How to avoid the doodle shave Down

Jersey Man

If you own a curly haired dog, especially a poodle or doodle, you know how much upkeep their hair needs to stay pristine. If you’re considering getting a curly haired dog, here’s some information that is good to know, and it involves brushing!

We’ve all seen the videos about people sending their dog to the groomers only to have them come back looking like some kind of naked mole rat because they were shaved down short. This is almost always because the dog had severe enough mating that they needed to start fresh. It happens!

The best way to avoid ever having your dog shaved is consistent brushing! Some dogs may only need brushing once a week or less, but this is not the case with your doodle or poodle. They need brushing every 1-3 days to ensure their coat stays mat free!

So does this mean every day, or every 3 days? Well that really depends on their lifestyle (swimmer, hiker, mountain dog, etc.) and their specific coat. If you’re brushing every 3 days and notice it’s tough to brush the next time, try doing it more often then.

The most important piece of advice I can give for brushing your doodle/poodle is to make sure you’re brushing all the way to the skin! If you’re only brushing the top layer of hair, you’re not really brushing it through and will end up with mats at the skin level.

You’ll absolutely need a slicker brush (https://amzn.to/4tNFDXH) and fine tooth comb (https://amzn.to/4a8DEpR) for this.

To ensure you’re reaching the base of the coat, lift the hair in sections starting at the bottom, take your slicker brush and brush backwards. If you can’t see the skin, it’s not the base of the coat. To finish this off, ensure you can get your fine tooth comb through the entire coat. Do this every 1-3 days, and you can avoid the need for a shave down!

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