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Doodle coats
How to brush a doodle between grooms: line brushing that reaches the skin
Doodle coats mat from the skin out, which is why a dog that looks brushed on top can arrive at the studio felted underneath. Line brushing is the only method that reaches the skin, and it is the difference between a trim and a shave.
What you need
A slicker, a greyhound comb, a spray bottle and good light
Two tools do the work. A slicker brush with long, fine pins for the layers, and a metal greyhound comb, coarse teeth one end and fine the other, for checking. The comb is the truth-teller: if it will not pass from the skin to the tip of the hair, the brush has not reached the skin. A pin brush is for finishing, and a bristle brush does nothing on a doodle.
Add a spray bottle of water with a little leave-in conditioner, because brushing a bone-dry coat breaks hair and builds static, and a strong lamp, because you will be looking at skin through a curly coat. A mat splitter or a dematting rake is a tool for small, early mats only; the table compares what each tool is for and where it stops being kind.
| Tool | Use it for | Stop when |
|---|---|---|
| Slicker brush | Every layer, skin outward | Skin looks pink; you are brushing too hard |
| Greyhound comb | Checking each section to the skin | It catches; go back to the slicker |
| Conditioning spray | Misting each section before brushing | Never on a soaking wet coat |
| Mat splitter or rake | A single mat the size of a fingertip | Anything wider than two fingers; that is a groomer's job |
The method
Part, mist, brush the layer, comb it through, move up an inch
Start at a back foot with the dog lying on its side or standing on a non-slip mat. Part the coat horizontally with your free hand so a line of skin shows. Mist the layer above the part, then brush it from the skin outward with the slicker, short flicks, until it lies flat. Comb the same layer to the skin. Move the part up an inch and repeat.
Legs, chest, belly, sides, back, then neck and head last, when the dog has settled into it. The whole body takes twenty to thirty minutes on a well-kept coat and longer on one neglected for a fortnight, which is the argument for three times a week rather than once. Stop at any pink skin; you have pressed too hard, and the dog will remember.
- 01
Sit the dog on a non-slip mat in good light, with the slicker, comb and spray within reach.
- 02
Part the coat at a back foot until a line of skin shows, and mist the layer above the part.
- 03
Brush that layer from the skin outward with short slicker strokes until it lies flat.
- 04
Comb the layer to the skin; if the comb snags, brush again, then comb again.
- 05
Move the part up an inch and repeat, foot to hip, then the next leg, chest, belly, sides, back.
- 06
Finish with ears, under the collar, armpits and tail base, and comb each one to the skin twice.
Where it goes wrong
Brushing the top, brushing wet, and the collar that never comes off
The common failure is surface brushing: a pin brush over the outer curls, the dog looks tidy, and the felt forms underneath at the skin. The second is bathing a doodle before brushing it out. Water tightens every tangle into a mat, and a mat dried by a home dryer is close to permanent. Brush to the skin, then bathe, then brush again as it dries.
The third is the collar and the harness. Under both, hair rubs itself into felt in a week, and it is the first place a groomer finds a mat that has to be shaved. Take the collar off at home, brush under it daily, and check the armpits where a harness strap sits. A mat wider than two fingers is a dematting or a clipping job, not a brushing job.
- Skin outward, never just the top
- Never bathe an unbrushed doodle
- Collar off at home; brush under it daily
- Two fingers wide: stop and call the studio
The Cape Ann version
Salt water, sand, snowballs and the humid August coat
A doodle on Cape Ann meets the worst enemies of its coat in one year. Salt water from a legal winter swim dries into a stiff, tacky coat that mats within days; Good Harbor takes dogs on even days and Wingaersheek on odd from October 1 to April 30. Rinse in fresh water and line brush that evening, every time. Sand lodges at the skin and grinds; brush it out dry before any bath.
Winter brings snowballs that form in the leg feathering and pull hair into knots as they melt, and August brings humidity that swells curls and tightens every existing tangle. Ticks, active here April to November, hide in exactly the spots a line brush reaches, so the twenty-minute session doubles as the check. A doodle that hikes Dogtown Common needs the comb the same day.
When to hand it to us
Dematting at $15 per 20 minutes, a full groom by size, and the honest shave
When the comb stops at the skin, the studio takes over. Dematting is $15 per 20 minutes, added to a bath or a full service groom, and our groomers will tell you at check-in how much can be worked out kindly and where a shorter clip is the humane answer. A bath and brush-out is priced by size from $55, a full service groom from $75.
Hand it over on a schedule rather than in a crisis. A doodle brushed at home three times a week and groomed every six to eight weeks stays in a length you like. Grooming needs no evaluation and fits into a daycare day or the last morning of an overnight stay, and booking the next appointment at pick-up saves $5.
- Dematting $15 per 20 minutes on top of the groom
- Bath from $55, full service from $75, by size
- Book the next groom at pick-up and save $5
At Dogtown
The groom between the brushing
A studio that demats kindly and says when a shave is the answer, and daycare days a groom can be folded into.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How often should I brush a doodle between grooms?
Why does my doodle mat even though I brush every day?
Can I cut a mat out with scissors?
Should I bathe my doodle before the groom to save time?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
To the skin, one line at a time.
Book a bath or a full groom online, and ask the groomer to show you the line-brushing zones on your dog at pick-up.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
