Grooming your dog includes brushing his coat, bathing, eye and ear care, and nail trimming. Brushing teeth, while not an element of grooming, is an important part of keeping your dog healthy.

Brushing
Tools for brushing
Bathing
Eye care
Ear care
Trimming nails
Brushing teeth

Brushing

Since multigen Australian Labradoodles do not shed, the main purpose of brushing is to keep the coat clean and tangle-free, and to improve the effectiveness of the shampoo when bathing.

If your dog’s hair is getting matted (and even if not!), it can be helpful to spray on a detangling mist before brushing, as this will make the coat easier to brush and aid in working out any mats. (Be sure to use a pet product, not a human-hair detangler.)

When brushing, start at the head and work towards the tail. Working with the grain, use firm but gentle strokes. If you come to a tangle or mat, work at it gently, holding the hair below the matted area to avoid pulling the skin. A slicker brush is good for this. Take your time and if your dog shows discomfort, move on to a different area, or take a short break. Pulling through tangles and mats just hurts your dog and makes them dislike the grooming experience. The best way to avoid mats and tangles is to brush your dog frequently. With shorter hair brush at least once a week, and increase the frequency the longer the hair grows.

Note that your puppy will shed somewhat when its adult coat comes in at around 10-12 months of age. This is normal and simply indicates that the puppy is maturing; it does not mean there is anything wrong or that you have a Labradoodle that sheds on a regular basis.

Tools for brushing

There are three main types of brushes.

• Slicker brushes have fine wire bristles. They are likely the tool you will most often with your Labradoodle. They work well for removing mats and working out tangles.
• Wire-pin brushes are preferred for dogs with curly or woolly coats, especially if the hair is a bit longer. The pins are set relatively far apart and may or may not have rubber tips to them.
• Bristle brushes have clumps of bristles attached to a wooden or rubber backing. The longer the dog’s hair, the wider the spacing between the bristles and the longer they should be. These are used to smooth out the coat and make it look neat and tidy. They will be most useful on a very soft, fleece-coated Labradoodle. Relatively soft bristles will work with this type of coat.

Combs in two main varieties.

• Rubber curry combs can be used to give your dog a nice massage. It will feel nice and also help to work out dirt and some small tangles.
• A regular wide-toothed dog comb can be used after the curry comb to neaten the coat.

Bathing

While your puppy is still small you can use the bathroom or kitchen sink to bathe it. Once it is larger, a regular bathtub or laundry tub works better.

Do not use human-hair shampoo as it is harsher and does not have the correct pH balance your dog’s coat needs. It could end up damaging their hair or skin.

Fill the tub a few centimetres deep with lukewarm water. Too hot or cold and it will be uncomfortable for your pet and the shampoo will not be as effective. Soak your pet, using a bucket or dipper to pour water over their back and head. Apply a good quality pet shampoo to the coat and massage it in down to the skin, working from head to tail. Be careful not to get shampoo in the eyes. To wash the face, wipe it with a moistened shampoo-free washcloth.

Rinse thoroughly, taking care to get all the shampoo out. Pay attention to the groin, armpits, and between the toes. You may wish to apply a pet conditioner to help give your pet a soft and shiny coat.

To dry, first squeeze excess water out of the coat. If your dog’s coat is not too long, use a soft cotton towel to dry it off thoroughly, working from head to tail. If the hair is longer, be sure to brush it out either before or after drying (or both) to avoid tangles and mats. Keep your dog in a warm spot away from drafts (and dirt!) until its coat is dry. To aid the drying process if you dog’s coat is long, you can use a blowdryer set to warm (not hot!) while brushing the hair against the grain. Finish off by brushing with the grain to get rid of the fluffy look.

You can bathe your puppy whenever it gets dirty – with a young pup that spends lots of time playing outside, this could be as much as once a week or even more. As the pup gets older and is less inclined to romp in the mud or dirt, bathing can be reduced to every two to three weeks, as needed.

Eye care

The main eye care issue with Labradoodles is that they may get tear stains in the corner of their eyes and down towards their nose. To clean these, dampen a cotton pad or ball with eye care product (or plain water) and wipe gently, beginning at the corner of the eye and moving towards the nose.

You may need to trim the hair above the eyes between sessions at the groomers. Use a short, blunt-tipped scissors and carefully cut the hair, leaving a bit of a fringe but cutting enough off that your dog can see properly. This also prevents irritation of the cornea.

Ear care

With their longish, floppy ears, Labradoodles can be prone to ear infections. Once a week you should clean and inspect the ears. To do so, take a cotton pad or ball and moisten with an ear care product (or plain water). Flipping the ear flap over, gently wipe the inner ear leather. DO NOT poke anything into the ear canal.

To clean the ear canal, you can purchase special ear cleaner at pet supply stores. DO NOT use water to clean the ear canal – although ear cleaners are liquid, they contain special ingredients (desiccants) that help to dry out the ear. Water in the ear can cause bacteria to multiply and lead to major problems. Simply apply a few drops of the ear cleaner into the ear canal with a dropper. Fold over the ear and massage the base of the ear for 20 to 30 seconds, then wipe away any excess moisture or dirt that comes out of the ear. Your dog may also shake his head to get rid of extra moisture – this is fine.

If you notice redness or swelling of the ear canal or ear leather, it may be a sign of infection. Other possible signs of infection or other ear problems include constant scratching or rubbing at the ears or shaking of the head, or bad odour coming from the ears. Consult your veterinarian. There are many different causes of ear infection, and other possible issues like a ruptured eardrum, and the treatment varies accordingly. Your veterinarian will be able to diagnose the cause and prescribe the proper treatment.

Trimming nails

Trimming your dog’s nails is an important part of grooming. It may not need to be done often, especially for dogs that spend a lot of time playing outside, as a dog’s nails will be worn down by walking over rough surfaces. But regular trimming will make the quick (the blood vein that runs through the center of the nail) to recede, making it easier to trim the nails each time.

A good sign that the nails need trimming is if you hear a sharp clicking sound when the dog walks over uncarpeted floors.

The best type of nail trimmer is a “slicer” (two blades that come together), not the “guillotine” kind (with a blade that comes down across a hole). To trim the nails, hold your dog in your lap facing away from you, and draw its paws back towards you, one at a time. This makes it harder for the dog to pull away. Cut small amounts off and check the length, until you have trimmed enough.

Dogs with light-coloured nails are easier to trim, as you can see the quick through the nail. Dark-coloured nails will hide the quick; with these nails it is particularly important to cut off small amounts at a time.

If you do cut the quick by mistake, have some styptic powder handy and dip the nail into the powder, holding for a few seconds. This will stop the bleeding immediately. The powder will sting a little so your dog might try to pull away, but don’t let him do so.

If your dog has brittle nails that shatter or breaks while you are cutting them, use a dog nail file to smooth the edges. This will prevent them catching on anything and causing more problems.

Brushing teeth

It is important to use dog toothpaste. Human toothpaste contains ingredients that will upset your dog’s stomach (and yours, too, if you ingested the toothpaste all the time!), while doggy toothpaste contains enzymes that help to break down tartar as soon as they are in the mouth. You can use a special doggy toothbrush or just a regular human soft-bristled brush.

To start, put a small amount of doggy toothpaste on the brush and let your dog lick and chew it off the brush. Once the dog is used to the flavour and feel of the toothpaste and brush in its mouth, start trying to get a swipe or two at the teeth. Within a short time, you should be able to give a short but half-decent brushing to your dog’s teeth without too much hassle.

Brushing teeth should be done once a week, during your regular doggy grooming session.