Download FREE Grooming Guidelines!

These three pictures (above) are all the same dog, Dan Sedovic, one of our amazing service dogs.  See how a haircut can really change a doodle’s looks?

Coat Types

We classify our puppies with four basic coat types: Wavy, curly, straight, and flat.

Examples of a wavy coat:

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Examples of a curly coat:

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Example of a straight coat:

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Example of a flat coat doodle:

NOTE:  We no longer breed litters that include flat coated goldendoodles.  Our flat coated goldendoodles do not look like a goldendoodle at all – they look like a golden retriever. We breed them in miniature size for our families wanting a dog that looks like a miniature golden retriever without the shedding. Our families report very little, if any, shedding from their flat coated goldendoodles.

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You can’t always judge a book by its cover – meaning, sometimes the coat your puppy has won’t be his/her adult coat. Here is Mango Gibson before and after she “doodled out”.

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Coat colors

Here are the colors (with photo examples) of our goldendoodles.

Cream, cream with apricot, apricot, gold, dark apricot, red, chocolate, black

Cream:

Cream with apricot:

 

Apricot:

Gold:

Red:

 

Chocolate:

Sometimes our chocolates can lighten up as they get older and get some white in their coat. The result is beautiful.

 

Black:

Our black doodles can get some white/silver or grey in their coat as they mature. Not all do.

The goldendoodle’s coat is the first thing everyone is attracted to. It does require attention, proper brushing, and trimming. How you wish to keep your dog’s coat — short, long, in between – is up to you and depends on several factors. Your dog’s coat type – flatter, wavy, curlier – can have a bearing on your preference, as well as your lifestyle. A long, flowing coat is beautiful but
not very practical if your dog spends a lot of time at the lake or hiking in the mountains. The longer the coat, the more time you will need to devote to keeping it free of mats, so your available time will also play a part in your preference. Your budget will play a big part in how you choose to maintain your doodle’s coat. Grooming costs will vary from groomer to groomer, and,
unfortunately, so will skill and expertise.

We have provided some photos for you to see some of the different cuts that our doodles sport. You’ll find that you like some more than others. A shorter puppy cut doesn’t mean your doodle can’t remain beautiful and shaggy-dog looking. Usually when you see a doodle that looks “too poodly” for your taste, it is the result of (or help from) a bad haircut. Yes, some coats are tighter curled than others, but they can still be groomed to retain your doodle’s “doodleness”. Groomers unfamiliar with how to groom a doodle (or owners unaware that they are not at the groomer’s mercy) will often send their doodle customers home with a poodle cut or a schnauzer cut – if you’re going to get a bad doodlecut, at least hope you get a schnuazer cut over the poodle. You may wish to print the photo(s) of the doodle look you like and take to your groomer. You have the right to tell your groomer what you expect and to tell him/her not to deviate.

 

Ideally, your doodle’s face should not be shaved or cut close – just trimmed over the eyes, around the eyes, and the face trimmed nicely – you may wish to keep the beard and/or muzzle trimmed to stop the “sponge effect” that your doodle will have no choice but to perpetuate if allowed to remain long in muzzle, drink water, then come to you for a scratch behind the ears – in
other words, you WILL get wet. The ears should NEVER be shaved or cut other than a nice trim at the ends. Proper brushing will ensure that you do not have mats that are eventually deemed to be dealt with only by scissors. Feet should remain neat and trimmed but shaving is for poodles. And that tail – that gorgeous, full, bushy tail – yes, the one that hits babies in the face
and knocks stuff off your coffee table – should never be cut or shaved, just trimmed. A sanitary cut should always be used for your doodle’s “private areas” to ensure feces and urine do not remain with your dog after potty breaks.

Brush first, then bathe. Always wash your dog with a gentle shampoo followed by a good conditioner and then RINSE, RINSE, RINSE. Just when you determine you are finished, RINSE again. We always use baby shampoo around the face. Keep your dogs’ ears dry to avoid yeast infections. We use SHAKLEE BASIC-H when we bathe our dogs. It kills fleas instantly.

Using a dryer on your dog is something you need to start at an early age and NEVER use the hot setting.
You can print and take this to your groomer: GROOMING INSTRUCTIONS

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Wavy coat summer cut example:

Curly coat summer cut example:

Fun summer cut additions!