Doodles are known for their teddy bear looks, sweet personalities, low-shedding and allergy-friendly coats. They are some of the most adorable puppies, and if you groom them right, some of the most adorable dogs. They are also high maintenance–requiring frequent brushing and grooming.
Over time, I have worked with our fabulous groomers to develop this cut, that they have named the “Copper.” The Copper is based in puppy-like cuteness, convenience, and is low maintenance. When the hair is shorter, it requires less brushing and will not mat as easily.
While it is extremely helpful to show your groomer pictures of what you want, it is also critical to be able to explain exactly what you are looking for. I’m going to tell you what we have our groomer do, but, just like your own haircut, grooming depends on personal preference, as well as what works best for your dog’s coat.
Body
Guard length is 3/8″ for the body. It is short, but it grows back fast and allows you to go longer (8 weeks or so) between groomings–saving you time and money!
Legs
Guard length is 5/8″ for the legs, just slightly longer than the body.
Face and Ears
Here’s where things get tricky. A lot of groomers will leave mustaches on doodles. It’s not my preference because it takes away from the grown-up-puppy look, and it’s a bit more high maintenance because it will get wet and dirty when they drink and eat.
Besides showing this picture, things to specify include:
1. Rounded muzzle (no mustache). What you also don’t want is to cut the muzzle too short, because that leaves them looking more like poodles. There is a fine line between mustache and poodle here!
2. Ears cut short. Our groomer uses a 5/8″ guard length for the ears and head. We don’t like any hair hanging down making the ears look like a bob hairstyle.
3. Trimmed short between the eyes. It does look a bit strange at first, but as long as it’s not cut too short it’s still cute! The key here is to allow more time that your dog can see between groomings.
4. Eyelashes: This is where personal preference definitely comes into play. We like to keep Lily’s eyelashes long and Copper’s short. Dog’s eyelashes grow at a similar pace to their hair, and will grow to be really long (I’m jealous). We think Copper looks so handsome without long eyelashes, and Lily looks so cute with long eyelashes because they are super wispy and have a slight curl to the ends. When dropping them off for a grooming, we always remind our groomer to not cut Lily’s eyelashes, or to only give them a slight trim if they are getting too long (can you imagine?).
Tail
We keep the tail short. We do a 5/8″ guard on the tail as well. The alternative, would be to leave the tail a lot longer than the body (often described as a palm tree tail). If that is your preference, just keep in mind this requires a lot more maintenance (ie. brushing).
Besides this cut being low maintenance and being able to go longer between grooms, when this cut grows out it is so cute. Copper and Lily always look like shaggy puppies about 6-8 weeks after a groom and we love it!
