SHOULD I CLIP DOWN MY GOLDENDOODLE?

A pet owner asks: I was just wondering --- If you had a VERY matted doodle -- that had a coat more like a poodle than a golden -- and you lived in south carolina -- would you go ahead and shave him down once to 'clean' him up...??Or can a professional groomer get Mattes out unlike us amatuers?Also -- it will be his first shaving -- he still has his puppy coat. Wil his puppy coat be different from the next coat that grows in?THANKS!

BBird responds: Jim, it's Shaving Time, regardless of where you live. Once a coat is "very matted" it is not worth the effort and money it would cost to save the coat. First of all, it can be rough on the dog and on the groomer. Your dog has many more groomings ahead, there is no hair worth souring his/her attitude toward grooming. Also, my experience has been that even a master dematter like myself will do so much coat damage in breaking apart matting that the coat will mat easier more profusely after an extensive dematting. The clip down is inevitable, you might buy some time, but for what? Do it now and save the dog and groomer. The new coat will be his adult coat, and it should be a little easier to maintain.

Many doodles go through this matting phase. It is due to the mixed nature of the coat, which is a challenge to maintain in many individual dogs, especially when they are transitioning between puppy and adult coat. You will get the adult coat when it grows back in.When I have to clip down, I like to wet clip, which often enables me to use a bigger blade and leave more length. Here is a picture of "Cowboy" a goldendoodle that I clipped down five weeks ago. He doesn't look too bad.



I had groomed Cowboy two times previous to his clip down and done some moderate dematting. On his third visit, it was clear that we had backslid into a worsened matted state, especially on the inside of the legs and under the chest. Although the dog is very tolerant and the coat actually comes apart rather easily, it was clear that we were on a downhill slide with the matting. I clipped him after the bath and conditioning with the coat very wet, using mostly a #4F blade. On the worst areas, I switched to a #5. He did not look terrible, and in this photo five weeks later, he looks pretty good. (I think). The owners are very happy. There was no matting at all this time, and I just evened it up. Cowboy is cool! He is also a giant Goldendoodle. I would almost wonder if there wasn't an Irish Wolfhound in the woodshed.