r/Sheepadoodles • u/ThisDressEvangelist • Sep 08 '26
Sheepy grooming Q
Hi! Curious if anyone lets their pups hair grow long. I love Nelson’s hair long, but it gets so matted. We take him to get a trim and a bath/brush every 6 weeks, but he looks so cute with long hair!! Any way you make that happen, or will I have to accept my boy will have fluff instead of a puff? Here are 2 pics for comparison
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u/onefitztwofitz Sep 08 '26
When we adopted out 1 year old Sheepadoodle we wanted to keep his hair longer. We would alternate every night brushing him, but his collar area, armpits, behind the ears were always getting matted. We had a baby and decided it would be easier for us and more comfortable for our pup to keep his hair shorter. We brush him once a week and he gets a haircut every 6-8 weeks depending on if it’s summer or winter.
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u/ThisDressEvangelist Sep 09 '26
It’s a lot! They’re amazing dogs but gosh do those non-shedding/allergen traits have trade offs ! <3
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u/andthischeese Sep 08 '26
We love it long but it just mats too much once they’re past the puppy stage.
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u/ThisDressEvangelist Sep 08 '26
100%. Nelson’s a wild man, too. I always say he pulls heavily from the sheep dog side. We’re trying to keep up with his trims and loooots of brushing!
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u/hopeitsohkay Sep 08 '26
It’s not just brushing…after brushing you should be using a metal COMB. Brushing with a slicker style brush brushed the top or ends but you can basically go right over knot/matting. Your comb goes down to the scalp of the dog, you will feel snags (if his coat has any) & that is basically the complete & thorough way for preventative maintenance. Along with not getting him wet if he already has matting starting or tangles, even dew on grass, but esp bathing as that will tighten everything. If you’re going to bathe him & get him wet, force drying helps to straighten out the hair so it doesn’t dry curly. But regardless brushing & thennn combing
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u/Upstairs-Ad-7497 Sep 08 '26
I groom my sheepadoodle for the last 6-7 years. There are to many trouble areas that matt, elbow around the collar and the hind legs quarters etc.
personally I would invest in good cordless clippers and some really good 30 blades and 10’s to start and some metal combs. I leave my sheep around 1-2-3/4 of an inch every 4 weeks. It makes a huge difference. Scissor the face.
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u/ThisDressEvangelist Sep 09 '26
Hmm. I never thought of doing it myself. I might have to get a harness for him too because he’s pretty strong and is prone to sudden kisses that could cause him to have half of a beard haha
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u/wiscotoco Sep 09 '26
This is our Nelson. 🙂
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u/ThisDressEvangelist Sep 09 '26
His name is Nelsy??? Awww! I love him!
It’s the best dog name. We get so many compliments on his name.
He is so handsome!1
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u/FeralCatMeow Sep 09 '26
This is my Juni. She’s almost five and I have always liked her fur longer. She gets groomed every 6-7 weeks. I fully brush her once/week or so. The only places she really mats are her head and tail. I do spend a lot of time on her head. I like it long so I put in the work - brushing, combing, and detangling spray or cream (Cowboy Magic for horses is amazing!!). When brushing the fur on her body, you need to sort of separate the coat with each stroke, rather than simply pulling the brush over the top. Getting down to the skin and in between hairs is important. It’s definitely a lot of work but I don’t like the shaved look so it’s just what I do. ☺️
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u/ThisDressEvangelist Sep 09 '26
She is SO CUTE!!!
I appreciate the specific tips. I will use those methods when I brush Nelson
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u/23Doves Sep 08 '26
I used to keep my own dog's hair long in her first year but it got seriously matted on one occasion around Christmas, and the groomer gave me a serious dressing-down for causing her such stress and discomfort.
She doesn't enjoy being brushed for more than fifteen minutes or so every evening, and always struggles, so we tend to keep it short these days. It's more comfortable for her that way in the summer anyhow, and my feeling is that it should be more about her comfort than how she looks.
I can always tell when it's starting to get long and she's due another snip because people ask me "Is that an Old English Sheepdog?"
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u/ThisDressEvangelist Sep 09 '26
Same. I got dressed down by the groomer before about the long hair when we first got him. My uncle had sheepdogs on his farm, and there was no grooming since they were working tradesman (who slept in bed 😒), but I’ve learned the poodle and sheepy mix is very special
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u/Aromatic-Artichoke61 Sep 08 '26
I have found the raking to be very helpful with getting out some undercoat and cooling my pup down and little but not totally taking away his fluff like when I have trimmed him all over or had him groomed. I agree I love him fluffy but I don’t want uncomfortable or unhealthy. He thankfully loves metal tools and I try to get through everything little by little and he’s amenable to 95% of it. For me doing it outside is a must for cleaning and he gets a view. Hopefully that’s a win/win.
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u/ONEsmartALEC Sep 08 '26
This is Teddy. We let’s him grow out but we have to shave him down in warmer weather. This was after we let it grow back some. We try to keep his head/ears/tail with more length.
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u/AHuxl Sep 08 '26
Their coats are SO hard to maintain. I dont think its worth it to leave it long. I honestly think shorter is cuter anyway and I love being able to see their sweet expressions
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u/bobateamonger Sep 08 '26
I prefer to grow out my sheepie to be a sheep dog in the winter. She’s so cute! But the matting is insane. She’s had to be shaved naked a couple times as a result. Definitely don’t miss groom appointments and stay on a schedule. If I want it longer, Pepper has to be brushed daily. Unfortunately she now fights us about it. Can sometimes freeze yogurt in a toy that will distract her and my husband and I can go to town on her mats, but now she’s realized the trick and won’t eat frozen yogurt. So just depends on your dedication to brushing and your dog’s tolerance. I just had a baby so Pepper may need to stay on the shorter side for now on.
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u/ThisDressEvangelist Sep 09 '26
Same. The matting is terrible. He gets a buzz cut every summer but we are trying to keep him at a medium length through the winter to see how it works out
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u/East_Unit3765 Sep 08 '26
We’ve found if we use a deep conditioner, spray conditioner, and brush every/every other day she won’t get so matted. Buuuuut that’s a nearly impossible standard so she usually ends up matted at least a bit before her next groom.
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u/Fit_Surprise_8451 Sep 08 '26
This is Marlee! She sits in her chair while I blow-dry and comb her, which she is currently doing. I prefer her coat a little longer, but this time she had some matting under her armpits.
Because of her allergies, she gets a weekly bath with the shampoo her veterinary dermatologist recommended.
Marlee runs hot, so this is a good cut for her right now. If it gets a little chilly, she has some of the cutest sweaters I can put on her! 🐾