dogs are supposed to be left long, natural, and fluffy?

It's the same pain in the a** that is telling these people that these dogs don't shed and are Hypoallergenic.

I wonder... if I asked a Doodle rescue how many dogs they get because the family is allergic to the dog or that the dog is shedding, would they tell me the truth.

My vent is not against the breed. (mixed breed)

My vent is against the breeders that are telling their customers not to clip their dogs hair.

It's against the breeders that make us groomers the bad guys because we have to clip the dogs do to matting.

It is against the breeders that tell this Doodle owners that their dogs coat won't mat.

It is against any breeder that does not take the time to educate a potential owner about the excessive grooming that is needed to take care of some breeds.

I am done.

I am sorry.

First vent of the year.

At least I waited till January 2nd.  :)

Happy Grooming, MFF

14 comments:

  1. Don't forget the winners who say, No baths until they are a year old!

    Or is that just a Canuck thing?

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  2. LOL Bev. I have heard that one too! Where do people come up with this stuff.
    Lisa, MFF

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  3. Whaaat?? Doodles need grooming???? No way!!
    We always get them when they are about 9 months old.. already matted and terrified of everything. "But I want him to look scruffy" Too late now! Better luck next grooming.

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  4. I am a new F1B Labradoodle owner. My son has special needs and Duncan(doodle) is his service dog. He is primarily white with brown spots and a full brown face and ears, to be honest, I don't think he is that cute. He is a sloppy drinker but he is an AMAZING dog, and perfect for my son and his needs, but I just don't know what is the best style for him since we live in Iowa and have mud and snow all winter. I have been taking him to our groomer but I am also a hairstylist myself and i figure with the right tools and a little training I should be able to do his grooming myself. Just from the 3 weekends he has stayed with us this far, he seems to be a VERY high maintenance dog with lots of hair! Please help me to know how I should proceed. I am a very experienced hairstylist of 11 years, but is this over my head even?!?

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  5. Hi Anonymous,
    Congratulations on finding a great service dog. It is wonderful when a child can have the experience of loving a dog.
    The only problem that I can see with using a Doodle as a service dog is the maintenance of the coat. You did not mention the type of coat that he has. Thick and curly, thin and straight, or thick and wavy.
    First, no matter what type of coat he has, you need a good slicker brush.
    This link will take you to a slicker brush that I love and use everyday.

    http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.prodshow/vid/442715/catid/201/vname/Transgroom_Tuffer_than_Tangles_Slicker_Brushes

    If you like your Doodle to be long and fluffy, you will need to brush him everyday.
    Personally I like Doodles in a Lamb cut. This cut means short on the back with the legs left just a little longer so that they don't look like long toothpicks.
    Also, a lot of my Doodle owners don't like the messy, wet beards, so I clip the breads off very short and scissor the mustache up to the lip line to keep the face cleaner.
    It is hard to give exact ideals for a groom when I can't see the coat.
    Even if you would like to keep a little length on your Doodles legs, you can still ask your groomer to scissor the feet up tight so that they will stay cleaner in bad weather.

    http://petgroomingthegoodthebadthefurry.blogspot.com/2010/12/grooming-labradoodles-goldendoodles.html

    The link above is another post that I wrote about Doodles. If you count the pictures, the 10th and 16th pictures may be cuts that would work for you. They are nice short cuts without the dog being 'shaved'. Both of these dogs have thick type coats. The next to last picture on that post pictures the type of head that I was talking about above.
    I am not sure if your groomer would be willing to do it, but maybe you could ask if you could watch your dog being groomed so that you could decide if it was something that you would be able to do yourself. I hope that this helped at least a little. :)
    Lisa,MFF

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  6. LOL my favorite thing is when doodle owners bring in print outs they got on the internet of the "breed standard" trim for a labradoodle. There are a few different versions, but my absolute favorite refers to the ear leather as the "ear flaps", the hindquarters as the "tooshie area" and there is what is called a "chin strap" (a shaved area starting under the ear, all the way under the chin and up to the other ("ear flap"). Very technical. And when they hand it to you they say "I brought this in because groomers aren't trained how to groom doodles properly.

    I have one Australian Labradoodle that gets a shaggy head (like a sheepdog), but the mom wants the hair long all the way down to his collar, then it stops abruptly and below the collar he is shaved with a 4F, and a lion tail. It took us one year of constant struggle and adjustments to come up with a trim she is happy with. She has strict instructions that she is NOT allowed to tell anyone where he is groomed. The dog is the sweetest little boy ever though!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Anonymous,
    LOL, I have also had those darn printouts from the internet. AND the comments about groomers not knowing how to groom Doodles. My answer to them is..."since Doodles are a mix of two different breeds of dog and come in several different hair types, there are several different ways to groom them. I groom Doodles the way the pet owners wants." I say this very nicely but firmly. (Don't tell me I don't know how to groom a dog) I try to get them to understand that there is no set way to groom a Doodle, and that they should groom it to fit THEIR lifestyle.
    I can only imagine what that Australian Doodle must look like. If I saw that dog walking down the street, I would be waiting for him to fall on his face from the weight of the hair left only on his head. :)
    Lisa,MFF

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  8. I groom a goldendoodle that is over 110lbs, and head is taller than my waist line. I love love love him sooo much!!! I've been grooming him since 8mos old and he's always been perfect. Just dopey. He's taller than the table and he pretends he can't jump up, and makes me lift him up every time all while I'm laughing at him. I wish I could post a picture of him for you to see!

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  9. Oh, I wish I could see him too! :)
    Lisa, MFF

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  10. Do you possibly have an email I could send a picture of my giant doodle to?

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  11. You can e-mail me at

    furryfriendpets@yahoo.com

    Lisa, MFF

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    Replies
    1. will do, I well be sending it through my phone though, no computer

      Delete
  12. My goldendoodle has a texture of hair that my groomer, who I adore, says is perfect. She never had any mats, but a few tiny snarls of hair on the surface once in awhile. My groomer encourages me to keep her long and fluffy. The hair acts as a natural ventilation system and keep her cool. My vet and my groomer both told me this, as well as that they should never be less than an inch because their skin is very sensitive and easily burnt. She will be getting a shorter cut for the summer because she will be in our pool a lot, but that is the only reason. Your doodle clients should find a groomer that doesn't talk trash about them online.

    ReplyDelete