Brushing and Combing Your Puppy
Brushing and combing: We recommend a Chris Christensen brush (about $70 on Amazon) and a metal comb. The brush is like a slicker brush but has longer and softer tines. You want to spend several evenings a week Line Brushing the hair and then combing afterwards to make sure there are no mats forming. Please look up Line Brushing on YouTube because it’s important to brush the hair all the way to the skin. I recommend working one area one night and then moving on to another area a different night. Please pay special attention to behind their ears, their “arm pits”, tail, etc. where mats like to form. Note that even if you want to keep your Doodle short, brushing their longer areas regularly is still important.
CLIPPER TRAINING: Please run the back side of an electric razor over the body, legs, feet, face, fanny, etc. to get your puppy used to the sound and vibration of clippers so that the clippers don’t scare your puppy at the groomers. Note that you are not clipping but letting them feel the vibration. This should be done weekly. NAILS: Please massage your puppy’s paws, toes, and nails often when you love on them. You can also trim their nails every 3 to 6 weeks or just ask the groomer to do it if you keep your puppy on a regular schedule.
EARS: Doodles are part Poodle therefore they can get ear infections often if you don’t maintain their ears. There is much disagreement whether plucking the hair inside their ears is necessary. Some Doodles don’t have a lot of hair in their ears so in those cases, just regularly clean them and don’t let them get wet when you’re bathing them. Some Doodles do have a lot of hair inside their ear and may need them plucked. We just grab a few and yank super fast. Some have wax buildup and will also need those covered hairs removed. Also ask your groomer to shave under the ears in such a way to help air flow. Moisture encourages yeast and bacteria. If your dog shakes his head and ears back and forth that’s your sign to clean them. There will also be a distinct odor if there’s a yeast infection. If you catch it early, you may avoid a vet visit. If the head shaking doesn’t stop, it’s time to see the vet.
SCHEDULE GROOMER APPOINTMENT: Groomers are very busy therefore calculate when it will be 2 weeks past your puppy’s last vaccination and schedule the appointment ASAP. Also ask if they have a puppy program. A puppy program has you coming in more often to get your puppy acclimated to the groomer. You want your puppy to like going to the groomers Therefore ask friends in your area for recommendations.
