How To Groom A Goldendoodle At Home: Video Tutorial Step-By-Step Guide!

Whether you have a puppy or a 10 year old pup, Goldendoodle grooming in the comfort of your own home is a valuable skill. Maybe you’re wanting to reduce your allergies. Maybe your pup’s a little too shaggy for your liking. Or maybe you just want to save some cash…after all, those trips to the groomer aren’t cheap!

Lucky for you, we have a video tutorial series on DIY full-body grooming that will guide you through the entire process of Doodle grooming. You can find those videos and some brief step-by-step instructions below, as well as on our YouTube channel.  If you’re ready to learn how to groom a Goldendoodle at home yourself, then keep on reading (and watching!). 

Goldendoodle Grooming At Home: How To Groom A Goldendoodle?

Step 1) Have the Right Tools on Hand

For a successful home groom, first make sure you have the necessary Goldendoodle grooming tools on hand.

Here’s a complete list of the tools you need for grooming a Goldendoodle at home:

1. Brush – Slicker brushes are usually best picks for Goldendoodles, especially for those with very curly or mat-prone hair. 
2. Comb – For detangling knots and mats. Opt for a stainless steel comb. Two-sided options are best in our opinion. 
3. Dog Detangler Spray – For loosening up any knots and tangles, as well as making the hair softer and easier to manage. 
4. Dog Clippers – Opt for dog clippers that have multiple operating speeds with at least 3400-4400 spm (strokes per minute). 
5. Scissors – For less experienced DIY Goldendoodle groomers, we recommend bullnose, a.k.a safety scissors. 
6. Dog Shears – Thinning shears are absolutely necessary to blend in all the different layers of fur and prevent that chopped up look. 
7. Dog Shampoo & Conditioner – Be sure to opt for a dog-safe shampoo and conditioner, as human products can do more harm than good. 
8. Nail Clippers – You can either opt for dog nail clippers or a dog nail grinder, depending whichever you find easier to use. See also: How To Trim Dog Nails Ultimate Guide: Special Considerations For Doodles
9. Dog Ear Cleaner – Use a specially formulated dog ear cleaner to keep bad bacteria at bay and prevent ear infections. See also: Dog Ear Infection Symptoms, Treatments, And Prevention For Doodles
10. Dog Grooming Table – To keep your Dood safely still, purchase a dog grooming table or build one yourself. 
11. Towels

Step 2) FIRST and Foremost: Line Brush

When learning how to groom a Goldendoodle, one of the very first things that you’ll understand is that preparation is key. You want to make sure that your dog’s coat is as tangle-free and easy to manage as possible.

Using a good slicker brush, start at the bottom of your Doodle and brush one line of hair away at a time. Gradually pull small portions of hair down with the brush. Make sure you can see your pup’s skin with each “line.” Brush the whole dog in this manner to ensure all mats and tangles have been eliminated. If this doesn’t make sense, watch our great tutorial video on how to line brush.

Brushing and removing mats is especially important before going on to the next step, because water will make mats bigger and tighter.

Step 3) Bathe and Blow Dry

Now depending on how long (or short) you will be clipping your Doodle’s coat, bathing and blow drying beforehand may not be necessary.

For instance, since blades by themselves take off most of the hair and cut closer to the skin than clipper combs, it may not make much sense to spend all that time bathing and blow drying your Doodle, only to clip all their hair off in the end.

However, if you will be using clipper combs (a.k.a. clipper guards/attachment combs) bathing and fully blow drying before clipping is definitely a must. If you don’t, you won’t get a good finish, your blades will yell at you, and hair is going to get snagged and not go through the coat cleanly.

By the way, if you don’t know whether you want to use a blade by itself or if you will need clipper combs, the next step has more information on all that.

Step 4) Prepare to Clip

After a good brush down, bath, and blow dry, you’ll be ready to start trimming your Doodle with high-quality animal clippers. You can use the clippers with just a blade, or you can attach clipper combs to get various lengths.

If you’ll be using just a bare blade, be aware that it will get hot every few minutes due to friction. At this point, you will need to stop clipping and allow the blade to cool down before proceeding. You can use a cooling spray, or simply lay your blade face down on a ceramic tile or stone countertop. These will help to speed up the blade cooling process.

If you use clipper combs, however, you won’t need to worry about the blade overheating, since the combs will shield your dog from feeling the heat. Still, it is a good idea to stop clipping every once in a while to clean off the blade and add a fresh few drops of lubricant oil to the blade.

Before starting, be sure to lubricate your blade with clipper oil so friction is minimized. Less is more – a drop or two goes a long way.

Step 5) Clip the Top-Half

In the above video, we show you how to clip the entire top-half of your dog, including the back, back of the neck, chest, and upper hind legs.

Step 6) Clip the Head, Neck, and Face

Now it’s time to clip the head, neck, and face. Here’s a good video on how to groom a Goldendoodle around those areas:

If You Want to Leave the Face Long

Depending on the Goldendoodle grooming style you want, you can either give your Dood a clean face (short/shaved facial area), or scissor trim it neatly with grooming scissors to keep the face, beard, and ears long.

If you don’t want a cut that is uniform between the body and face, this is where you will want to pull out your thinning shears and grooming scissors.

Here’s a good video on scissor-trimming the face:

Step 7) Clip and Trim the Ears

In regards to the ears, it’s important to manage the hairs inside the ear canal. It’s especially important to do so if your Doodle is prone to ear infections.

In the following video, we clip the outside of the ears and trim along the outline of the ears with scissors. We also scissor trim the hairs inside of the ear canal. (Alternatively, you can shave or pluck the inside of the ear flap.)

Step 8) Clip and Trim the Legs, Feet, and Paws

Here’s a good tutorial video on how to clip and trim the legs, feet, and paws:

If the clipper won’t achieve the look you want for your Doodle’s legs and feet, feel free to hand-trim by using your grooming scissors. If proceeding with a scissor trim, start by combing the leg hairs upward so they stand up. Using your scissors, gradually trim the hair on the legs and feet to the desired length.

Be sure to (carefully) shave the hair out from between the paw pads and toes, too. Use a #30 or #40 blade by itself for the closest shave. Sometimes, the hairs between the paw pads will be matted, so take extra care here.

Step 9) Trim the Nails

Using traditional dog nail clippers or a nail grinder, it is really important not to forget to trim the nails.

With dog nail clippers, start by trimming the tips of the nails and gradually “chisel” away at them to shorten them further. Here’s a good tutorial video on how to do that:

With a dog nail grinder, start by grinding down the tips of the nails and gradually grind away at them to shorten them further. Here’s a good tutorial video on how to do that:

Step 10) Clip the Belly and Groin

Here’s a good tutorial video on how to cut Goldendoodle hair around the belly and groin areas:

Step 11) Clip the Bum and Tail

Here’s a good tutorial video on how to groom a Goldendoodle’s rear end and tail area:

Grooming A Goldendoodle At Home: Final Thoughts

And there you have it. Now you know what it takes for Goldendoodle grooming yourself at home! Although it does require a bit of practice and patience, after a few sessions you’ll surely get a hang of it. We hope this guide has helped you learn how to groom a Goldendoodle so that your Dood gets to flaunt its natural, fluffy, and gorgeous hair all year round without you having to pay insane amounts of money every few months at a professional grooming salon.