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Grooming

Grooming Your Australian Labradoodle
Grooming an Australian Labradoodle takes good communication with your groomer to get the correct "look" for your dog. It is important to take photos with you to help you get the desired result. The grooming card above can be printed to make it a little easier.

Good grooming, however, begins AT HOME. It is important that you regularly brush and comb your Australian Labradoodle to keep the coat free of mats. Not only are mats unsightly, but they are also uncomfortable for your dog. Here are some tips.

Brushing

Start regularly brushing as soon as you bring your new Australian Labradoodle puppy home. Find a counter or table in your house where you can safely place your puppy to brushed. This will familiarize your puppy with the grooming process from the beginning. Put a towel or skid proof bathmat on the table. You should have a good brush and comb as well as some thinning shears for around the eyes on hand.

Puppy and Adult Coats

When your puppy is around 8 months old, the adult coat coming in will be noticeable. This is a crucial time to increase your brushing. It is very prone to matting and you may want to consider the first official grooming appointment at this time. If you delay the puppy trim and neglect proper brushing, the mats can get out of hand and uncomfortable for your puppy. With proper brushing techniques it is possible to maintain a longer coat.

Shedding

Your Australian Labradoodle should not shed. During the transition from puppy coat to adult coat, it is possible you will notice some hair breakage and see some “tumbleweeds” blowing across the floor. Just like with humans, long hair breaks off.

Australian Labradoodle Grooming Instructions

This is the trickiest area for most groomers to do correctly. Please make sure you take lots of pictures with you and communicate well with your groomer. Eyelashes should not be cut and eyebrows should slightly flop over.
  • The top of the head should round off to the ears and stay long and floppy. There should NOT be a notch at the top of the ears where they meet the head as is done with a poodle.
  • The outside of the eyes should be long with eyebrows and bangs. They can be trimmed as shown in the photos. Eyelashes are about 1-1.5” long.
  • The muzzle is cut vertically and has a round shape.
  • Ears are cut to the leathers and layered to look natural. The inside of the ears should be trimmed. Slightly pluck ears if there is heavy hair growth. It is not necessary for them to be entirely hair free, just thinned to allow good airflow. NEVER use tweezers in the ears.
  • The chin and bottom of the ears are the SAME length and be rounded. Australian Labradoodles do not have long ears like poodles or spaniels.
  • The face is NEVER shaved, but slightly trimmed. Use thinning shears between the eyes.

Body, Legs & Private Parts

 

 

You can purchase a fantastic grooming card to take to your groomer from the ALAA Labradoodle website.

ALAA Grooming Card