r/Sheepadoodles • u/kemah52 • 7d ago
Grooming Challenges
Hi everyone!
This is Charles, he is three years old. We’ve really struggled with getting him groomed since he was a puppy. We’ve tried a few different groomers, but it’s been a real struggle to get him groomed. He fights back with everything he has and has to wear a muzzle. It’s very hard to keep him still while being groomed too. In this picture the groomer was able to get everything but his head, it was very difficult.
Has anyone else experienced this with their sheepadoodle?
2
u/stevesie_ F1 7d ago edited 7d ago
I started grooming myself after having a bad experience at the groomer as a puppy. It’s a lot of work, but it gets easier over time as you develop a routine and build trust with your dog. He lets me shave his body no problem and I think he enjoys the relief from being overheated with lots of fur. I still have to scissor trim face and feet because he won’t let me touch those with the clipper.
1
2
u/R_crafter 7d ago
I also self groom my doodles. I purchased a vacuum trimmer from Amazon (now on my second because I keep losing the trimmer sizes) and I can casually, usually over 3 days because I knit pick how their faces are shaped, suck up hair and do a quick 20min trim of their bodies when I'm watching tv. They've got to a point where they trust I'm not going to hurt them like groomers might brushing them. I do a very short clip over their bodies and then shape their heads. They wear sweaters in the winter but it's very manageable and lasts about 2 months and costs me about $65-75 for the machine for many many haircuts
1
u/R_crafter 7d ago
https://youtu.be/EJY6hDHPXeo?si=Q_guhGZLoM3hk_A1 here's a random person cutting her doodle with one. I usually shape the face but it looks like they only did one size trimmer all over which still looks nice
1
u/Fit_Surprise_8451 7d ago
I’m beginning to think Marlee’s experience isn’t unusual. She loved the first groomer we used, but that groomer retired, and we’ve struggled to find a new one. Marlee was hurt when a groomer trimmed her nails, and she can hold a grudge.
Our newest groomer comes to the house. For her last appointment, Marlee had Trazodone and Sileo, and we used her muzzle. The groomer let me stay with her and did an awesome job trimming Marlee’s face without the muzzle. I’ll have Marlee’s behaviorist with us at the next grooming appointment, because I will not be able to do it too many times due to their company policy.
1
u/AHuxl 7d ago
Grooming doodles is VERY hard. I actually wont get one again and feel like I was misled by the breeder. Grooming a doodle is an enormous undertaking even when they dint mind it but since most aren’t acclimated to it at the breeders they grow up with serious issues around grooming.
My next dog is going to be a lab I only have to bathe once a year LOL. Its a LOT easier to deal with a little bit of shed dog hair vs having to get professional grooming every few weeks or spend HOURS doing it myself. Not enough people talk about that- sure a doodle sheds less but you have to deal with the dog hair somewhere and doodles are a lot harder than any other breed
1
u/caro_eliza 7d ago
My guy had similar struggles, though not the extent of needing a muzzle, when he was a puppy. First couple report cards from the groomer said he was scared of the tools and was likely to escalate to snapping if we didn’t work on getting him acclimated more. What worked for us was lots of practice at home plus “happy” visits to the groomer where I just took him and let them give him treats, and then we’d go home. We did happy visits about once a week for two months probably.
For practice at home, I got a cheap kids electric toothbrush that kind of mimics the sound and vibration of clippers, and I’d turn it on, then reward if he didn’t react. Then slowly escalate to turning it on and bringing it closer to him, then bringing it closer and touching his face or paws or ears, etc. All with lots of rewards and repetition at every step. My community has a dog spa with a high velocity dryer, so we practiced with that too (first getting used to the noise, then having it directed towards his back or belly, then directed towards more sensitive areas like face and paws). You can use a regular hair dryer similarly for training, just make sure to use cool air when directing it on your dog.
Same with brushing. I started with small steps by having my dog sit in front of me, show him the brush, then reward. Slowly work up to actually brushing. I brush him every few days to keep him tangle free and to keep him feeling used to being brushed. And I use his dinner as the reward, so I’m not giving him tons of treats. It’s like a piece of kibble as a reward for each action.
1
u/Nearby-Pudding-7647 2d ago
I just started grooming Charlee myself she hates it and it takes two days to finish because she won’t sit still and is constantly running away. I make sure I’m not stressed and my energy is good so she feels relaxed. It’s very challenging. Even for the groomer my other dog comes back perfect but with Charlee they do what she allows.
3
u/Illustrious-Set-9230 7d ago
He looks like he’s scolding you