Your Aussiedoodle is a hybrid cross with the Australian Shepherd and the Poodle. These two breeds have very different hair coats and needs, when you combine them it changes everything!
The Australian Shepherd is a double coated dog. He has fur not hair, an undercoat, and he sheds. This fun event generally happens twice a year, spring and fall. The undercoat has to come out…shed…so the new coat can come in.
Their fur will grow to a certain length then stop. They have feathers on both front and back legs. One wonderful feature about Aussies is they do not carry that “doggie odor” that some breeds have. If they get really dirty, let them dry, brush them out and the worst of it comes right off! Of course there is nothing like a nice bath and blow dry to make your pet look absolutely AWESOME!
The Poodles are a single coated dog, they have hair, they also don't carry that "doggy odor". Hair will continue to grow until it is cut off. Hair will matt and tangle if left uncombed or brushed. The normal grooming for a Poodle is about every 8 weeks. It’s best to take the Poodle to a professional groomer, or learn how to do it yourself, but to keep them looking attractive they do have to be groomed. This constitutes a bath, nails trimmed, blown dry, and clipped. Feet should be cut tight, along with face and throat. The hair cut styles are endless. It’s all a matter of what you want your Poodle to look like. Most pet owners prefer a nice “puppy cut” the body is all one length, neat and trimmed.
Aussiedoodles are an awesome combination...the best of both worlds. They have hair not fur…little to no undercoat! They are very low to non shedding, even in the first cross called an F1 meaning it’s 50% Aussie and 50% Poodle. Due to the fact they have hair and not fur, they DO have to be groomed on occasion. We normally groom our Aussiedoodles several times a year, not nearly as often as the Poodle. We like our Aussiedoodles to have that well groomed appearance. We do not want our Aussiedoodles to look like a Poodle or a Schnauzer so we do not cut their faces like either one of those breeds. If I had to pick a breed to fashion our head piece after it would be a Cairn Terrier…I try to think round when cutting their heads and faces.
As with the Poodle the Aussiedoodles have hair in their ears so remember to pull it when you are grooming your “Doodle”! Each person has the way they like their dog to look, the choices are endless…just try to find a groomer that does a job you can be happy with, treats your dog with loving care, and doesn’t break the bank!
Another area we do not want to neglect are the feet. Be sure to use the clippers and remove the hair between the dog’s pads. If left on the foot it tends to snarl up, create a matt, and can cause the dog pain when walking. Relate it to having a stone in your shoe and trying to walk on it…it hurts! Be sure to remove this wadded up hair when grooming. While you are in the area trim the toe nails, if there are dew claws remember to clip them also.
Some pet owners demand their dog always looks exactly the same and will have them groomed every 6 to 8 weeks. Others may only want them done a couple of times a year…there is no right or wrong, it’s whatever look you want . There is no “doggie odor” on your Aussiedoodle, and if they do shed it’s not single hairs, but some fuzz from what would have been an undercoat. This doesn’t usually drop off, it has to be combed out. I prefer to use a metal comb to groom my dogs, over a slicker brush. The brush will smooth over the top, a comb will get down to the bottom and remove tangles and mats.
Bathing your Aussiedoodle should be done before attempting any clipping. Dirty hair dulls your clipper blades very quickly. If you do not own an Air Force dryer, one with high volume air flow, no heat, you can always towel your dog really well, then let him air dry before clipping. Do not attempt to clip a wet dog, it won’t work! Baths should not be done too often as they can dry out the skin. Use a good dog shampoo, and tepid water, not too hot as hot water can also dry out the skin. Rinsing is very important, any soap residue left in the coat causes skin irratation.
If you have questions about how to groom your Aussiedoodle, about hair coats, or other concerns please contact us and we will try to answer your questions.
