Bathing

The journey to a perfectly groomed doodle, be it a Goldendoodle, Labradoodle, Aussiedoodle, Bernedoodle, Sheepadoodle, or Springerdoodle, starts with a good cleansing bath. Every bath starts with our blueberry facial cleanser from Tropiclean. This shampoo is strong enough to exfoliate and hydrate the hair and skin around your pup’s face, but made safe enough to not irritate his or her eyes. While their head soaks in the refreshing scents of vanilla and blueberry, we use our shampoo machine filled with daily-mixed shampoo to spray your dog from neck to toes and toes to tail with fresh suds. A combination of shampoo, brushes, and some good scrubbing techniques helps us really lather the shampoo into that thick hair, working through any tangles to cleanse the hair AND skin. Your dog gets this shampoo and scrubbing treatment twice! You can even upgrade to a different body wash, customized to your pet’s needs. Two shampooings is our guarantee that your pet is as clean as can be. After a good rinse to ensure no product remains in the coat, it’s time for a soak in our new ultra moisturizing and deshedding conditioner. 

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Now you may be asking: Hey Bark- Why would my doodle need a deshedding conditioner? Doodles aren’t supposed to shed!

 

They may not be shedding coat like your friend’s Labrador or Corgi, but many doodles do still hide a soft undercoat beneath their top layer of hair. Because of curls inherited from their poodle side, that hair usually stays put, which is why a proper brushing and combing technique is crucial to prevent matting on a long coat. But because even the most thorough at-home brusher needs some help to keep all that hair moisturized and hydrated between grooms, Bark has begun a new process for doodle coats, and that is the deshed conditioner.  

 

Finally, our made fresh from concentrate, Best Shot UltraMAX Pro Conditioner, chosen for its consistent and high quality, is applied to your doodle with care. We work the product into the coat, focusing on places where there tends to be more hair breakage, tangles, or mats, such as the legs, ears, and tail and allow it to soak for several minutes to achieve the ultimate result: a healthy, smooth, shiny, luxurious, tangle-free coat!

 

Included with every bath or groom package, your doodle will also have their ears flushed with Davis EarMed flush and anal glands expressed. You can also choose to add teeth brushing! 

 

Drying

After a thorough rinse, your doodle will be brought to the drying room to be fluff dried. Bark utilizes the Happy Hoodie to keep your dog’s ears covered and safe while we use high velocity force dryers, stand dryers, slicker brushes, and high quality brushing sprays to get your pup completely dry and combed out- all essential for a striking haircut. This process is where the deshedding conditioner really shines. After it has soaked through all the tangles, they almost WANT to come out! This makes the brushing process quicker, easier, and safer for your dog, and helps prevent hair damage in the future, making it easier to keep up with brushing at home!

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Haircut

Once your doodle has been dried and fluffed, it is time for their haircut. Following the grooming instructions you provide us, the groomer cuts your doodle’s hair to your liking! All of our groomers are very experienced in doodle cuts and will never “poodle your doodle”- unless that’s what you’re looking for! 

 

To complete their day at the spa, your pup has their nails (even the dew claws!) cut and filed and then they’re adorned with bows or a bandana to wear home.

 

If you have any questions about the bathing or grooming process we use for doodles, please feel free to give us a call!

 

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