The Labradoodle is a proper test of a groomer's coat-reading, because behind that one name sit three completely different coats, and the wrong approach to each does real harm. Get it right and you have a happy dog and a tidy finish. Get it wrong, deshed a wool coat or clip a hair coat expecting it to behave like a Poodle, and you will spend the whole groom fighting the dog. So before anything else, I sort every Labradoodle into its coat type, and everything after that follows from the answer.
The three coats: fleece, wool and hair
Labradoodle coats fall into three broad types, and you can feel the difference with your hands. A fleece coat is soft and free-flowing with a loose wave or kink, low to non-shedding, and the most common. A wool coat sits closest to the Poodle: tighter curls, a denser texture, low-shedding, and it packs down and mats near the skin if brushing lapses. A hair coat leans towards the Labrador: straighter or shaggy, it sheds, and it behaves nothing like the other two. There is a clear breakdown of these on the Labradoodle Wikipedia page if you want to point an owner to it. Which coat you have decides whether you are deshedding or clipping.
Step one: prep and honest mat assessment
Line-brush the whole dog with a slicker and confirm with a comb that you have reached the skin. Fleece and wool coats mat behind and under the ears, in the armpits, the groin, the collar area and the backs of the legs. Because these are big dogs, matting can be extensive before an owner notices, so be honest about the coat's condition before committing to a length.
Welfare note: A large pelted Labradoodle should be clipped short under the matting with a longer comb over the blade, not de-matted by force. Widespread close matting is painful and can trap moisture against the skin, so comfort comes first every time and the coat grows back on a tighter schedule.
Step two: deshedding versus clipping (the key decision)
This is the fork in the road. A hair coat that sheds should be deshedded, not clipped like a Poodle: bath, high-velocity dry to blast out the loose undercoat, and rake it through, treating it much like a shedding crossbreed. You can read how a professional deshed works on our deshedding page. A fleece or wool coat, which is low-shedding, is a clip-and-scissor job like any doodle, taken to a teddy or a practical pet length. Choosing wrong is the classic Labradoodle mistake, so confirm the coat type first and treat each on its own terms.
Step three: the bath
For a clip-type fleece or wool coat, wash in a gentle shampoo with a light conditioner to help the coat comb and scissor cleanly. For a shedding hair coat, a deshedding shampoo helps loosen the undercoat before drying. Rinse thoroughly in every case, especially the belly, groin and behind the ears.
Step four: high-velocity dry
The HV dryer does two jobs on a Labradoodle. On a hair coat it blasts out the loose shedding undercoat, which is most of the work of a deshed. On a fleece or wool coat it stretch-dries the coat straight so it scissors cleanly. Dry to the skin, brushing out with a slicker as you go, and take care over the ear leathers. A half-dried doodle coat scissors into lumps every time.
Step five: clipper work (fleece and wool)
Most owners want length, so this is comb-over-blade work. A snap-on comb around 13 to 25mm over a #30 blade sets a soft teddy body, clipped with the coat. Drop shorter for a practical summer trim, and shorter still under any felting. Clear the sanitary area gently with a #10 blade, do the pads and between the toes with the #10, and take a short clip through the groin and under the front legs on dogs that mat there. For a hair coat you are deshedding rather than setting a length, so the clipper work is limited to a sanitary tidy and feet.
Step six: scissoring and finishing (fleece and wool)
Scissor the head into a soft, rounded shape, blending the top, cheeks and sides into a smooth curve and rounding the muzzle full, keeping the eyes clear for comfort. Blend the ears into the head. Comb the legs out and scissor them into full, straight cylinders, scissor the feet round and neat, and blend the comb-set body into the legs so no line shows. Level the skirt and chest, comb the whole dog through again, and check the outline from every angle. On a deshedded hair coat the finish is simpler: neaten the feet, tidy the sanitary area and any straggly bits, and let the natural coat lie.
Crossbreed, not a standard
The Labradoodle is a Labrador and Poodle cross, not a Kennel Club pedigree with a written standard, so coat type is your only real guide. A fleece or wool coat suits a teddy or practical clip, a hair coat suits a deshed. The PDSA Pet Health Hub is a sound reference for coat and skin health to share with owners. The most useful thing you can teach a Labradoodle owner is which of the three coats their dog carries and what it needs, because that single fact prevents most of the matting and most of the grooming disasters.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell which Labradoodle coat I have?
Feel it. A fleece coat is soft and loosely wavy and low-shedding. A wool coat is tighter and curlier, closest to a Poodle, and low-shedding. A hair coat is straighter or shaggy and sheds. Fleece and wool are clip-and-scissor coats; a hair coat should be deshedded.
Should I clip or deshed a Labradoodle?
It depends entirely on the coat. Clip and scissor a low-shedding fleece or wool coat to a teddy or pet length. Deshed a shedding hair coat instead, using a high-velocity dry to blast out the loose undercoat rather than clipping it like a Poodle.
What blade or comb suits a Labradoodle teddy trim?
For a fleece or wool coat, a snap-on comb of roughly 13 to 25mm over a #30 gives a soft teddy body, with a #10 for the sanitary area and feet. Go shorter for a summer trim or under any matting.
A Labradoodle has come in badly matted. What now?
Clip it short under the mats with a longer comb over the blade rather than forcing a painful de-mat. Widespread close matting hurts and can trap moisture against the skin, so put comfort first and set a tighter grooming schedule with the owner.
Written from the salon floor by Lucy, City & Guilds Level 2 & 3 qualified groomer and owner of Fluffs, a one-to-one dog grooming salon in Wigginton, York. For more professional grooming guides, explore the Fluffs grooming blog.