3 Techniques to keep your white curly Doodle tangle free

Each Doodle coat color and coat type has its own specific properties and therefore requires a different form of maintenance.

The white Doodle coats in particular deserve extra attention.

For those who don’t know this yet: white Doodle and Water Dog coats are the most maintenance-sensitive coats available! The lighter the coat color is, the more porous the hair and porous hair tangles more quickly and is much more fragile than smooth or coarse hair.

This has something to do with the skin producing less fatty acids needed to provide the hair with a natural protective layer. The fluffier and thinner the hair, the less prone to tangles the coat is. Therefore, the most easy to maintain Doodle coats are wavy fleece coats (but those are the ones we don’t see very often)

We DO see many white curly fleece coats however and especially, the more curly wool coats have a soft, fluffy underlayer that is very prone to tangling.
Especially in humid seasons you are more likely to encounter mats in the fur of your Doodle. 

If you have a white puppy or adult Doodle, use these 3 tips to make it easier to keep the coat tangle-free.

1. Use the proper brush

The thicker and woollier the coat, the stiffer the brush bed must be to reach the skin through the coat. The more needles the brush has, the more grip in the coat and the more grip, the more effectively you are able to brush your Doodle.
Most dog brushes sold by regular pet stores however do not only lack the stiffness to brush effectively, the needles are ALSO far too short; causing you to brush over the tangles, as it were. The more resistance you feel while brushing, the more effectively the brush works, because you feel can the brush brushing through the coat, instead of just over the surface. Efficient brushing with the proper brush will save you a lot of tangles.

2. Use a pet dryer

When woolly, porous hair gets wet and dries in the air, it acts like a wool sweater that you put in the washing machine: the wool sticks together and develops into felt in no time. Therefore, it is essential to separate the hairs while drying. You can do this by brushing the coat while drying with a handheld hairdryer, but this takes a long time and you would need a special dog hairdryer, because one made for humans is far too hot for the sensitive dog coat and skin. There are other disadvantages as well that I won’t adress here, but let’s just say that there is a much better way! By using a pet dryer you kill two birds with one stone and get the job done much faster. The warm setting of the blower blows the hair dry and the blowing force separates the hair, so you’re done immediately and it’s easier to keep the coat tangle-free. Warning in advance: make sure you first get your Doodle used to using it, because as higly sensitive beings they can get anxious or scared if you use it on them for the first time.

3. Thin the coat regularly

You cannot simply brush out the woolly underlayer in the coat. Thick, dense hair is more likely to tangle than loose, fluffy hair. By regularly thinning the coat with the right chunking shears you keep the hair airy and loose and tangles at bay.

Use these three techniques in parallel and success is assured!

Now you know a bit of the “what” of basic Doodle coat care. 

Do you want to learn “how” to use these techniques at home in the most accessible and inexpensive way? Then go and check out my online Tangle Tackle Introductory course. This will teach you all you need to know to keep your Doodle tangle free in a simple, stress free, harmless way WITHOUT shaving or cutting tangles out and leaving nastly looking cut marks that will stay visible a looooong time.

Enjoy your DIY Doodle grooming experience!

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See you in the next blog! 

Lots of Doodle love, Wanda en Joy