About Labradoodles

As a cross between a labrador and a poodle, the labradoodle is a low maintenance dog in comparison to prized breeds like bulldogs, however it does require some care outside of food, shelter, and love.  Labradoodles need regular exercise, this could include an expansive yard or regular walks.  Like their labrador and poodle ancestors, labradoodles also love the water.  If you don’t mind wiping them off, the water is great fun and exercise for these dogs.  Labradoodle grooming involves regular brushing, and trimming 2-3 times a year to prevent their coats from matting, in addition, a bath now and then doesn’t hurt (keep in mind they love the water!). 

Labradoodles can have some serious health problems inherited from their ancestors, including the most common: hip dysplasia.  This results from an abnormal joint development, and is especially common in labradors.  This condition will make it difficult for dogs to put pressure on their back legs, and can cripple them if severe enough.  Make sure to have your dog checked by a veterinarian and check breeding records before purchasing.

When you get a labradoodle puppy, there are many aspects of care that need to be considered, such as brushing his/her teeth, and how often. It is best to do it at least three times a week. You can do it daily if you like. Use a pediatric toothbrush and veterinary toothpaste (no fluoride). Lift the puppy’s lip and brush just the outside surfaces of the teeth starting at the gum line and sweeping away toward the tip of the tooth.

Your puppy will learn that this is part of his grooming routine just like nail trims and will make it a lot more manageable when he grows up. Brushing the teeth help keep the teeth in good shape, decreasing periodontal disease, and increasing the time between dental cleanings.

Obviously, part of good labradoodle care is to give your dog a bath. A clean and happy dog will translate to a house that doesn’t like the inside of a trash can. What you want to do, initially, is to gather your supplies (shampoo, supplies, a washcloth and a cup).

Once you have everything gathered up, it’s time to give that dog a bath! Before you start, close the door to the bathroom or whatever room you’re bathing him in to thwart any escape attempts.

• Brush your dog
• Add dog to bath tub
• Turn on the water and wet your dog
• Shampoo
• Rinse and repeat if necessary
• Wash the face last
• Prepare for the shake and then dry thoroughly

After you give a dog a bath he may go nuts, so expect a sudden burst of crazy running and rolling. Keep him inside and out of drafts until he’s completely dry.

• Devote little time to grooming a fleece coated labradoodle until her adult coat replaces her puppy coat, which occurs anywhere from eight to 14 months old. Then during the changeover, thoroughly brush her at least once a week with a natural bristle brush and mat comb.
• Brush your wool-coated labradoodle once a month to keep shedding to a minimum and prevent matting. Use a natural bristle brush with wool coats.
• Bathe a Labradoodle as infrequently as twice a year. They are naturally clean dogs, with coats that brush dirt out easily when dry. When you do bathe him, use a regular dog shampoo, which you should squeeze, rather than rub, through his coat. Rinse thoroughly, air dry and brush.
• Trim a dog’s nails every two to three weeks using dog nail clippers. Be sure to avoid cutting the quick, as it bleeds and is painful.
• Shave hair around her ears and carefully pluck hair in her ear canal using blunt tweezers every two to three months to prevent ear infections and increase air flow.
• Trim hair around a labradoodle’s eyes and muzzle, particularly around his mouth and chin, as needed. Use a #10 blade.
• Give a Labradoodle raw, meaty bones to keep her teeth tartar free and shiny.

The Pure Fleece Coat
The ultimate coat is easily maintained. It is soft luscious with a big to small wavy curl to crimpy curl that is easily brushed thro and light weight, not wooly or thick like a poodle and definitely non-shedding.

The Fleece Wool Blend
This type is definitely non-shedding. This coat is preferred by many. This texture should be quite similar “to a Angora goat, appearing to contain a silky lanolin.” It should be wavy and forming light loose spirals. The coat is usually 3 to 5 inches long and doesn’t tend to mat. The Fleece coat has distinctly soft, loopy spirals it feels like no other dog coat.

The Wool Coat
This is somewhat poodle-like which requires regular grooming is non-shedding and allergy, asthma friendly. This is a thicker tight curl coat. A wool/fleece blend is a distinctly nice unusual coat as well.

The Hair Coat
This coat is soft, silky and flat-to-straight with medium waviness. Has a cute fluffy longer coat look. Regular brushing is recommended and is minimal to non- shedding.

The Multi-gene Australian Labradoodle always has the ultimate coat. Due to many years of breeding and the uniqueness of the Australian doodle produces a usually textured coat. It should be silky-soft waves and or light loopy spirals. The fleece coat or fleece/wool mix is usually 3 to 4 inches long and is easy to maintain.

Room training is imperative when raising a labradoodle puppy.  Select a safe room that when visitors come over whom are not “dog people,” the dog would stay while the visitors are there. It should contain a pee pad and toys. Bedding is typically used to pee on so do not use bedding until later. Some puppies pee in their space at first and some don’t, have patience. The point of the room is to discourage peeing for a period of time and keep them out of trouble – first an hour or two and at night, then gradually longer. The point is to take the dog out before it has to go to the bathroom and as time goes by it can hold it longer and longer. Never more than 4 hours except at night when I recommend you get up twice during the night and let the puppy out; after two days wait and let the puppy out once in the middle of the night, gradually extend the wait time an hour until finally they have gone all night.

The room should be used up to a year when you are gone and at night. The sooner the puppy is trained and you can trust them the sooner they have free roam of the house. Remember to remove food and water an hour or more before leaving the dog, the puppy should be let outside and empty when left in the room. At night take food/water away by 5pm so the puppy is really empty for the night.