Many doodle owners find themselves perplexed on how to care for their puppy’s coat or adult dog’s hair, especially if they’re first-time doodle owners. My number one tip is to BRUSH your bernedoodle’s hair at least twice a week. Be sure to use the right tools. I have found that a metal comb and a slicker brush are best. There is even a detangling and de-matting brush you can use when you encounter tougher spots.

You can establish a good habit of sitting with your doodle and just brushing his or her hair while you’re watching your favorite show in the evening or whenever you are most likely to have some downtime each day. Start early and get your puppy used to the brush right away. Be sure to get the bristles of the brush or the teeth of the comb down to the skin — gently of course. Some doodle owners make the mistake of just brushing the top of the hair, while the hair underneath gets matted. They think they have been staying on top of at-home grooming… until they take their pup to a professional groomer and learn there are terrible mats beneath that top layer of hair. Then their pup has to be shaved. 

Due to the nature of the breed it is common for some generations that have more poodle in them to get their ears plucked. I recommend finding a groomer that is comfortable doing this. Lack of ear plucking (if necessary) can result in painful dreads in your doodles ears resulting in ear infections. 

We don’t want that for you and your bernedoodle, so we’ve compiled all the best tips for you in order to take the mystery out of doodle hair. 

​

At-home Weekly Grooming

This is a terrific article on determining your dog’s coat type and keeping up with regular bathing and simple grooming at home.

How to communicate to a groomer what look you want:

I’ve seen it a hundred times on Facebook in the Bernedoodle and Doodle forums. A person takes their doodle to the groomer for the first time and he or she comes back unrecognizable. We don’t want that to happen to you! 

• The first thing I would recommend to is to find a great groomer who is comfortable grooming doodles. Ask your friends and family, post the question on Facebook, or check Yelp reviews. Find a groomer who is kind, caring, understanding, professional, and communicative. It’s okay if you don’t hit it off with the first groomer you find. Try a new place until you feel comfortable!

• Feel free to call around, I prefer to find a groomer that is comfortable with poodles. Poodle cuts are difficult and finding a groomer comfortable with their upkeep is helpful. 

• Many doodles are cut with the puppy cut, lamb cut, teddy bear cut, or lion cut, but even those terms can mean different things to different groomers. We recommend you bringing lots of photos of bernedoodle hair cuts you like to your groomer and communicating very clearly what you want. 

• The Facebook Bernedoodle groups I recommend are Bernedoodle Dog Owners Group, Bernedoodle Dog Owners, and Bernedoodles.