Having been involved with the breed since there were less than 10 of us in the United States breeding Australian Labradoodles we have a great deal of experience with the breed. We have been there and done that or had the tried and failed experiences and know the tried and true methods for dealing with almost everything you can ask regarding the Australian Labradoodle. Sadly, we witness so many owners asking the same things within social media groups and getting bad advise from novice owners who have yet to solve the same issue with their dog. Many times the advise they give is dangerous, damaging to the dog and human relationship. Sort of like the blind leading the blind.
Now you can stop asking novice owners and ask a professional. Below are some questions we've taken from random doodle groups and answers that you might find helpful. If you don't see your problem solved below, feel welcome to ask us.
Ask A Pro
Ask a Professional to Help Solve Your ProblemI wouldn't recommend a shampoo to solve the problem! Oatmeal is often used incorrectly. Oatmeal is a drying agent and can make itchy skin worse by drying out the skin. Oatmeal should only be used for overly oily skin issues or to spot treat open wounds that need to dry out.
There are a few problems that can happen when bathing at home or over bathing your Australian Labradoodle. Using lower quality store products or products like baby shampoo meant for humans will leave your dog's coat in a condition that isn't ideal, drying the coat out, drying the skin, leaving buildup on the skin and coat which attracts dirt and causes matting. Water pressure in your home likely won't rinse everything out of your dog's coat. The use of a human dryer to dry the coat afterward can burn the skin but if you leave the coat to air-dry you can attract bacteria which causes itching and odor too. All around- the use of poor quality products, not property getting the coat clean and dry can make your dog itchy and smelly. It is a cycle. We recommend professional grooming once a month and daily brushing in-between visits to help manage the coat of your Australian Labradoodle. If the groomer uses a high quality product you will be fine. You can however buy Quadrapet yucca formula and take it in for your groomer to use during your dog's appointment. See link below for my favorite shampoo for your groomer.
To be honest though shampoos and allergy testing aren't the solutions I would seek first. I would ask the vet to do a skin scrapping to check for mites. They are a common cause of itchiness in dogs and are everywhere. Then have the vet run a nutritional scan to see if your dog has a nutritional deficiency. If a dog is lacking vitamin D, copper or zinc you can see itchiness too. These are the first two things I would check.
Other things you can do are treat from the inside out. Providing your dog with a high quality fish oil. The product I like best (linked below) has the highest levels of Omegas (3, 6 & 9), Fatty acids, EPA and DHAs proven to support skin and coat health among other things. Filling in the mixing links that cause nutritional deficiencies like pro and prebiotics and treating the nervous system can help. The fish oils along with the pro and prebiotics linked below are products that we use with our dogs every day.
Products We Recommend that Might Help In This Situation
•Salmon Oil
•Salmon Drops in a treat form
•Pro & Prebiotics
•Shampoo
•Deodorizing spray
•Wipes for the face, feet and fanny or spot cleaning
If you are new to the products above you can use the discount code of INTRO4U to earn 20% off. There is a money back guarantee on every product! Go ahead and set the items up on auto ship and earn points that you can use later toward more product. No worry, you can always skip or move ship dates too.
•Make sure your groomer is using a top of the line product. They wash a lot of dogs and some groomers will use a lesser quality product to help save money within their business. You can take your own products but I caution you not to use lesser quality products from the store to manage your ALD's beautiful coat.
Products We Recommend that Might Help In This Situation
•Salmon Oil
•Salmon Drops in a treat form
•Pro & Prebiotics
•Shampoo
•Deodorizing spray
•Wipes for the face, feet and fanny or spot cleaning
If you are new to the products above you can use the discount code of INTRO4U to earn 20% off. There is a money back guarantee on every product! Go ahead and set the items up on auto ship and earn points that you can use later toward more product. No worry, you can always skip or move ship dates too.
Buying quality tools no matter what the subject is, is always important. Consider buying a cheap brush that doesn't really do the job or falls apart after a few months or a year. Only to replace it again and, again and, again with different products that keep failing.
I really don't care for the Chris Christianson brush at all. I prefer the Les Pooch or Activet brushes and a standard metal comb.
We have every Les Pooch brush there is but only ever use two of them. Our favorites are the purple (or maroon) double wide brush and the red mat zapper. Yes, I think they might cost more than the CC product that was asked about but I have to be honest.. the Les Pooch or Activet brushes work better! I have had my brushes for nearly 20 years. I haven't needed to replace them and they are in like new condition except for the one that a dog chewed on...
Products We Recommend
•Les Pooch Brush brought to you by our friends at The Doodle Country Store
Putting your dog on the ground and socializing early. I write about this all the time! The American Veterinary Medical Association promotes early socialization over isolation for disease prevention. It has been proven that puppies need to be socialized to hit critical mile markers in their development and the lack of exposure to the outside world makes them unstable. The AVMA has urged vets to stop giving out poor advise and telling families to isolate their puppy until fully vaccinated.
Lets consider logic for just one moment if you will..
•Your home was contaminated by outside germs before your puppy ever came home. You went to the store, the park, pet stores, you had visitors who went other places too. You can not decontaminate your space. The only safe space would be a sterile lab.
•The grass in your very own yard (even if your yard is fenced) has rodents that run through it! They carry so many diseases that you and your puppy can catch. People walk their dogs and those dogs walk on your grass 
. Little kids have no awareness, run and play and step in stuff and walk through your yard on your grass. Your grass is contaminated.
•Wild dogs and strays are everywhere, they aren't vaccinated and they aren't dying from parvo. You would see dead stray puppies in common places..
I know Parvo is scary. Thankfully vaccine studies have shown that a single dose can protect your puppy for up to 7 years! Vaccines overdose is far more dangerous to your puppy's health.
