If your Labradoodle doesn’t shed, it means you will need to take the time to cut their coat to keep it from growing out too much. But while this gives you the opportunity for some pretty haircuts, if you’re taking them to a professional, it can be astn expense you don’t want to add to your monthly budget.

That’s one reason why so many Labradoodle owners decide to groom their Labradoodle themselves. But before you start, you’ll want to check out the following 10 tips and tricks in this Labradoodle grooming guide that can help your experience go as smoothly as possible.

The 10 Tips on How to Groom a Labradoodle

1. Take Your Time

We all have busy lives, and sometimes, giving your pup a haircut can just seem like another chore to knock off the list. And while you want to get the chore done and move on to the next thing, accidents happen when you’re trying to rush through it.

When you’re getting ready to cut your Labradoodle hair, we recommend allotting at least 2 hours from start to finish, and if it’s your first time you might want to play it safe by adding another hour. That might seem excessive, but once you factor in brushing, bathing, cutting, and cleaning up afterward, it’s not that crazy of a time requirement!

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2. Get a High-Quality Brush

When you’re cutting your dog’s hair, you don’t want to find knots and mats that you missed when you brushed them out. Not only does a high-quality brush help ensure you don’t miss any spots, but it also helps get the knots and mats out without completely pulling the hair out.

Consider it a one-time investment that will make it a lot easier to cut your Labradoodle fur and get the results you want.

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3. Get The Right Tools

Not only do you want the right brush, but you want to invest in high-quality clippers and all the other tools you’ll need to cut your pet’s hair. These tools include shears, clipper oil, a blade-cleaning solution, and anything else you deem necessary.

Moreover, consider your dog’s temperament when deciding what you need. If your dog is likely to try and run away during the clipping process, you might need to invest in some sort of retaining tool to keep them in place while cutting their fur.

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4. Bathe Your Labradoodle First

There are a couple of reasons you’ll want to take the time to bathe your Labradoodle before cutting their fur. First, it helps to ensure you get an even cut throughout the entire coat and helps to ensure there are no mats or knots for you to try and work through.

Moreover, it cleans their fur, which puts less wear and tear on your clippers and helps ensure a smoother cut. Giving them a bath before the cut is a small yet significant step that you should always take.

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5. Don’t Let the Ear Hair Hang Too Low

One area where many Labradoodle owners struggle is with the ears. But if you don’t cut close enough to the ears, the hair will mat or knot all the time. Ideally, you want the hair to hang somewhere between ½” and 1” down past the ear. Anything past that is asking for problems.

Take your time around their ears though because you don’t want to accidentally nick them with the clippers or scissors when cutting there.

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6. Brush Before and After the Bath

This is a small yet extremely useful tip to follow when grooming your Labradoodle. If you brush your Labradoodle before their bath, it increases the likelihood that you’ll get all mats out during the bath, and it’ll make it easier to completely clean their coat.

And once your Labradoodle gets out of the tub, you’ll want to brush them again to ensure all their fur lays the same way before you start grooming them.

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7. Play It Safe

If you’re wondering if you should clip their hair a bit shorter or their nails a bit closer, take it from us that you’ll want to play it safe. You can always go back and cut it shorter, but you can’t re-add hair you already cut off.

More importantly, you can’t go back and unhurt your pup. If your dog doesn’t have any negative memories attached to grooming, they’re likely to remain compliant, but if they’re scared that you’re going to nick them by accident, they’re more likely to act out.

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8. Reward Your Dog

You want to add as many positive memories to the grooming process as possible, and one of the easiest ways you can do this is by giving them a treat at the end. But if you’re struggling to keep your dog still and have a partner, you can give them treats throughout the grooming process.

However, you’ll only want to do this if you have a partner that can stay by their head the entire time. Otherwise, your pet will keep trying to turn around to look at you since you’re the one giving them the treats!

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9. Don’t Forget the Nails

When you’re taking the time to cut your dog’s hair, it’s the perfect time to take a look at their nails. Don’t cut their nails too short since they have nerve endings in them and they can bleed, but don’t let them grow too long either.

Once you get the hang of it, and if your dog is compliant, you should be able to trim their nails in about 15 minutes.

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10. Keep Their Coat in Mind

While we’d love to highlight a one-size-fits-all cut for your Labradoodle, the truth is that Labradoodles have a wide range of coat options. Because of this, it’s impossible to highlight exactly what would look best and what you should do for your Labradoodle.

Instead, you’ll need to take into consideration the type of coat your dog has and go from there. The good news is that once you find a cut that works for your Labradoodle you can stick with it and cut their hair the same way every time.

Conclusion

Now that you know a bit more about Labradoodles and how to groom them, all that’s left is for you to go out and get what you need to start! Getting the right equipment goes a long way in ensuring a smooth and successful experience, and getting the right stuff means it’ll last longer, often saving you more in the long run.

Get what you need and go at it with confidence. If you don’t like the look after the first time, take it as a learning experience and remember that it’s just hair and it’ll grow back!

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Featured Image Credit: Dikushin Dmitry, Shutterstock