Doodle grooming: complete guide for Labradoodle and Goldendoodle

Short answer: You usually groom a doodle at home to 13 to 25 mm with a comb attachment, or shorter (5 to 9 mm) with a Blade if you want to go longer between grooming sessions. Comb the coat thoroughly down to the skin beforehand and let it dry. Expect a professional grooming session every 6 to 10 weeks, with maintenance in between.

A doodle coat grows continuously and will mat within a few weeks without maintenance. This guide covers the three coat types, the coat change, the combing technique, a grooming schedule in millimeters, and the mistakes you only want to make once.

Last updated: August 19, 2026 · Author: Team Clipr, the team behind Clipr.nl that daily supplies dog clippers, Blades, and grooming tools to home groomers and grooming salons in the Netherlands.

In short

• Doodles shed hardly at all: their hair grows continuously and needs to be cut or clipped.
• Between 8 and 14 months, the puppy coat changes to the adult coat; this is when most mats occur.
• Brushing alone is not enough. Only a comb that reaches the skin proves that the coat is mat-free.
• At home, you usually work at 13-25 mm with a comb attachment; 5-9 mm with a Blade for a short summer trim.
• A coat that is matted down to the skin can only be clipped short; combing through is not an option then.
• Professional grooming every 6 to 10 weeks, plus 2 to 4 times a week home maintenance.

What coat types do doodles have?

Labradoodle, Goldendoodle, Cockapoo, Bernedoodle, and Aussiedoodle are Poodle crosses. How much Poodle is in the coat determines how it behaves. There are three main types.

Woolly or curly

Dense, tight curls that feel like a Poodle coat. This type sheds the least and mats the fastest: loose hairs get caught in the curls instead of falling out. Comb daily to every other day.

Wavy or fleece

The most common doodle coat: soft, loose waves, longer and looser than the woolly variant. Mats less quickly, but does mat in the usual problem areas. Combing through two to three times a week is enough.

Straight or hairy

Longer, straighter hair that resembles the Labrador or Golden side, often with a double layer. This type *does* shed. Mats are less common; the coat requires brushing and sometimes thinning instead of clipping.

In doubt? Grab a tuft of hair at the shoulder and pull it straight. If it springs back into a tight curl, it's woolly. If it falls into a loose wave, it's fleece. If it stays straight, it's straight. Which clippers and cutting length are suitable for this can be found in the overview of dog clippers per coat type.

Why do problems arise around 8 to 14 months?

Between approximately 8 and 14 months, the soft puppy coat changes to the adult coat. The new hairs are thicker, curl more strongly, and grow straight through the old puppy coat. The loose puppy hairs cannot escape and remain as a thin matted layer against the skin.

During this period, grooming salons receive the most matted doodles: the owner brushes neatly over the top, while underneath it's already stuck together. What you should do additionally then:

1. Double the combing frequency: from twice a week to every other day.
2. Comb down to the skin, layer by layer, not just over the top layer.
3. Keep the coat shorter than you ultimately want. Short hair mats slower.
4. Schedule professional grooming sessions closer together, every 6 weeks instead of 8.
5. Check the problem areas separately every week, even if the rest feels fine.

How do you properly comb through a doodle coat?

Brushing with a slicker brush smooths the top layer, but says nothing about what's underneath. The comb is the control tool.

The comb test: take a metal comb with wide and fine teeth. Place it perpendicular to the skin and pull it through the coat in one motion. If it glides smoothly everywhere down to the skin and back out, the coat is mat-free. If it gets stuck somewhere, there's a mat there, no matter how smooth the top looks.

Procedure in four steps:

1. Divide the coat into layers. Start at the bottom of the legs and work upwards in horizontal sections. Push the hair up with your hand and comb each layer you free.
2. Brush first, then comb. The slicker removes debris, the comb checks the result.
3. Do the problem areas separately: behind the ears, the armpits, the groin, the back of the hind legs, the base of the tail, and the area under the collar. Almost all mats occur there, due to movement and friction.
4. Stop on time. Two ten-minute sessions work better than one twenty-minute session.

Combs, slickers, and de-matting tools can be found under accessories.

What do you do with existing mats?

Loose mats that you can separate with your fingers can be worked out with de-matting spray and a comb: grasp the hair at the base so you don't pull on the skin, and comb the mat out from the tip towards the skin.

A coat that is matted down to the skin is a different story. Matting sits as a continuous felt-like layer against the skin, often with moisture, skin flakes, and sometimes inflammation underneath. You cannot comb through that. Hours of pulling on such a coat causes pain, tears the skin, and frightens the dog. That borders on animal cruelty.

In case of matting, a groomer has no choice: the coat must be clipped short, underneath the matted layer. This results in a dog that looks bald for a few weeks, but it is the only humane solution. Never ask a salon to "just comb it through"; a good salon will refuse that.

Which grooming style and length do you choose?

A comb attachment is a plastic or metal comb that you click over the Blade and that increases the cutting length. For home use, 13 to 25 mm with a comb attachment is the safest: you retain enough length to hide mistakes. If you want to go longer between grooming sessions, use a Blade for 5 to 9 mm. The difference between these two methods of working is explained in the article about comb attachments and cutting lengths.

Step by step: grooming a doodle at home

1. Comb the entire coat down to the skin. Clipping over mats will cause the Blade to jam, pull on the skin, and result in an uneven finish.
2. Wash and dry completely. A semi-dry curly coat will mat during clipping and dull your Blade. Blow dry the coat and comb through again.
3. Prepare your equipment: clippers, comb attachments, oil, brush, shears, and comb, all within reach.
4. Start with the body. Work from the neck to the tail, with the direction of hair growth, in overlapping passes. Gently pull the skin taut with your free hand.
5. Then do the sides and chest. Follow the dog's contours; lift a front leg to do the armpit.
6. Hindquarters. Shorten them to the same length and carefully finish the inside of the hind legs.
7. Head, ears, and muzzle with shears or small clippers. The Clipr MiniTrim is small and quiet and works well around the eyes, ears, and muzzle. Never use a large machine near the eyes.
8. Paws and feet. Clip the hair short between the paw pads and trim the paws round.
9. Check and touch up. Go over the dog for uneven spots and comb everything through one more time.

Pause every 5 to 10 minutes to clean and oil the Blade. The complete clipping protocol is in the step-by-step guide to clipping your dog.

Why is a doodle coat tough on clippers?

A doodle coat has a lot of volume, so more hair passes through the Blade per pass than with a smooth-coated dog. The curl is dense and offers more resistance to the teeth. This causes the Blade to heat up faster, which the dog feels on its skin.

What you can do about it:

• Choose a machine with power that doesn't bog down in dense coats. The Clipr Ultimate is a 2-Speed cordless clipper with two batteries, so you don't have to wait for one to charge.
• Work with a sharp Blade. A dull Blade pulls and heats up extra.
• Take short passes. If the motor audibly slows down, first go one step longer.
• Pause, oil, and feel the Blade with the back of your hand. Warm means stop or switch.

How often should a doodle go to the grooming salon?

Expect a professional grooming session every 6 to 10 weeks: a woolly coat on the shorter end of that range, a straight coat on the longer end. In between, you do home maintenance: comb through 2 to 4 times a week and touch up the paws, ears, muzzle, and hygiene zone every 2 to 4 weeks.

If you want to do it entirely yourself, keep the length generous the first few times: a 25 mm doodle still looks like a doodle even after an awkward grooming session.

Six mistakes doodle owners make

How to approach it

Most of the work is in the comb, not the clippers. Consistently comb down to the skin, work on the problem areas separately, and keep the length generous, then the machine only needs to be used once every two months. If you don't yet know which clippers and cutting length suit your doodle, go through the selection guide or view the dog clippers.

Frequently asked questions

How often should you groom a Labradoodle?

A Labradoodle needs a full grooming session every 6 to 10 weeks, plus home maintenance of 2 to 4 combing sessions per week. Woolly coats are on the shorter end of that range, straight coats on the longer end. Paws, ears, and hygiene zone should be touched up every 2 to 4 weeks.

What length do you clip a doodle?

For home use, 13 to 25 mm with a comb attachment is the safest choice; that leaves enough length to hide imperfections. If you want to go longer between grooming sessions, use a Blade of 5 to 9 mm. Shorter than 5 mm leaves the skin unprotected and is rarely necessary.

Why is my doodle's coat suddenly matting so badly?

This is usually due to the coat change between 8 and 14 months: the adult coat grows through the puppy coat, and the loose hairs remain as felt against the skin. During this period, comb down to the skin every other day, keep the coat shorter, and schedule grooming sessions closer together.

Can a matted doodle coat still be combed out?

No. If the coat is matted down to the skin, it must be clipped short, usually underneath the matted layer. Hours of combing causes pain, damages the skin, and frightens the dog for the next session. A good grooming salon will refuse to comb out matting.