Australian Labradoodles Grooming Maintenance Tips & ALAA Video | USA | Canada | Saskatoon

 

Golden Rules for Maintaining your Australian Labradoodle

​

• Your puppy will not mat until such time as their puppy coat starts to blow and their adult coat comes in (this starts around 8 months and takes about 3 months).  This does not mean that you do not need to maintain your puppies coat!  You should start daily brushing with your Chris Christensen Big K slicker brush from day 1.  At this point, it is not about the coat, it is about your pup's familiarity with the process of being restrained and brushed.  Do a quick brush every day and a deep, thorough brushing once a week, ensuring that you are getting down to the skin (not just top brushing the hair).  Australian Labradoodles do not shed, but they do have hair fall, similar to humans.  When these loose hairs enter the coat, you need to ensure that you are brushing them free, or you will have mats.

• Your puppy MUST see a groomer before they are 16 weeks of age (Sensitive Period).  They will not need a full grooming, but they must have a grooming experience during this critical time.  Book them a bath, blow-out and trim of eyes, under the ear flaps, feet, sanitary and nail trim.

• How to Brush:  Brush to the skin, working from under the coat. Work from the feet up to the body and the tail to the head. Brush in the direction of the hair, but add small amounts of coat to each stroke.

• Watch for mats between the toes and trim them out so seeds don’t lodge there and then erode into the skin of the foot

• Your Australian Labradoodle does not need very frequent bathing.  They are not a stinky "dog smell" breed.  However, they should get a bath every 6-8 weeks, if you are not already having them groomed that often.  You need to ensure that you are getting all the shampoo out of the coat! (If you do not have good water pressure, you can use the tub facilities at many local pet stores).  Your Australian Labradoodle NEEDS conditioner (remember, it's like human hair).  Do not use a 2 in 1 Shampoo/Conditioner product.  You will not get the benefits of either the shampoo, or the conditioner.  Rinse the conditioner, but leave just the slightest amount behind.  Follow up by towel drying and a leave in conditioner spray (not a detangler).  Blow drying with a commercial dryer (again, available when you use the facilities at pet stores), will give your Doodle that gorgeous, fluffy, flowing coat that they are famous for.

• Never shampoo your dog when the coat is filthy, unless you want to felt the coat. Instead hose the dog down and then put the dog in its crate and wait for the mud to dry and drop out, follow up by deep brushing.

​

Below you will find a basic grooming demo for the Australian Labradoodle.  We hope that you find this video informative and helpful in grooming your Australian Labradoodle

​

Big Rock Labradoodles Grooming Video

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Trimming Your Dog’s Claws

 

Keeping your Labradoodle’s claws in check can be a daunting task, but it is absolutely necessary. You must trim your dog’s claws on a regular basis, usually once or twice a month. Don’t forget the dew claws on the inner side of the front paws! They are easily forgotten, but must be trimmed like every other nail. If you do not trim them, your dog much more likely to snag them on something and tear them. A torn dewclaw is a very painful thing for your dog and often results in a trip to the vet.

The frequency with which you trim your dog’s nails will vary depending on its lifestyle and activity level. If you are not comfortable trimming, or feel unprepared to do so, have a groomer or vet show you how.

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning Ears & Plucking Ear Hair

 

Cleaning your dog’s ears isn’t the world’s most entertaining job, but it should be part of your normal grooming routine. Your dog’s ear health depends on you. Infections come on quickly, and keeping your dog’s ears clean and dry is the best way to ward them off.

​

If you notice your dog scratching at his or her ears, or if you see redness in the ear or detect an unpleasant odor coming from the ear, your dog may have developed an ear infection. Visit your vet if you notice any of these symptoms, as cleaning alone won’t clear up the issue.

 

 Examining and cleaning ears, from the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. More terrific pictures!

 

For natural ear cleaner and treatment, IT’S FOR THE ANIMALS has wonderful information and a recipe for Blue Powder Ear Treatment you can make for holistic care of dog ears.

​

Big Rock Labradoodles Ear Cleaning and Plucking Video

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eye Care

 

Take these three simple steps to prevent eye infections in your dog. Regular cleaning and care is a must.

Keep hair trimmed away from your dog’s eyes using thinning shears. Hair that rubs against the eye can introduce bacteria, leading to infection.

​

Keep your dog’s eyes clean by using an eye wash or pads designed to wipe away debris and gunk.

Check your dog’s eyes regularly, and schedule an appointment with your vet if you detect any irregularities.

​

​

​

​