If you’re one of those “do-it-yourself” guys, than clipping your Goldendoodle can be done easily in the comfort of your home. You will need either a grooming table ( one with a hydraulic height adjuster can be very helpful ) or, if not, a stable coffee table will do it. A quality pair of clippers, scissors, clipper blades – No. 4, 7 and 10 are the most common blades – and snap-on combs will be needed.
A small trim clipper with a No. 30 blade is good for areas where you want to completely remove the hair. The higher the blade number, the shorter the hair is left. The combs are used only with the No. 10 blade and allow you to leave a longer length of hair versus a complete buzz job.
Always bathe and dry your Goldendoodle prior to giving a haircut as dirt on hairs quickly dulls the clipper blades, which may be used multiple times before sharpening as long as they are used only on a freshly-bathed dog. Brush the hair on the body in the opposite direction to the lay of the hair and clip in the same direction as the lay of the hair over the entire body starting on the neck leaving the head, legs and tail alone.
Then brush the hair in the opposite direction and clip again to find the hairs that were missed the first time. Brush the hair on the legs upward and use the scissors (always with the points downward) to trim the hair on the legs to the desired length.
Use the trim clippers to completely remove the hair between the back legs on the belly and around the private areas under the tail as well as across the pads of the foot to remove hair that protrudes beyond the pad.
On the head, brush the hair from the back of the head forward over the eyes and trim the ‘bangs’ with blunt-tipped scissors at an angle on each side of the face so the eyes are visible: this gives you the length you need to match the hair on top of the head. Make sure you clip the hair very short underneath the ear under the ear flap, so air can flow into the ear canal.
If you want a lower maintenance Goldendoodle, then clipping the coat to one inch or less means that you only have to give your dog a full brushing perhaps once or twice a week. Even when the coat on the body is kept fairly short, it is common to leave the hair on the head and face area perhaps twice as long.
Tails are typically only trimmed two to three times a year to leave a long, flowing feathering on the tail – but these areas still need to be brushed and combed out about every other day.
Dogs with long, floppy ears are more prone to ear infections due to a lack of air circulation in the ear canal. Since Poodles have hairy ear canals (a trait uncommon in Golden Retrievers), some Goldendoodles may also have hairy ear canals. Hair in the ear canals needs to be plucked or cleaning the ears becomes impossible.
Sprinkle ear powder into the ear canal and grasp a few hairs at a time between your thumb and index finger and briskly pull the hair free. Repeat this process until the ear canal is hairless. When done, you may want to add a little more ear powder to soothe the tenderness left inside of the ear. Trim the hair short under the jaw so your Goldendoodle doesn’t constantly drip water across the floor after drinking.
Last but not least, you will need to clip your dog’s nails. Their nails are similar to a human’s nails in that there is the nail itself and the quick. The quick is what provides blood flow to the nail and it will bleed quite a bit if you accidentally cut into the quick. You’ll be able to see this if your dog has white nails, but it’s more difficult to see on a dog with black nails.
Always start by clipping a very small end of the tip and continue to clip a little more never going shorter than to remove the curved end of the nail. It is a good idea to have styptic powder or even corn starch handy, as it will stop the bleeding if you happen to cut into the quick. Don’t forget to clip the dew claw as well if your dog has not had the dew claws removed as a puppy.
You may not be completely happy with the look of your Goldendoodle after you have clipped him for the first time! Fear not, the hair will grow back, giving you the opportunity to practice clipping again in a few months.
