Utah – the home of the Doodle
When we opened Arnie’s we were told that “you will have a lot of Doodle customers”. Being from England, the land of Cocker Spaniels, we were a little dismissive.
“How many could we possible get?”, we would say. Fast forward a year and we are now creating a page especially for all your doodle owners out there!
So what is a doodle?
A doodle is anything that has been crossed with any poodle. So if Mommy was a Standard Poodle and Daddy was a Golden Retriever, then you have yourself a Goldendoodle.
If Daddy was a Bernese Mountain Dog and Mommy was a Standard Poodle, you’d have a Bernadoodle. It’s important to note that you’ve officially entered the big league in regards to breeds and high maintenance. But don’t you worry, we’re here to help!
How often should I come in?
It’s important to remember that there isn’t a breed standard cut due to the fact that doodles are a mixed breed. So it’s going to be a lot of conversations between the two of us to decide on what look you want your doodle to go for.
We recommend coming in to see us every 6-8 weeks due to the nature of the dog’s coat. A poodle has a dense coat of curled hair and it’s been mixed with a double coated breed.
It’s going to take a lot of work to keep this dog looking great.
The length fees explained
You may think that taking less hair off would take less time and therefore, cost less. But respectfully, you’d be wrong! The longer you keep the coat = the longer it takes to maintain it. That goes for you at home as well as us as your dog’s stylists. Everything will take more time such a bathing, blow drying, brushing, combing, scissor work. A lot of time goes into creating that desired look you want. Oh don’t worry, you’ll love the results but it’s important to know why we have to charge this length fee. Please see below for a handy pricing chart:
| 1/2" | 5/8" | 3/4" | 7/8" | 1" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMALL (0-20 lbs) | $86 | $96 | $106 | $116 | $126 |
| MEDIUM (20-40 lbs) | $103 | $113 | $123 | $133 | $143 |
| LARGE (40-60 lbs) | $120 | $130 | $140 | $150 | $160 |
| XL LARGE (60-80 lbs) | $138 | $148 | $158 | $168 | $178 |
| XXL LARGE (80 lbs+) | $162 | $172 | $182 | $192 | $202 |
| XXX LARGE (80 lbs+) | $177 | $188 | $200 | $210 | $220 |
| 4XL LARGE (80 lbs+) | $192 | $202 | $212 | $217 | $227 |
1/2 inch does not mean an ugly dog
Picking a 1/2 inch length does not mean that your dog is going to look ugly or go too short. We have a lot of clients that choose that look for their doodles and they look just as beautiful as the rest. We can still create that Teddy Bear look and it’s important to remember that there is no breed standard cut for these doodles. This is based on YOUR choice.
The shave down conversation
Let’s start by saying that no stylist wants to shave down your dog. But everyone at Arnie’s follows the five freedoms of animal welfare. They are: Freedom from Discomfort. Freedom from pain, injury or disease. Freedom to express normal behavior. Freedom from fear and distress. Freedom from hunger and thirst.
This includes how we handle a severely matted dog. During consultation, your dog’s stylist will give their honest assessment of your dog’s coat and advise you based on their professional opinion if we’re going to have to shave down the dog’s coat and hit the reset button. This should not be taken personally but it’s humanity before vanity. We will never shave down a dog unless we have been granted verbal consent by the owner. No one at Arnie’s is thinking of anything else other than the dog and we will work with any owner that only wants the best for their best friend.
What do I have to do at home?
We highly recommend you purchase a long firm slicker brush and a good comb! ( we sell both in store). Depending on the type of coat your dog has or how long you want to keep it depends on how often you need to be brushing. The slicker brush is designed to reach down to the skin and separate the hair from one another. The comb is going to be your best friend. It will tell you if you have successfully brushed thoroughly all the way to the skin and separated any knots or tangles. The comb will snag if there are some knots left in your dogs coat after you have brushed it. Then you can either brush again over that area or you can tease it out gently with your comb. We’ve created a chart for you so you can see how often you should be brushing depending on coat length: