Gold Coast dog groomer on the breed thousands refuse to treat: Australian cavoodles and oodles

Owners of a very popular dog breed are rejected by groomers because of their poorly maintained, difficult to care for coats.

Owners of Doodle or Oodle breeds have been labeled “repeated offenders” by groomers for bringing in their pets with matted coats.

Animal Magic Pet care Owner Emily Myatt said of the two or three Oodles she sees each day, “80 percent” arrive “over-knotted,” which can make grooming a painful experience for the pups.

Doodles and Oodles have been number one time and time again on the list of Australia’s most popular dog breeds, but groomers find that people are not meeting their needs between appointments.

Emily gave her top tips for owners of low maintenance dogs and dispelled the myth that Oodles are hypoallergenic or don’t shed.

While Emily and her staff are well equipped to deal with Oodle grooms, there are some in the industry that have placed blanket bans on the breeds.

American groomer Anais Hayden who is known for her quirky and colorful grooming style, has a note on her website that she does not take on mixed breed Doodle dogs.

“I know doodles are permanent, so I’ve decided I’ll only accept the mini doodles as long as they stay on a monthly schedule,” she wrote in an online post.

“If the clients can’t afford to go between monthly grooming appointments, then they should do it at home. If they don’t comply, they can no longer be my customer.’

The Gold Coast groomer said Doodles make up more than half of the dogs she sees every day, particularly Cavoodles.

Emily has worked with Oodle breeders to learn how best to maintain the crossbreed’s challenging coat and has even conducted owner training seminars.

“Most other breeds have a long history of maintenance requirements, so it’s not hard to find how to care for those particular dogs,” she told FEMAIL.

“With the Oodle there aren’t very clear guidelines and because their coat types vary so much it can be quite challenging for a new owner to know what to do.”

While Emily has a number of clients who regularly groom their Oodles’ coats to keep them in good condition, she said she had a lot of “difficult conversations” with others.

“If it’s a dog that doesn’t go to the groomer very often or if the owners haven’t learned what it takes for maintenance, they usually come in pretty matted,” she said.

“We have a difficult conversation with the owner who does not understand the consequences and the dog will have to be shaved very short.”

The groomer said there are “no clippers” that can cut through knots and tangles and they have to shave under every mat.

“They’re close to the skin, you have to get them down as short as possible,” she explained.

“People think they can bring in a matted dog and we can only take half the coat off, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.”

Emily also rejected the common misconception that Doodles don’t have hypoallergenic fur or shed.

‘That is not true. You’re basically crossing a poodle that has a non-shedding or low shedding coat with everything else on the planet,” she explained.

“What happens is you get an entanglement of two sometimes three different coat types, which brings its own challenges. They don’t shed completely, that’s a bit of a myth.’

But Oodle owners needn’t despair, as Emily said, there are ways to keep your furry friend’s coat looking tangle-free, starting with a regular “brush and a comb.”

“It’s like with humans, if you have a short haircut, you can probably go without a dong for a few days, but if you have longer hair than you need to, you’ll have to brush and comb it almost every day,” she said.

“Really a brush and a comb and a good thorough brush all the way down to the skin is essential.”

Emily added that the longer the dog’s hair, the more maintenance it requires, saying the “rule of thumb” is that fur longer than an inch should be brushed every day.

Doodles with longer coats should ideally go to the groomer every four to five weeks, but puppies with shorter coats may need to extend their appointments to every eight weeks.

She also said you shouldn’t leave harnesses or sweaters with your dog for too long, as they can cause “friction knots.”

‘Particularly at this time of year, people put sweaters on their dogs, even though their dogs have plenty of fur. It’s cute for fashion, but it’s not really necessary,” she said.

Emily recommends using a detangling or conditioning spray on your dog’s hair, as it can make brushing out tangles much easier.

She also suggests opting for a high-quality dog ​​shampoo and avoiding cheap or poor-quality human-made products.