How to Groom a Goldendoodle the Right Way Yourself

Hello, my name is Valerie and I am the proud owner of a Doodle, Bentley who is a Clumberdoodle.

However, my friend is the owner of a Goldendoodle. We were talking about grooming our furry friends and she said that she was really not sure of how to groom her Goldendoodle herself, so ended up taking him to the groomer most of the time.

I decided that I would find out more about grooming a Goldendoodle for her and have found out some very interesting things.

Bentley, also being a Doodle, does not shed badly but I have found that he needs to be brushed every day. I do this just to remove the dead hair. It also helps to keep his fur from matting.

So let’s take a look at how to groom a goldendoodle the right way yourself!

Why do You Need to Groom a Goldendoodle?

If you thought that having a Goldendoodle meant having a dog that is low maintenance, think again. Even if you always take your pooch to the groomer, like my friend, you still need to carry out a maintenance programme at home.

This includes brushing and combing every day. It is a good idea to make this a part of your own daily routine. If you do it at a certain time every day, both of you will get used to it.

If your Goldendoodle is groomed often you may only need to give him a bath every few months. Puppy Doodle’s should only be taken for a first full clip down at the age of about 6 months, and this is because that is when the adult fur will start to grow in and replace the fluffy puppy coat.

One thing I have found out is that it is important that your Doodle does not get mats in his fur. This is actually quite painful as the knots become tighter and will soon hurt his skin. This is the reason why he may scratch more often.

I know that mats are very difficult to get rid of, so it is important that they are taken care of right away.

How to Groom Your Goldendoodle Yourself

There are several steps which need to take place when you do this yourself.

Plan on taking at least an hour, possibly longer, particularly if you are going to bath your pooch.

When I take Bentley to the groomer for a full groom (including the bath) he spends 2 hours with them, so make sure you have the time to do a complete job.

Brush Your Goldendoodle Thoroughly

To keep your dog mat free, you need to thoroughly brush him at least three times a week. Even with doing this, you may still find mats which can be difficult to brush out. These you will need to trim to prevent them from getting any bigger. A daily brush should keep them under control.

The earlier you can start to brush your pup, the sooner he will become accustomed to the routine.

The best brush to use is a slicker brush. There is a technique with this brush. If you start at the bottom of his back and work upwards you will manage to see any knots.

Check out the K9KONNECTION Self Cleaning Slicker Brush for Dogs if you don’t have one already!

Try to lift the fur with your left hand and brush down and away with your right hand.

By doing this you are actually lifting the fur up and brushing it in rows. You are also getting right down to the skin line, not just brushing the top layer.

Make sure that you do the parts that are underneath like his armpits and tail. It is easy to forget these, and they will soon knot up. In the beginning grooming the dog may be the work of two people as with my friend and I when we groomed her pooch. I held him still so that she could reach all the areas.

If there are any knots which do not brush out this way, you may have to snip them out. Don’t be tempted to use the kitchen scissors for this as they are way too large and could hurt your dog. Grooming scissors are inexpensive things to buy, and well worth having a pair if you groom your dog yourself.

So, after you have successfully de-matted your dog, you should then use a metal pin brush to comb his fur out. The brush should easily go through his fur. If not, check again for any mats and remove them.

Shave Your Goldendoodle

Simply because the fur of a Goldendoodle tangles so easily, you will have to shave certain parts of the body. Even if you plan on keeping the coat long, it is still important to shave the belly and genital area. You should also shave about one inch below the ear canal. This will allow air to flow freely.

If you leave these areas, the matting that happens there will increase and there is a greater risk of skin infections in these sensitive areas.

There are several types of dog shaver that you can buy which will not make too much noise and alarm your pooch.

Removing Your Goldendoodle’s Ear Hair

Before you bath your Goldendoodle you will need to trim and pluck the hair from inside his ears. The hair that grows in the ear canal poses a great risk of infection and provides a great home for ear mites.

Bentley had ear mites once and believe me, it is not a nice thing for a dog. Not only is the ear itchy beyond words, but they are very hard to completely remove, so it is well worth keeping on top of them.

You can either pluck the hair with your finger and thumb or invest in a pair of tweezers which in my opinion make things a lot easier. They slip less than your fingers, so you get the hair out in one movement.

You should only pluck small amounts of hair at a time, and only pull out the inner ear hair. Pulling small amounts at a time is a lot less painful for your dog than yanking away at large clumps, so be firm and quick in your movements and before you know it, the ears will look all clean.

After you have cleaned up those ears, you can put a cotton wool ball into them and then head for the bath. This will should help to keep the bath water out of his ears.

Once you have bathed your pooch, remember to take the cotton balls out.

How to Bath Your Goldondoodle

If you are bringing a pup home, you may want to wait at least a week before you bath him.

This just gives the pup a chance to get to know you and trust you.

Better not to put too much stress on the poor little thing, let him settle down first.

1. Be prepared.

The best way to do this is to assemble all you need before you start. Make sure that the bathroom is warm and there are no draughts. You dog can catch a cold if things are too draughty and he is wet. So, get together dog shampoo and conditioner, a plastic jug to rinse, the hairdryer, and of course towels.

I have learned that you can never get enough towels ready so make sure you have plenty of them. I know the bathroom here after I bath Bentley looked like the water pipe has burst, with towels mopping up the floor and drying the dog.

2. Into the bath.

Because your Goldendoodle comes from two breeds that both love water, I very much doubt that you will have a problem getting him into the bath. I know that Bentley is ready to leap in as soon as the water starts flowing.

I have found that the easiest way to wet Bentley down is to use the shower head. Luckily, we have one that is over our bath. I get the temperature just right and then get him in the bath. I can then use the shower in my hand to wet him completely.

3. Shampoo.

I shampoo him as soon as he is completely wet and rub it in to make a good lather before starting to rinse him off. Pay attention to cleaning between his toes and under his chin.

Basically, all places I cannot see get an extra rub to make sure they are clean. Once I am sure he is all clean, I start to rinse him off.

4. Conditioner.

If you use a conditioner with your dog apply it now and work it in well with your fingers before rinsing off.

5. Rinse off completely.

It is important that all shampoo and conditioner is rinsed out, otherwise you may find he gets an irritated area on his skin.

6. Drying your Doodle.

If possible, keep him in the bath while you drain the water. This will save the floor from being flooded. Towel dry your pooch as best you can in the bath, then have him come out and stand on another towel while you continue.

Now is a good time to turn on the dryer and start to blow dry your pooch. Make sure that you constantly test the temperature on your own hands and arms, so you don’t burn him.

If you don’t have a good dryer for you pooch check out the SHELANDY 3.2HP Stepless Adjustable Speed Pet Hair Force Dryer

Also, never keep the hot air flow in one spot for any length of time as it will burn him.

Moving with a forward and backward motion, dry your pooch until the bottom area is dry to touch. Use your fingers to open up the fur and dry it completely.

You should only brush in the direction of the growth, and it is a good idea to start at his head and ears, then work down to his back and belly area, and finally his legs and tail.

You should check to make sure that he is dry all over because wet hair will quickly become matted if left to dry naturally.

Once your dog is completely dry then comb him again.

Combing and Trimming your Goldendoodle

After you have completely dried your dog you should then brush him again. This will give you the opportunity to get rid of any remaining mats or knots.

An important point here is that you never, ever ruffle the fur of a Goldendoodle, this will cause more tangles. Use your fingers to loosen the fur, and don’t use a rubbing action with the towel, you should pat your dog dry.

Start at the head and use the grooming scissors on the top of his head to trim hair to the length you want. You can also use the electric clippers and a long comb attachment to work through the fur. Do the sides of his face first, two swipes on each side should do this.

Then take the scissors over the eyes. Don’t leave this too short or it won’t blend in with the rest of the face.

If you don’t have scissors to trim your pooch, check out the Gimars Heavy Duty Titanium Coated Stainless Steel Pet Grooming Trimmer Kit.

Using the clippers with 1” attachment start at his neck, back and sides and work down in the same direction as the fur grows. You can change direction over the back and sides to get the cut even.

Sop at about an inch above the elbows of his legs and change to the shorter blade. Use this attachment to swipe down his legs, and make sure that the legs are all the same length.

You can then use a comb and scissors to trim any hair you’ve missed.

Final touches

This is really important. It is when you clean up the inside of the ears.

Take your time here and do a good job, this will help prevent ear infections and mites.

Make sure that the ears are clean, with no black signs of mites, and that the fur is shaved off right away from the ear canal.

Keep Your Sense of Humour

Grooming your Goldendoodle will prove to be a very rewarding task, although – and I base this on my own dear, sweet Bentley – the bathroom looks a right mess!

I make sure I wear old clothes and a pile of towels. I know I will use every single one of them to get the dog and the floor dry.

If your pooch is slightly nervous of water, you will need to keep talking to him to keep him calm.

Also, make sure that he is warm when he is out of the bath. A nervous pooch will start to shiver and need to be warmed up as soon as you can.

I’ve also learned that a handful of treats help the situation a lot! As a human, you should be prepared to take full responsibility for this evil punishment that you inflict on your pooch, lots of grovelling and creeping, lots of treats and cuddles and he may just possibly forgive you by evening!

Final Thoughts

So, what I’ve learned about grooming a Goldendoodle is to be completely ready before you start to groom him. Have all your tools and towels at hand.

Start with a good brushing, and then shave the areas that need it. Pluck the hair from the ears and make sure that they are free from mites.

Into the bath we go for a shampoo and condition. Rinse well and dry completely before starting to trim the coat.

Pay attention to the hair between the toes and make sure that the ears are shaved to an inch below the opening.

Then, after the whole grooming experience, it is a good time to give your furry friend some delicious treats (you could bake these yourself) and take some pics of your beautiful pooch.

Pop them up on Facebook and wait for compliments to pour in. You may even get some orders to groom other Goldendoodles!

Hopefully that’s helped you to groom your goldendoodle the right way by yourself! If you have any questions, leave them below!