The Doodle Pro®: Positive Dog Training for Calm Doodles

Your Goldendoodle is brushed. Your Goldendoodle is also matted. Both of those things can be true on the same dog on the same day, and it does not mean you failed.
In Part 2, Fear Free certified groomer Joy Burton gets specific about how to brush a Goldendoodle at home. The brush most Doodle parents own that should go in the trash, and the two to buy instead. Line brushing, step by step, in words you can use tonight. The comb rule that settles the front desk conversation before you ever get there. The six places mats always start. Skunk brushing, which is exactly as delightful as it sounds. And the red flags that tell you a salon is not the right room for your dog.
We also get into crates and cage free grooming, what a good groomer does the second a dog says they are scared, and the difference between fear and aggression that almost nobody names out loud.
Then the room opens up. The Doodle parents who joined this recording live named their own dogs and asked Joy about them, and she answered.
Her closing line is the one I want every Doodle parent to hear: it is never the dog.
New here? Start with Part 1, Why Is My Goldendoodle Matting When I Brush Every Day?
🐾 What groomers wish you knew about brushing your Doodle, on the house.
🐾 My favorite brushes and grooming tools, the whole shelf in one place.
Some links are affiliate links. If you use them, The Doodle Pro® may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only point at things I would use on my own dog.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome back
1:45 Crates, kennel banks, and what cage free really means
7:14 When a dog gets scared mid-groom
8:50 Happy visits, the appointment before the appointment
11:58 What Joy will never do to a dog
14:04 Three things to do before your next appointment
16:35 The brush to throw out, and the two to buy
17:37 Line brushing, step by step
18:03 Why you need a Greyhound comb
20:44 The comb rule, and Swiss cheesing
21:43 Detangler spray, and what it cannot fix
22:53 Why the de-matting comb stays out of your kit
24:49 Skunk brushing and the Doodle Mohawk
26:11 The six places mats always start
28:58 How to find a groomer for your Doodle
30:23 Red flags at the grooming salon
32:20 The one thing: it is never the dog
33:01 Joy’s salon, and 25% off for listeners
33:47 Listener Q and A
41:33 Your one doable first step this week

THE TOOLS JOY NAMES IN THIS EPISODE
The slicker brush: look for long bristles that come out at a straight angle and then point slightly down. Flat pin brushes are built for short coats and will skate right over a Doodle. Match the brush size to your dog’s size. Chris Christensen is the investment version, Groomers Supply House and JellyPet are excellent for less, and Paw Brothers extra-long bristle is Joy’s pick if you are just learning the technique.
The Greyhound comb: a plain metal comb, about five or six dollars, any brand. This is the tool that tells you the truth.
Detangling spray: for maintenance and softening tangles before you brush. It will not remove a mat that is already too far gone.
An electric toothbrush: not for teeth. For desensitizing a puppy’s face to buzzing and vibration before a groomer ever holds a clipper there.
Shampoo and conditioner: Joy’s picks are NKITA Pet for a simple all-in-one, and Curly Wax if you want to bring the curl out.
🚫 The one to skip: the de-matting comb. Those hooked blades in the at-home kits are a professional tool. Joy does not even let her own bathers use one.
🐾 Want the printable tool list? Grab my Top Brushes cheat sheet.

FIND JOY BURTON
Joy Burton is a Fear Free certified professional groomer and co-owner of Well-Groomed Pets Orange County in Laguna Niguel, California.
Instagram: @groomwithjoy
Doodle Pro® listeners get 25% off their first service. Mention the podcast when you book.

WHAT’S YOUR DOODLE’S JOB TITLE?
Six questions, five results, and one of them is asleep on your couch right now. Take the quiz.
WHAT'S YOUR DOODLE'S JOB TITLE?

Every Doodle has a job. Some of them just picked it themselves. Sock
acquisition specialist. Neighborhood watch commander. Director of counter
operations.

6 questions, 5 possible results, and one of them is asleep on your couch
right now.

thedoodl
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast

You are brushing. You bought the good brush. And your groomer still met you at the door with the word "matted."
Here is the part nobody explains: Doodles do shed, the hair just gets trapped in the curl instead of falling on your floor. That trapped hair is what mats. So the problem usually is not how often you are brushing. It is what you are brushing with, and how deep you are getting.
In part one of this two-part conversation, professional groomer Joy Burton walks me through what is really happening on the other side of that grooming table. Why Doodles are genuinely high maintenance and nobody warned you. Why your groomer's comb tells a different story than your eyes do. Why waiting until eight months for a first haircut is the thing that causes trauma, not an early one. And why a shave down is an act of care, not a failure.
Joy is Fear Free certified, has been grooming professionally for over a decade, and specializes in dogs who are scared of the process. She is honest, she is warm, and she is not here to blame you.
This one was recorded live with Honor Society members in the room. Part 2 drops next week.
🐾 WHAT GROOMERS WISH THEY COULD TELL YOU

Joy said out loud what most groomers only think at the front desk, and she is
not the only one. I interviewed professional groomers all over the country and
asked them what they wish they could say to Doodle parents if they had the time
and the space to be honest.

Then I put every bit of it in one guide. The brushing truths nobody says at
pickup, and none of it holds back.

It is on the house: https://thedoodlepro.com/uncensored
Want to be in the room the next time an expert like Joy shows up live? Come join us at https://thedoodlepro.com/society 🐾

WHAT'S YOUR DOODLE'S JOB TITLE?

Every Doodle has a job. Some of them just picked it themselves. Sock
acquisition specialist. Neighborhood watch commander. Director of counter
operations.

6 questions, 5 possible results, and one of them is asleep on your couch
right now.

thedoodl
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast

The Doodle Pro® Summit opens Monday: 15 leading experts, 16 Doodle-specific sessions, 3 days, and your seat is complimentary. But 16 sessions is a lot, and nobody stands at a buffet and eats everything. That's not a buffet problem, that's a plate problem.
So I built you a trail map. Take the 60-second quiz at https://thedoodlepro.com/summitquiz and I'll tell you exactly which session to watch first, what to climb next, and one scenic detour worth taking, matched to YOUR Doodle. Already registered? The quiz tells you where to start Monday at 9am MT. Not registered yet? Your complimentary spot is one click past your result.
In this short episode I walk three of the fifteen trails (resource guarding, separation anxiety, and the Doodle with no off switch), do the honest math on fitting a three-day trail into a real week, and invite you to the pre-party call this Sunday at 2pm ET / 7pm UK, where the pop-up community doors swing open. All-Access Pass holders: both Companion Workbooks are ready right now, print them or scroll the digital version.
Pet pros, the very first quiz question sorts you onto your own trail. This is complimentary continuing education.
🥾 Find your trail: https://thedoodlepro.com/summitquiz
🏔 Save your spot: https://doodleprosummit.com
🎙 Basecamp: Live Doodle Talk daily, 3pm MT / 5pm ET
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast

"Wait, is this a joke?" That's a real message I got about the Doodle Pro® Summit. So today I'm answering it the best way I know how: by letting you hear the experts yourself.
I pulled four clips straight from the Summit interviews. Kristi Benson reframes demand barking in a way that made me laugh out loud. Dr. Adam Christman nearly has a panic attack as I quiz him on every chew in the pet store aisle. Dr. Sylvalyn Hammond, The Honest Vet, shares why she fights pet misinformation with nothing to sell you. And Kate LaSala reveals the surprising truth about dogs who bark and lunge on leash. Hint: most aren't aggressive at all.
Doodle parents from 21 countries and 46 states have already registered. The Summit is July 27 to 29, fully online, and completely complimentary to attend live. Plus, every day at 5 PM ET I go live for Doodle Talk Live to translate the talks into exactly what to do with YOUR Doodle.
🐾 Save your spot: https://doodleprosummit.com
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast

The doors to the Doodle Pro® Summit: Doodle Parent Edition are open, and this episode is your personal invitation. 🎉 Built entirely for Doodle parents, this three-day online event gathers fifteen world-class dog and veterinary experts July 27 to 29 to welcome your Doodle instead of correcting the both of you. Because Doodles are different, wonderfully so, and so are their parents.

Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast