What to Know BEFORE You Buy a Goldendoodle Puppy
Before you buy a goldendoodle, you must know the time commitments and cost that will be required for grooming. Knowing that upfront is essential because the Goldendoodle is a poodle mix and they still may require maintenance similar to a purebred poodle.
You’re will not be spending $250-$500 for a Poodle custom scissor trim… But, you will be spending at a minimum of $65-$90 for a puppy cut and up to $120 for an adult face trim and wash without any body cut. (That’s not including tip.) If there are any mats, then plan on an extra $1/min it takes to comb these out!
Most groomers charge more to groom the Goldendoodles and Poodle breeds because they are so challenging and time consuming. Their coats easily mat and this can be attributed to the Poodle curl gene. If your Goldendoodle has two curl genes (one from each parent) then consider your dog high maintenance!
Let’s talk about different coat types
The goldendoodle inherits genes from its parents. There are several genes that determine coat traits (and many of them yet to be discovered).
Simply put, Goldendoodles have three different code types and the mixture of these coat genes determine the look and characteristics of the coat.
Curly coat
These dogs have two curl genes. This makes their coats curly once the puppy hair has grown out. Puppy coat usually disappears around eight months to one year and that coarse, adult hair come in, often times curlier. This curly coat wraps itself around the other strands of hair and can easily matt right against the skin. You may never know it’s happening. Even with weekly brushings it can still occur and daily brushing is the only way to avoid it. Matting pulls on the skin and causes skin irritation and pain. Most groomers would recommend a shave down if this happens because it can be painful to comb out.
Wavy Coat
This is a mix of one curl gene and one straight gene (often referred to as improper coat). The combination of these two coat genes create a wavy appearance that most of the public
associates with a Goldendoodle. While this coat is less maintenance than a curly coat, it is still high maintenance and will matt. Early coat care requirements will be the same as the curly coat and professional grooming is advised every 8-12 weeks.
When the wavy coat is recently groomed it can appear straight. It does have movement and will regain that wavy appearance after a few days.
Straight Coat
The straight coat is not seen very often in F1, F1b or F1bb golden doodles. Straight coats are seen sometimes in the multi-generational Goldendoodle. When a poodle is bred to a golden doodle, they are giving one of their two curl genes to the puppies. In the case of breeding a wavy-coated Goldendoodle to a wavy-coated Goldendoodle, there is the 25% chance of each puppy having a straight coat. Straight-coated Goldendoodles have a coat that hangs down or they can have a slight wavy. Without the curl to the hair, these dogs are easier to maintain than the wavy and curly coat types.
*Flat coat in the Goldendoodle is not attributed to the curl genes but instead, the furnishing genes. Flat coat results when a dog inherits two unfurnished genes from the parents and has the look of a unfurnished Golden Retriever. This is an undesirable trait and usually happens when breeders are inexperienced with genetic traits and understanding heritability.
Photo Credit: Goldendoodle Association of North America
Grooming
Is it important to have the right tools at home when you’re grooming your Goldendoodle. You will want a tooth comb and a slicker brush. These products are on my website under Recommended Items near the bottom of the page under Grooming Supplies.
Goldendoodle maintenance requires weekly brushing, bathing at home every 2-3 weeks (depends if your dogs sleeps in your bed or not) and professional grooming every 8 to 12 weeks. While the adult coat is coming in you may need to brush your Goldendoodle every day. After than, weekly brushing usually is enough. Key is to do quality brushing, getting down to the skin with the steel comb to make sure matts are not getting missed. Drying your dog with a blow dryer can be helpful in preventing hotspots and skin irritation, especially in the summer.
It is best to invest in a good set of clippers and grooming scissors or know you will be paying for your dog to be groomed. You may just need to keep their coat short and manageable.
If you have the time and money to get the dog rather regularly groomed, you can keep the dogs coat at a medium length it just will require in between grooming appointments which are usually cheaper than the full groom and most groomers prefer a “in-between” visit.
Knowing your ability to maintain a Goldendoodle coat, as well as financial responsibility for the care, is an important part of choosing the right puppy.