Goldendoodle Haircut Styles

Goldendoodle Haircuts | Puppy cut grooming

Goldendoodle haircut styles and grooming your Goldendoodle puppy are always a topic of discussion among Goldendoodle owners. On this page, we hope to give you ideas for those haircuts as well as how to groom your puppy at home in between professional groomings, including the popular ‘puppy cut grooming.’ You may even decide to try your hand at a goldendoodle haircut yourself! Even if you mess up, the hair will grow back. As a Goldendoodle breeder, we usually do our grooming, and you can too.

Goldendoodles are a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle. The higher the percentage of poodles, the more likely your dog will have a curlier coat. Many will also have a wavy coat and then you will also find some that even have a straight coat. Before we talk about haircuts, let’s discuss what it takes to groom a Goldendoodle. To find out more about Goldendoodles visit this page

Tools of the Trade

Before you start grooming your Goldendoodle you need to get a few tools. These tools will be used in your weekly grooming. If you want to try your hand at doing full haircuts, there are a few more that you will need. To get started you will need a good steel comb, a great slicker brush (we like the Chris Christensen Big G) shampoo, and nail clippers unless you are having a groomer bathe your puppy and trim its nails.

Many people are afraid to cut puppy nails but at Mi-de-doodles we have been cutting their nails weekly and most of our puppies are very willing to allow you to do it. Keeping their nails short, so they don’t tap on the floor, is important. Long nails can be uncomfortable and also because the foot doesn’t land properly on the ground it can cause arthritis. Long nails may also get torn or split causing your dog unnecessary pain. If you will spend time a couple of times a week, minimum, grooming your puppy, not only will their coat not get matted, but your dog will be easier to groom as an adult.

Getting the hair clean and smooth is essential before Goldendoodle haircuts can be done.

Grooming Method

Before you give much thought to goldendoodle haircut styles you first need to make sure you are keeping up with regular grooming. Be aware that there are some special areas to pay attention to. Be sure you have combed well behind the ears, the muzzles and beard, armpits where the leg meets the body and around the base of the tail. Forgetting these areas may mean your dog will need shaved in the future. When combing, remember that a mat left behind will get bigger. And to a dog it feels like a ponytail that is too tight so let’s take our time and do and effective job at grooming.

1. Starting with the back leg, finger part a small section of hair and brush with the slicker brush until smoothe. Keep parting and work up the leg until you are at the body. Make sure to work on the top and bottoms of feet as well. Once you think it’s all brushed out, use the comb and make sure you get down to the skin and comb through. The goal is to have the comb go smoothely through the coat. If you find any mats, use a little cornstarch and work it in to the mat and then comb again.

2. Using the same method do the entire body and the other three legs. You will do the head next. Be careful to get right up to back of the ear where it meets the head. It is very common to develop mats in this area. Use same procedure as for the body. Also make sure you comb the inside hair on the ears. To continue grooming the muzzle you can brush and comb all hair forward first and the comb it back in place.

3. We use ear cleaner on a cotton ball to clean out the inside of our dog’s ears. Doodles are prone to ear infections (we have never had a single one) so please clean and keep ears dry as possible. If you notice the ear has a funky smell or dog shaking it’s head, it could be the start of an ear infection.

4.Next is clipping the nails. Even if the dog nails aren’t excessively long, we still clip nails weekly. Even if we only do a few nails and take off a tiny amount, this keeps them acclimated to this part of puppy grooming. As they get older you may do this less often. Hold the foot firmly when cutting the nail. You want to take just the tip of the nail off to avoid cutting too short-especially if they have black nails. If they have white nails, don’t cut up to where the nail turns pink or you’ll be cutting in to the quick. If you have a bleeding nail you can dip it in kwik stop or some flour.

5. We like to finish with Cowboy Magic Super Body Shine. This keeps their coat looking nice and also helps it repel dirt.

6. If you are bathing your dog, you need to brush it prior to bathing to prevent the hair from matting further. Use a gentle shampoo and only bathe every 6-8 weeks to prevent hair from drying out. We also use a dryer made for drying dogs. A dog that is completely dry won’t get the “wet dog” smell. Once the dog is dry, brush it again. This won’t take long as you have already removed mats prior to bathing. We love the Shelandy Groomer Partner dryer for around $80 on Amazon. It is such a great way to prepare for goldendoodle haircuts.

For more tips on brushing and combing properly this youtube video is very helpful.

CUTE CUTS

Goldendoodles take a fair amount of grooming to keep them looking their best. But they also need bathing as well as professional grooming too. So let’s take a look at some of the goldendoodle haircuts. Keep in mind, the best thing to do is a take a picture of the cut that you want. What a “puppy cut” is to you may be completely different than what the groomer sees in her mind.

1. Puppy Cut

The traditional puppy cut

involves trimming the hair to an even length over the entire body which gives them a fluffy and adorable appearance. This is a very popular goldendoodle haircut style. There is no industry standard on what the length is so it’s very important you have a conversation with your groomer. Most groomers will use a length of 1-2″ but by definition of one length all over you could find that your dog has been shaved! That is, afterall, “one length all over”. You may want to ask for a puppy goldendoodle haircut all over the body while leaving face long. Or, if your puppy likes to get muddy, you may want to ask them to cut the feet short. Hold your fingers against your puppy to show the groomer how long you want their coat.

2. Lamb Cut. The lamb cut involves cutting the legs and body very short.

This is a great cut for the summertime and is very easy to maintain. If you are ready to cut down on grooming during the busy warmer months, then one of these goldendoodle haircuts may be perfect for you. These very short goldendoodle haircut styles give the puppy a very cool, clean look.

If you want to try this cut yourself, get yourself a good set of clippers and a blade that will cut your puppy to 1/2″-3/4″. You tube videos will give you encouragement to give it a try. The thing that we have found most important is to keep fluffing the fur on your dog in the opposite direction it grows and then run the clippers over it again. You may have to do this several times to get a very smoothe cut. Start with the body and belly and move down to the legs. Finish up with the head. Again, there are many youtube videos to show you the proper techniques for this goldendoodle haircut style.

3. Teddy Bear Cut

The Teddy Bear Cut is often what people associate with goldendoodle haircuts. This is a haircut that will give your goldendoodle dog that cute fluffy appearance. It takes a skilled groomer to do this cut well as it involves a great deal of scissor work.

Make sure you ask to see some pictures of their work or ask for a referral from another doodle owner who get teddy bear cuts. This goldendoodle haircut style will also require more upkeep so you can expect a grooming visit every 4 weeks or so to maintain it. The Teddy Bear cut has soft rounded edges. Ears, cheeks and even the paws will all be rounded. Make sure you brush daily to maintain the look.

These are just a few of the goldendoodle haircuts that you can get. You can do a summer cut, dinosaur cut and mohawk just to name a few. Talk to your groomer about what your goals are. e.g low maintenance, show stopping, head turning or just a dog that is so cute that everyone wants to pet her.

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(Please note that these are not our puppies. Just some examples of different goldendoodle haircut styles)

Mi-De-Doodles

Goldendoodles, Labradoodles and Bernedoodles