Have you been considering getting a short haired Labradoodle but not sure how its maintenance would affect your lifestyle? Or have you just become parents of a Labradoodle and don’t know how to groom your fuzzy pup? Well, all these are normal woes that every Labradoodle parent goes through. But wait, you may want to consider this your lucky day. You want to know why? Because we are here to tell you how a short-haired Labradoodle can be the best fit for you.
Labradoodles are hybrids of Labrador Retrievers and Miniature or Standard Poodles. Meeting Labradoodles’ hair grooming needs can be a challenging task.
This article reveals everything about this particular breed that will help you get through the challenges. Haircut frequency, short haircut benefits, and how to groom your dog are some key points discussed in this guide.
Grooming Labradoodles
It is a known fact that a well-groomed dog is a happy and active dog. This is why grooming is one of the key areas of parenting any dog breed. Besides bathing, nail trimming, teeth, and ears cleaning, dogs also need a good haircut.
Thankfully, Labradoodles are extremely low shedding breeds. Therefore, you don’t have to constantly vacuum your house or find fur in every piece of cloth you own.
Having said that, a good trim and frequent haircuts are quite necessary for Labradoodles. It does not just keep away the dog’s coat mat-free but also makes your dog feel light and active.
To make your dog good-looking and adorable, you can either find a groomer or shave its hair all by yourself.
How Frequently Does Your Labradoodle Need a Haircut?
Deciding how often your Labradoodle needs a haircut depends on four main factors. How fast does its hair grow? What kind of lifestyle does it live? What type of coat it has, and how old is it?
Let’s see how these factors affect the frequency of a haircut.
How Fast Does Your Dog’s Hair Grow?
Most Labradoodles’ hair grows fast because they inherit poodles’ genes whose hair grows much faster than other breeds. If your doodle’s hair grows back in 3-4 weeks, you should get it groomed accordingly.
Types of Labradoodle Coat
A Labradoodle can have different coat types, with the most common types being hair, fleece, and wool coat. Every type of coat requires good maintenance with regular hair-cuts every 5-12 weeks, depending on the coat and length.
- Hair coat: – A Labradoodle with a hairy coat gets it from his/her Labrador parent. The hair is naturally straight or wavy. They are the most common types of Labradoodles found, possessing a fuzzy appearance. Their coat needs regular grooming and trimming. To avoid too much tangling, you can brush it twice or thrice every week.
- Fleece coat: – This type of coat is generally very soft and fluffy. Labradoodles with fleece coats are more in demand because they are very soft to touch and cuddle up with. The coat is either straight or wavy and does not require much grooming, but a regular haircut is essential to keep it neat and tidy.
- Wool coat: – Labradoodles with wool coats are the hardest to maintain. They completely inherit their poodle parents’ genes with tight curls and wiry coats. It needs frequent hair grooming once every 3-4 weeks and 2-3 times of hair brushing every week. If you’re getting this Labradoodle, be ready to set a regular grooming routine and pay many visits to a groomer.
Standard Hair Length Preference
Another point to consider is that every dog parent has his/her own preference for styling his dog. But the usually preferred length that you also might want to consider would be 1-2 inches. A short-haired Labradoodle needs a haircut every 6-8 weeks to keep the fluff off.
The Lifestyle of the Labradoodle
Some dogs have an extremely active lifestyle. They love running around and playing on the porch, dog parks, or any open space like the beach. If your Labradoodle lives a similar lifestyle, you should definitely get him/her frequent haircuts. It reduces the discomfort caused by long hair while engaging in all of those activities.
How Old Is It?
If your Labradoodle is an elderly dog with health issues, avoid getting fancy haircuts that may cause irritation. Sticking to a short haircut is the simplest way of grooming older dogs.
Pet owners often like a short-haired Labradoodle due to its simple maintenance.
Why Is a Short Haired Labradoodle the Best Fit for You?
Guess a haircut that would make your Labradoodle look cute and comfortable at the same time? It definitely has to be the short hairstyle. Giving your Labradoodle a short haircut is important for both you and your dog. It makes your dog feel comfortable and makes you live with it on low maintenance.
Once your doodle gets a short haircut, you don’t have to keep brushing and untangling the coat daily. The most amazing part is that bath time reduces and drying its hair afterward, too! You can also easily clean its muddy paws with just a wipe and not let it mess the entire house. Plus, there’s no way you have to clean all the poop that gets stuck around your dog’s bum area anymore.
Aside from all these, short haircuts for Labradoodles are the most popular hairstyles among groomers. This is because it is the simplest way to groom them. In a short haircut style, the groomer usually trims about one inch of hair all over the body. It keeps the hair tangle free and also prevents matting.
Short-haired Labradoodles have so many benefits that you will be compelled to give your dog a short haircut right away. But how? Read more to find out.
Groom Your Labradoodle Yourself!
If you don’t want to spend time and money finding a groomer, you can also groom your doodle by yourself. We know this sounds completely challenging and may seem impossible in the first attempt. But there are multiple tutorials you can watch online to get your hands on it.
Another reason why you can get it done by yourself is that a short haircut for doodles is the easiest haircut ever. You save a lot of money by not having to visit the groomer within a month’s gap for every trim.
Plus, there are not many tools that you need. You just require some basic hair grooming tools to get yourself a short-haired Labradoodle. Now, this can be easily found in a pet store, or you can order it online. Here are some of the grooming tools that you essentially need for trimming your dog’s hair:
- A pair of scissors
- Grooming comb for dogs
- Hair clippers with standard blades
- Thinning Shears (use them on the muzzle and head)
- Slicker brush – We Recommend This
Here’s How to Groom Your Short-Haired Labradoodle
Clipping your Labradoodles’ entire body is an ideal way to get a short hairstyle. The easiest way of grooming is to start from the area below the skull and go all the way to its feet.
Trimming the Body
Using the clippers, start trimming your Labradoodles’ back, sides, tummy, groin area, and legs. Work your way through with the clippers, except on areas such as the muzzle, skull, and top of the head. In such areas, you can use thinning shears and scissors.
Make sure not to cut too short around the groin area to avoid overexposure of the private parts. Comb back the hair around the belly to smooth out any left-out strands of hair. Turn the dog over and clip the areas around its paw pads gently.
Use the grooming comb again all over its body and see if there is any hair sticking out. Make sure every part is consistently trimmed and looks neat.
Trimming Other Areas
While trimming the area around your Labradoodles’ head, tail, eyes, and ears, be extra careful to avoid blunt cuts. Use only scissors and thinning shear on those areas for a clean and nicely blended shape. For the eyes, use the scissors to do the corner areas. For the ears, comb the hair down and cut it proportionately to the tip of the ear with a straight scissor.
The final part of trimming your Labradoodles’ hair is the head and the muzzle. Use the thinning shear to cut the excess hair on the back of its head. First, comb it and then hold it back in your fingers like a ponytail. Pull it down, align it, and then cut an inch or half. For the muzzle, comb all the hair forward and cut it in a way that makes your dog’s facial hair clean and in order.
After all the clipping and trimming, look for any uneven and stray hair and use your shears to remove them.
A short-haired Labradoodle is easier to manage and helps minimize the collection of dirt in its coat.
Labradoodle Haircuts for Summer and Winter
Labradoodles can sport short hair all-round the year. During the hot summer season, a short-haired Labradoodle is likely to feel much cooler and calmer than a longer hair doodle. Long hair can make your dog feel very stuffy, resulting in an over-heated body.
On the other hand, it does not matter much whether Labradoodles have long or short hair during winters. If you think your dog is cold, you can use jackets to keep it warm, and it will do fine.
Cost of Grooming
Making multiple trips to the groomers shop never makes you go easy on your pocket. So let’s be honest, a short-haired Labradoodle will definitely add more to your maintenance expenses. But here’s a pro tip to reduce this expense. Make sure you are brushing your dog’s hair regularly between the grooming appointments.
Get a good quality hairbrush and brush it every two-three days so that the hair is free from matting. This way, there will be longer gaps between the appointments, saving you some money.
A lengthier haircut hardly does any good for a Labradoodle or its owner. This is why most people opt for summer cuts which anyway looks equally cute as any other style!
What to Say to a Groomer for a Short Labradoodle Haircut?
Have you been debating on how to request your groomer what type of haircut you want for your doodle? Well, it is not that difficult to communicate it to them.
One thing you should always do when your dog gets a good haircut is taking a picture of it for future reference. So, when you go for your next appointment, you can ask your groomer to do it exactly like the last time. If you do not have a picture, simply ask him to get a short haircut done or use a picture from the internet.
Most groomers know what they are doing and try to get the exact haircut that you asked for. Therefore, it is necessary that we respect their work and not interfere while they are at it. Doing so might end up in a bad haircut for your poor doodle. You obviously don’t want to go back home with a funny-looking short-haired Labradoodle, do you?
However, sometimes groomers will shave your doodle’s hair to get the matted hair removed. If you don’t allow them to do it, your dog might feel really uncomfortable and sometimes it could get painful. Make sure you are grooming your dog for them to be healthy and happy and not just for them to look presentable.
Conclusion
For anyone new to this breed type, you would be glad to know Labradoodles are a favorite among dog lovers. This is because they possess sweet and friendly behavior as well as get easily adjusted with families. They are also the go-to pet dogs for most people because of being hypoallergenic.
If you are already a Labradoodle owner, you would know these dogs are always excited to play. Good grooming keeps them hyperactive and happy. Investing in a regular grooming session and letting your doodles sport a short haircut will definitely keep them energetic all throughout.
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