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Informtion on how to groom your Labradoodle

DBT highly recommends the How To Professionally Groom Your Dog At Home ebook when learning to groom your dog or pet.

The Labradoodle has either a wool coat or a fleece coat. The wooly coat is very tightly curled. The fleece coat can be wavy or curly but the curls grow into spirals. Both of these coats are non-shedding, single-layer, and odourless. This dog needs frequent brushing to prevent painful matting.

Tools: Slicker, razor comb, spray bottle of water

Use the slicker to brush out mats daily. Spray with water afterwards to diminish frizz and get back curl shape.

Line brushing consists of holding hair up and out of the way and then brushing/detangling a small amount of hair, a line or row, at a time from underneath.

Always work from the inside out on a coat and from the bottom to the top of the hair.

Brace the skin of your dog with one hand while working on knots. Pay special attention to ears, elbows, side coat and mid thigh areas.

You should always brush in the direction of hair growth.

Use the razor comb when your Labradoodle goes through its coat change from puppy to adulthood. The coat will not shed so you'll need to help pull out the old coat.

Eyes: Check your dog's eyes daily.

Debris is flushed to the corners of the eyes and daily wiping with a wet cloth or paper towel can prevent the build up of bacteria.

Trim hair around the eyes. Never cut its long eyelashes: these help to keep its hair out of its eyes.

Ears: Check frequently; this dog's ears tend to get infected.

Your dogs ears should be pink and healthy inside. If not, don't do anything to them until you see a vet. Keeping your dogs' ears clean minimizes odour, removes dirt, bacteria and mites trapped in wax. Never use a cotton swab on the inner ear.

Tools: cotton wool balls or soft cloth and ear solution.

There are solutions made specifically for dogs but substitutes include: hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, mineral oil, witch hazel, and tea tree oil.

Place a few drops of ear solution in ear and rub and massage to loosen wax. Swab out with cotton wool balls or cloth.

Ear Hair Plucking: Every two weeks.

Your Labradoodle has hair growing into the ear canal. This can prevent the canal from drying properly, trapping bacteria, and causing fungal infections.

Tools: Tweezers, powder, chalk, rubber gloves all optional.

Lift the dog's ear and lay it back. Grasp the hair along the inside of the ear between thumb and forefinger and then pull firmly. This hair should come out easily.

Use tools to help grip slippery hair.

Teeth: Regularly.

80% of 3 year old dogs have periodontal disease. Cavities and gum disease are painful for your dog; they diminish its pleasure and ability to eat. Bacteria that develops can infect the heart, kidney, liver and brain. Really bad breath is usually a sign of gum disease.

Tools: Toothbrush/finger cap/cloth, doggie toothpaste, tooth scraper.

Never use human toothpaste. It is not edible.

Starting this dog off with this practice takes patience. Reward it constantly, no matter what its behavior to get it used to grooming.

Start off by getting it used to its mouth being handled.

Progress to touching the teeth with your finger.

Get some meat-flavoured toothpaste and apply with your finger.

Then introduce the brush. Clean a few teeth at a time and soon you will have a routine that takes just minutes.

Brush in a circular motion and get under the gum line.

If you don't want to brush everyday, use a tooth scraper once or twice a month to get rid of the build up of plaque. It accumulates mostly on the outside of the teeth and on the back molars. This won't be much fun for your or your dog though. Lots of bones and hard, crunchy foods can minimize plaque but not to a truly effective degree.

Nails: Every two weeks.

Nails that aren't trimmed can splinter and infect the quick or grow and curl into the flesh. This can be painful for your dog to walk on. It will affect its gait, posture, and eventually it's skeletal and ligament health. Nails should never touch the ground. When your dog is standing its nails should rest above the ground. If you hear clicking on the kitchen floor, clipping is overdue.

Tools: Doggie Nail Clippers (scissors, pliers, guillotine), Dremel or file, Styptic or Kwikstop.

Introducing your dog to nail clipping should start off by getting it used to its paws being handled. Stroke, touch and play with your dog's paws whenever you are giving it affection.

Getting it used to the Dremel is your best bet to avoid clipping altogether.

Sit beside your dog so that you are clipping from underneath and at the right angle.

Lift the paw and press on it to expose the claw.

If it has a clear nail you should be able to see the quick: a dark bundle of nerves and blood vessels. Clip from underneath close to the quick but do not cut into it. If you do, your dog will soon let you know. Use Styptic pencil or Kwikstop to staunch the bleeding.

Buff the ragged edge with a file or Dremel.

If it has a dark nail, clip just under the curve of the nail and then you will be able to look inside and see the quick if you look close enough. Clip using tiny snips at a time.

Don't forget to check for dewclaws: an extra claw dogs may have farther up on the leg that works like a thumb. It is better to clip your dog's nails frequently as this encourages the quick to recede farther away from the tip.

Paws: Check daily/Trim every two weeks.

It is very important to Check between your dogs pads for foreign objects that may have wedged there and check the pads themselves for cuts, scrapes and infection.

Tools: Small, blunt scissors, slicker brush or comb.

The Labradoodle has hair that grows between its pads. This hair can mat and trap bacteria, besides becoming painful to walk on.

Trim hair around the paws to keep them clean. Only do this when the dog is standing on the paw.

Push the feathers growing on top of the foot down through the toes and trim to pad level. Lift the paw and from the back, brush out the hair and trim to pad level.

Push feathers back up through the toes and trim from the top.

Hygienic trimming: 2 to 4 weeks.

Tools: Blunt-nosed scissors, Thinning Shears, Electric clippers

Trimming at the front of ears, under the tail and around the privates keeps your dog feeling better as well as keeping it and your house cleaner.

Expressing Glands: Every 2 to 4 weeks

This is a task normally done when you take your dog in for professional grooming. Your dog uses scent glands in the anus to mark its territory.

These glands also excrete when your dog defecates. At times, they may get impacted. Signs of this include: increased doggie odour, excessive licking and chewing of the behind and worst of all, scooting (when your dog drags its bottom along the floor or carpet).

There is no risk of overly expressing these glands so it's best to get accustomed to doing it regularly as it will lessen dog odour.

Tools: Warm cloth

Lift the dog's tail and hold the cloth against it's behind. Place your fingers at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock and press inward and squeeze to expel.

Bathing: As needed

The Labradoodle does not need regular bathing. Their coat has natural oils to moisturize their skin and keep them resistant to dirt and water. Stripping these oils with frequent bathing dries out the skin and ruins the texture of their protective coat.

A rubdown with a damp towel can remove dirt and sponge cleaning of the face, legs ruff and tail is also a possibility.This coat has no odour unless it has been over bathed.

Bathing a few times a year is usually adequate.

Tools: Non-slip mat, sprayer hose, dog shampoo, leash, towels.

Choose a place where you can block escape routes and expect 1-3 water-spraying shakes.

A leash tied to a higher point than your dog's head will keep it standing and prevent it from escaping. This is highly recommended as it's really difficult to hold a slippery dog.

Never bathe your dog in standing water and never use human shampoo.

If you choose to bathe your Labradoodle outside, attach the hose to the tap of your kitchen sink for warm water.

Grooming salons often offer self-service use of their well-equipped facilities.

Wet your dog using your hand so as to massage and lift the hair to get to the undercoat.

Avoid getting water into the eyes, nose and ears.

Cotton wool can be stuffed into the ear canal to deter water.

Massage lather down to undercoat.

Rinse thoroughly as leftover shampoo can severely dry out and irritate your pet's skin.

Rinse and squeeze off excess water by running your hands along its body and pressing down gently.

Dry with a towel.

Blow-dry and brush.

The Salon Treatment:

It is common to clip and trim the Labradoodle.

Tools: Straight scissors, slicker, comb, electric clippers, #7 blade and comb

Make sure the coat is free of mats.

With the scissors, trim the beard, and around the eyes.

The muzzle hair should not part and fall to the sides: trim it so that there is hair all around.

Use either the scissors or the clipper and comb to trim hair down to acceptable level.