When to start grooming puppy?

Suzi · 06-17-2009, 06:37 PM

Hi everyone, this is our first dog, a 10 week-old goldendoodle. He is quite furry, but it's also getting hot outside, and he started sleeping on the wood floor instead of on the carpet now.

We brush him regularly, and we were wondering whether they need to keep their coat until a particular age, or if there is something else I need to know before starting to clip the puppy's coat.

Also, the fur near his pee-pee gets dirty and hard, since he hasn't learned to lift his leg and pees on it. What can we do about that?

Pai · 06-17-2009, 08:16 PM

You can shave the area around his genitals and rear end to keep them from getting dirty. It's called a 'sanitary clip'.

It's never too early to groom a pup, the earlier you can get them used to the routine the easier it will be when the grow up. =)
Just be sure to not use any harsh shampoos or anything.

Suzi · 06-17-2009, 10:17 PM

Oh thank you, that is extremely helpful.

Also, the vet said not to shave it because when it's freshly shaved it's prickly, and he will scratch the area a lot. However, it's not obvious to me why the prickly should be sooo bad - it seems better than constantly dirty at least.

Also, can I use human hair clippers?

Binkalette · 06-17-2009, 10:25 PM

You -can- but it will probably be much more difficult and take a lot longer than if you were to use animal clippers (depending on how good your human clippers are). When we first got our dog, I tried grooming her with our $30 human clippers and they could barely do it.. It left her hair all un-even and the clippers got hot really fast.. After that I bought a pair of Andis AGC 2 speed clippers and they cut through her coat like butter.. MUCH easier, and less tugging and pulling on the fur for Zoey to deal with. They also make animal clippers to be exceptionally quiet since the noise tends to frighten animals.

Suzi · 06-17-2009, 10:36 PM

Ahh. I see now. Many thanks.

Did you experience any problems worth mentioning with the pricklyness of the hair?

Binkalette · 06-17-2009, 10:40 PM

No, I've never shaved her clean down there.. She's never needed it. Some dogs I know -do- get poo stuck in their fur if it's not kept short, but Zoey never has. I just keep the area free of mats and we have no problems.

Suzi · 06-17-2009, 10:43 PM

Thanks! I guess it can't hurt to try it out.