10/10/2025
LONG POST BUT WORTH THE READ. AS THE WEATHER GETS WARMER, THIS IS VERY RELEVANT TO ALL LONG COATED BREEDS
Thinking about buying a poodle? Or currently own a Poodle or oodle cross. Have you been told they "don't need grooming until 1yrs old" or "coat maintenance is easy"?
*PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING piece written by another groomer. A dog’s fur gets so matted & tangled it will come off in one piece. It causes tension on the skin, can damage the skin causing horrible infections and sometimes renders the dog helpless,unable to move and it can then cause fatality (extreme cases)
Poodle crosses (cavoodle, spoodles, labradoodles, groodles, any type of oodle, or long coated dog) are not "easy breeds" to maintain.
By looking at the dog's top coat, you may not see the knots and you may not feel them as you would a knot on the ends of the fur but under that fluffy top layer this is going on. Once it starts to knot it is very difficult/ impossible to brush out... and even if you could it would be cruel to put the dog through it. Maintenance at home has to be more than a quick once over for these dogs if you want to keep them in that fluffy (none shedding) coat which was probably one of the reasons you chose a poodle cross in the first place. You really need to sit down with a brush and then a metal comb and make sure you can get it through the entire body at least 2 to 3 times a week.
I often feel like owners don't believe groomers when they say their dog has to be clipped very short. I always hear "I know he/she is matted, but leave as much as you can". You cannot clip through matting, you can only clip under it. Normally this means taking the coat back to the skin.
I promise you, your groomer really doesn't want to do this but they won't hurt your dog by putting it through dematting, they also don't want to hurt their reputation when the clients go around complaining about how the last groomer "scalped" their dog but there really is not any alternative. Instead of being angry with your groomer if they clip your dog very short please respect their commitment to do what is in your dog's best interest, accept responsibility for not having brushed your dog properly at home, and work with your groomer because, together, you can prevent this happening again. All groomers will be very happy to demonstrate a technique called line brushing which will help make your grooming at home more effective. Just ask! We all want owners to know how to do this
Poodle crosses are easily one of the highest maintenance dogs in reference to their coats. The combination of the soft coat they are mixing poodles with these days is a coat that is extremely prone to matting.
If you like a fluffy pup, you probably need to consider no more than 3-6 week intervals between grooming and set aside time for regular brushing AND combing at home.
Please know, if you bathe your poodle cross you really need to blow dry and brush out right after. Moisture, be it a bath, rain, swimming, etc are all going to make matting worse. If you know your dog is already matted-- bathing is only going to make it worse! And no amount of conditioner will get the knots our! Always, Brush out before the bath.
Lastly "breeders" who say these dogs can't or shouldnt be clipped and not to give them a hair cut until they are one year old are misleading potential owners in order to sell$$$$ puppies and setting them up for a sad day when they finally take their pup to the groomer!!!
This is not about shaming owners. Or attacking breeders. It is about education. And what is best for your dog.
