How to Groom a Goldendoodle: The Best Practices to Groom a Curly Dog Coat

Goldendoodles are very interesting crossbreed dogs. They physically carry many traits from the two breeds that make up their genetics (the Poodle and the Golden Retriever), making them a highly sought-after designer breed. Golden Doodle dogs are very easy to identify because they appear strangely tall golden Poodle dogs. Their face shape is also different, boring the Golden Retriever’s wider shape rather than the Poodle’s pointed snout.

Because of their fur type and inherited health issues, grooming and maintenance of this breed should be one of the top concerns of any pet parent.

Basic Goldendoodle Information

Where Did the Goldendoodle Come from?

Goldendoodles were thought to have been originally bred sometime between the late 1960s and the 1990s to be used as guide dogs. The breed’s exact origin is unknown, but we know that marketing for the breed started in the 1990s after the Labradoodle gained popularity. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the year the breed appeared because there aren’t any records of the first Goldendoodle. What we do know for sure is that they were bred in the United States.

This designer crossbreed dog can vary in size somewhat because of the difference between Poodles and Golden Retrievers. The best guess a breeder will have of the height a litter may reach will be by examining the litter’s parents to create an average. It also depends on the type of Poodle genetics in the mix because some Goldendoodles are created from breeding Golden Retrievers and Miniature Poodles.

Also known as a “Groodle”, this canine hardly sheds, so you won’t be finding masses of loose hair around your home. Though there are no truly hypoallergenic dogs, the Goldendoodle is considered a safer breed for people with allergies.

How to Groom a Goldendoodle

While grooming your Goldendoodle’s thick coat, you should remember that their skin needs to be treated gently. Dogs with curly hair often get debris trapped in their fur, irritating their skin. Groom your dog regularly to avoid medical mishaps like skin lesions, which can lead to infections.

Tip #1: Your dog’s skin can get irritated easily. Use natural products with little to no chemicals, and be gentle when brushing them.

Best Goldendoodle Grooming Tools

• A slicker brush can help prevent a matted Goldendoodle coat.
• A Greyhound comb can help you separate your dog’s hair and lift their coat for a neater finish.
• Thinning shears to thin out thicker and more awkward parts of your dog’s coat.
• Curly coat dog shampoo.
• Detangler.
• Dog clippers and scissors.
• Towels.
• A collar with leash attachment to keep your dog in one place while they’re being groomed.

Tip #2: You don’t need expensive tools to groom a dog’s wavy coat. Always look for reviews for any product you buy and consider shopping around.

How to Cut Goldendoodle Hair

Need to start trimming Goldendoodle hair? Many dog owners aren’t sure where to start in the face of a curly coat. Shaving your dog using dog clippers may seem excessive, and you may not want to spend money on a groomer. Where possible, going to a groomer is the better choice, but it’s not always applicable. Whether the reason is time management, finances, or something else.

If you find an affordable groomer and have time to take your pup, watch how the groomer takes care of your puppy. You can attempt to emulate this at home, though it may take some trial and error. Remember to start small, you can always cut more hair off, but you can’t put it back on.

A pair of grooming scissors are a great addition to any household with a curly-haired dog. Scissors will allow you to cut the hair around your dog’s features and trim their paw hair.

How to Trim a Goldendoodle Face

This is where you’ll need to be extremely careful and patient with your dog.

Start grooming using dog clippers to trim the hair on your dog’s face and head. You can use clippers on their entire face, but be careful not to spend too long clipping because the clippers can get hot.

The clippers won’t complete the necessary face grooming, though. After clipping, switch to dog scissors and trim your dog’s muzzle (around your dog’s mouth). Doing this will help prevent debris from building up in this area.

At this point, you can move on to trimming the hair around your dog’s eyes to help keep their vision clear.

While grooming your Goldendoodle, remember to give them little rewards in the form of treats and let them take a break if they need to.

Tip #3: Remember to point the scissors away from your dog’s eyes when trimming.

How to Brush a Goldendoodle

Brushing your Goldendoodle’s teddy bear coat may take some getting used to. Brushing a dog’s hair with a straight coat is as simple as can be, but a wavy or curly coat can be challenging. This is because the curly coat type is more prone to matting and tangled.

A slicker brush can help, but you should also use a detangling spray or curly dog shampoo if you’re bathing and brushing your dog on the same day. Grooming dogs is a learning curve, especially for the dog owner that doesn’t have a grooming table or professional groomer tools.

Take the time to learn about your dog’s coat type and how to groom a Goldendoodle. It may take more than one grooming session with a professional groomer for you to pick up enough grooming tips to groom your dog without assistance.

Tip #4: Don’t start in the middle of your dog’s coat; try to force the brush through your pup’s coat. Start at the ends to gently work knots out.

How to Clean Goldendoodle Ears

You don’t need to go to the vet or a groomer to clean your dog’s ears, which is great because they need cleaning often. Doggy ears need to be checked regularly, especially if you have a pup with floppy ears. All kinds of debris, bacteria, and the like can get into them, and the last thing your Goldendoodle grooming needs is an ear infection.

Longer, droopy ears get less air, which allows moisture to get trapped in them. Along with bacteria from debris, this can then create an infection. Ear mites are also an issue.

What you’ll need to clean your dog’s ears:

• Cotton wool pads (not cotton buds/Q-tips)
• Dog ear cleaner
• A towel
• Treats
• A helper

With your helper to distract your dog and help keep them still and treats to reinforce the experience as something positive, you can begin to clean your pup’s ears.

Start by examining their ear canal and the surrounding area for redness, discharge, or strange smells. These can be irritation or an infection, and we advise contacting your vet for help. Light-colored wax is normal.

Gently wipe the ear’s entrance with damp cotton wool to remove any excess wax and dirt build-up.

Insert the tip of the dog ear cleaner you purchased and use it as directed. Massage the base of the ear to help distribute the cleaner around the ear canal.

Wipe away the excess cleaner with damp cotton wool and repeat the process with the other ear.

Cutting Your Dog’s Nails

Nail trimming isn’t as scary as it seems. Dog owners often look up how to cut their dog’s nails and then back out of doing it when they realize it’s possible to cut wrong and injure your dog. What you need to do here is remember that it’s better to trim your dog’s nails a little than not at all.

It’s not easy to see the quick of the nail at first – this is the part of the nail you need to avoid when cutting them because it’s where the blood flow begins in your Goldendoodle’s nails. If you look closely at your dog’s nails, you’ll see where it looks like there’s something inside them, just a few millimeters from the end. Cut below this point, not above it.

Be sure to use an appropriate pet nail trimmer, not scissors or human nail clippers. Dog’s nails are a very different shape to ours, after all.

Tip #5: Ask your groomer or vet to show you where it’s safe to cut your dog’s nails.

Grooming a Goldendoodle Puppy

Your Goldendoodle puppy doesn’t need to be groomed until they reach 16 weeks. You’ll need to socialize your puppy first and get them used to be around people before any Golden Doodle grooming takes place.

Of course, still, check your puppy for ear infections, and occasionally check your dog’s teeth to ensure they’re growing in properly. There are two main Goldendoodle coat types: Wavy and curly. Your Goldendoodle’s coat type may not reveal itself immediately, but you’ll notice their fur changing as they grow. It is possible for dogs of this breed to have straight coats, but they aren’t as common because breeders try to breed these dogs with curly fur.

Whenever you’re worried about your puppy, seek pet medical advice from your vet. The Goldendoodle is known to have a few medical conditions, including a skin disease called Sebaceous Adenitis, Hip Dysplasia, Addison’s Disease, and eye conditions such as Cataracts and Glaucoma.

Grooming a Goldendoodle puppy is no different from grooming an adult of the breed. They just require a touch more patience when they’re young and wriggly.

Best Goldendoodle Haircut for New Owners

Photo by @lucaminidoodle

Though it’s best to find your dog’s style that suits their body, there is a simple style that suits most Goldendoodles.

• Feathered their tail, tapering the feathering towards the tail tip.
• Blend their body’s fur into the fur length on their legs.
• Loosely trim around the paws for a cute, rounded appearance.
• Leave their muzzle hair long but loosely shaped to give their face a boxy appearance.
• Keep the feathering of their ear fur even with their chin.
• Angle the back of their ear and trim it to their ear leather.
• Blend their ears into a top knot on their head.
• Trim a small notch between their eyes with clippers.