Labradoodle grooming
Labradoodle grooming in Gloucester, MA
Labradoodle is one name for several coats. Wikipedia's entry on the cross sorts them into hair, fleece and wool, and the Australian labradoodle adds a further branch to the family tree. This page is about what each coat asks of a groomer and what it costs when the brush falls behind.
Fleece or wool
Fleece is a soft, loose wave; wool is a tight curl that needs grooming more often
Feel your labradoodle's coat when it is dry. Wikipedia describes fleece as a single coat of soft, thin fibers that look silky and slightly wavy, and wool as a single coat of coarse, thick fibers grouped into small, tight curls. It notes that fleece needs regular grooming to prevent matting, while wool needs frequent grooming, trimming and brushing. A third type, hair, can be straight, wavy or curly but feels closer to a Labrador's coat. Plenty of dogs fall somewhere between two types.
The texture tells a groomer where the work will be. Fleece tangles first where it rubs: the ears, the collar line and the armpits. Wool packs loose hair into every curl, so tangles form at the base of the hair, where a brush skimming the surface never reaches. A hair coat rarely needs a haircut at all, and a bath with Shed Release at $10, a de-shedding treatment and brush-out, usually suits it better than a full service.
- Fleece: soft, silky, slightly wavy; full service on a steady cycle
- Wool: coarse, dense, small tight curls; the shortest gap between grooms
- Hair: closer to a Labrador's texture; often a bath with Shed Release instead
- Mixed: tell the groomer at check-in which parts tangle first
The Australian question
An Australian labradoodle has a different family tree, but it is groomed by its coat, not its pedigree
Owners often ask whether an Australian labradoodle needs a different groom. The name usually means multigenerational lines that, according to Wikipedia, brought in other breeds such as English and American cocker spaniels, the Irish water spaniel and the curly-coated retriever; one Australian association requires exactly three progenitors, the poodle, the Labrador retriever and the cocker spaniel. Early-generation crosses of a poodle and a Labrador, by contrast, vary widely in coat, size and appearance, sometimes within a single litter.
For the groomer, the label changes neither the price nor the plan. The appointment is the same full service at your dog's weight band, and the haircut is chosen from what the coat can carry on the day. If your dog has the cocker spaniel's long, feathered ears, mention it at check-in; the AKC notes that the skin at the edge of a spaniel ear is thin. If your breeder recommended a length, bring that recommendation along with a photo of the look you like.
Brushed late
When brushing falls behind, the bill grows by $15 for every 20 minutes of de-matting
De-matting is the one charge on a labradoodle groom that you control from home. It is billed at $15 per 20 minutes on top of the full service, and the groomer estimates the time at check-in after combing through the coat. A labradoodle brushed to the skin twice a week usually needs none. One brushed only on the surface for a month can arrive with tangles behind the ears, along the collar and in the armpits that take more than one block to work out.
There is a limit to what de-matting should do. Once tangles have tightened into a solid layer against the skin, working them out takes too long and pulls too hard, so the kinder answer is a shorter custom clip that lets the coat grow back evenly. You choose the route at check-in with the price in front of you. Wool reaches that point faster than fleece, which is why wool-coated dogs belong at the short end of the cycle: about four to six weeks, against six to eight for fleece.
- 01
Groom day: full service at your weight band; rebook before you leave and take $5 off
- 02
Every few days: line brush the ears, collar line, armpits and the inside of the back legs
- 03
Once a week: run a metal comb from skin to tip over the whole dog
- 04
Week four for wool, week six for fleece: check that the comb still passes freely
- 05
Weeks four to eight: the next full service, sooner if the comb has started to stop
Price by weight
Most labradoodles pay $85 or $110, set by weight and confirmed after the coat check
Labradoodles come in a wide range of sizes, so the weight band does the pricing. A medium dog from 26 to 50 pounds pays $85 for full service, and a standard from 51 to 90 pounds pays $110. A mini under 25 pounds is $75, and a large labradoodle over 90 pounds is $120. Bath only, for the weeks between haircuts or for a hair-coated dog, is $55, $65, $75 or $85 across the same bands, or $95 for an extra-large dog with long hair.
Add-ons are optional and priced on their own. Nail clipping is $16; the face trim, sanitary trim and teeth brushing are $10 each; and the antiseptic or fungal shampoo, a medicated wash for itchy or irritated skin, is $8. A $20 behavior or handling surcharge buys extra time and hands for a dog who needs slower handling. A grooming appointment cancelled without notice carries a $10 fee, so call ahead if plans change.
| Weight band | Common size name | Bath only | Full service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 25 lb | Mini | $55 | $75 |
| 26 to 50 lb | Medium | $65 | $85 |
| 51 to 90 lb | Standard | $75 | $110 |
| Over 90 lb | Large standard | $85, or $95 with long hair | $120 |
Between visits
At home, brush to the skin twice a week and rinse salt out after every swim
The Labrador side usually wants to swim, and on Cape Ann the swimming season runs opposite to summer. Gloucester admits dogs to Good Harbor on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 and to Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30. Salt water dries stiff in a fleece or wool coat. Rinse with fresh water, towel hard, dry to the skin if you can, then comb the ears and armpits before the dog settles for the evening.
For the brushing itself, our how-to on brushing a doodle between grooms walks through line brushing and the comb test, and our page on matted dog grooming explains what happens when a coat gets away from you. Take collars and harnesses off indoors. From April to November, part the coat at the ears and armpits after woodland walks to look for ticks, and ask your vet about an ear routine, since a damp, hairy ear canal is a vet question.
- Line brush twice a week, the friction points every other day
- Fresh-water rinse and a full dry after salt water
- Collar and harness off in the house
- Ear worries go to your vet, not the groomer
At Dogtown
Grooming by weight, and a daycare day to pair it with
The grooming studio at 210 Eastern Ave, and the playgroup day a labradoodle groom can be booked into.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is there a doodle surcharge for labradoodles?
My labradoodle sheds. Does it still need a haircut?
Do Australian labradoodles cost more to groom?
How short should a labradoodle be cut for the beach months?
Can you groom my labradoodle on a daycare day?
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
Book the groom your coat type needs.
Pick full service or bath only by your labradoodle's weight online or in the Dogtown app. Tell us fleece, wool or hair if you know it. No evaluation for grooming.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
