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Grooming the Australian Labradoodle

The Dog Who Doesn't Like Being Groomed

There are some basic Rules

1. Always have your dog on a table or high place, preferably in a corner of the room.

2. Have a collar and leash on your dog until you have absolute confidence he/she will stay put

3. Brush firmly. This doesn't pull and hurt as it can when you brush too gently.

4. Firm loving discipline is required. Teach your dog that grooming is a time of quiet relaxation and not play time! An occasional treat for good behavior is encouraging.

Melbourne Australia Romp November 2005 Grooming Demonstration

Beverley called for any 'problem' dogs with grooming and Sonja brought little Maddison to the table. Sonja told the group that her groomer refuses to do Maddison without a muzzle on, because she is too 'nasty' and bites as soon as she sees the brush coming.

Beverley then demonstrated to those watching, how the combination of kindness and firmness would cure the problem. Within just a few moments Maddison was lying quietly on the table, and enjoying being brushed. Head, body, legs and tail were all groomed, with Maddison looking completely relaxed and comfortable.

After a short practice, Sonja was also able to easily handle Maddison herself and was surprised and thrilled at how easy it was. Beverley suggested to Sonja that she either do it herself from then on, or change her groomer!


After a short demonstration lasting less than five minutes, Maddison is now completely relaxed and willing to be brushed anywhere on her body.	And now it's Sonja's turn. Here she is, totally amazed and thrilled that she can now brush Maddison anywhere on body, face or feet with no problems at all.
It's Magic!! Several people exclaim. But it's not magic. It is the combination of love, reassurance and firm discipline which have done the trick. And YOU can do it too! So Let's See How It's Done
Bernadette's Bailey is a large dog, who has a sensitive nature and a very soft skin. He has become anxious about being groomed. The first step was to form a bond of friendship between Beverley and Bailey.

First, A long, loving hug and cuddle for Bailey, with soft low tones of voice, accompanied by gentle stroking, soothing and caressing.	More emotional pressure is now applied, by squeezing Bailey on legs and feet and holding him more firmly, in preparation for the submissive position lying down on his side on the table.		Bailey now trusts Beverley and respects her as well, a necessary combination of emotions. Bailey is being told to lie down..lie down...good dog...lie down.If he stirs, it is a sharp 'uh uh' followed quickly by soothing praise when he relaxes again.

Before starting work on Bailey, Beverley flips him over onto his opposite side, and requests him to 'lie down' in order to re-enforce his complete trust in her.	Bailey is now so relaxed that even the distraction of another strange dog nearby, and children do not disturb him. Beverley tells the group "I should be able to go away and make a cup of tea and he should not move until I return and release him".		Bernadette has told the group that Bailey will not allow his feet to be touched, and that the very sight of the brush gets him very upset. Here, he lies in total relaxation whilst his feet are trimmed, and a brush is lying right underneath his nose.
What about a REALLY BIG dog on a small table? Bernadette's TASHI (another Bernadette) really disliked being groomed and refused to allow his mum to brush him. Let's try out Beverley's method on a different problem. Tashi was not afraid, but was set against being touched with a brush.

Using her arms, Beverley pins Tashi's legs to his side to let him know that she is in control.	By holding her own body closely against Tashi's she is imposing her will, but instilling confidence at the same time.		Tashi's not quite convinced. The table is small and he is very big! So a firm grip of his coat helps to change his mind whilst reassuring words are being spoken.

Now totally at ease, Tashi allows Beverley to brush his tail - something he used to hate with a passion, while Bernadette looks on.	Then it was Bernadette's turn. She laid Tashi down, using Beverley's method, and was able to brush him, including his tail - something she'd never been able to do before.		Puppy Dougal was next. He had never had his face trimmed before. So a kiss and a cuddle first to reassure him.

Even though Dougal was only going to have his face trimmed, the lie down exercise was still important to establish confidence and respect.	Baby Dougal was a BIG WRIGGLER! So a firm hold with one arm around him was necessary. Notice the use of your own body to limit the puppy's wriggling.		With his back to me and holding him firmly against my own body, he couldn't wriggle away while I brushed the top of his head.

Murphy was next. Bigger, but still a young puppy. After his lie down bonding session, all it took was my arm around him and he was perfectly happy to sit still and let me work on him.		Murphy is right on the edge of the table. If he were on the floor he would still be trying to scamper off! Remember to always groom your wiggly dog up high, not on the floor.

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Coat Types and Colors

For Your Grooming Tools

The 'Dreaded' Coat Change

All dogs go through a coat change from their puppy coat to their adult coat. This change occurs at different ages from breed to breed and amongst individuals within a breed. Ordinary dogs, which shed, lose a lot of their puppy coat by themselves, (usually all over your clothes and furniture!) and unless there is a long period of neglect, do not matt. Regular brushing keeps this under control.

On the other hand, dogs which do not shed, have no way of ridding themselves of their puppy coat, to allow the adult coat to grow through. This means that if the puppy coat is not stripped out with vigorous brushing using a good slicker brush, thinning scissors, or razor comb, it will tangle with the new adult coat coming through from the follicle and this is what produces the matting.

Helping Your Groomer to Understand

(On the next pages we will show you how to do it yourself.)

The WOOL coat is tightly curled like a Poodle. The upside is that it is completely non shedding. The downside is that it is the highest maintenance. The wool coat will not drape down the sides of the dog, but will spring out from the body and get fuller and bigger (and inclined to matt) if it is not trimmed or clipped once or twice in a year. It should be brushed with a slicker brush once each two or three weeks, or more often if the dog has been swimming, or playing in mud or snow, or been bathed.

Clipping Tip: If the coat is already matted, use a size 15 blade which will slide in underneath the matts. The coat may look quite short for awhile but will soon grow back some length and look like a soft wooly lamb. If there are no matts, then groom thoroughly with a slicker brush and if there are no knots left, use a size 5 or a size 7 blade which will leave a soft fluffy coat with a little more length.

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