Last Updated on April 19, 2023
Goldendoodles are known for their beautiful coats. Often gorgeously golden in color with curly locks, the coat is one of the distinguishing features of this breed.
And it’s this teddy bear appearance that has made this dog so popular in recent years.
And all that fur means that pet owners worldwide have got creative when styling their precious pups. From the classic puppy cut to the intricate lion cut, there is no shortage of ways you can trim your Goldendoodle hair.
In this article, we will take a look at some of the most popular Goldendoodle haircuts around while also giving you some tips and tricks on how you can keep your pet’s coat looking stylish and feeling fantastic.
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What is a Goldendoodle?
Known for their teddy bear-like appearance and loving personalities, Goldendoodles are a popular crossbreed.
If you break down their name, you’ll quickly realize that these dogs are a cross between the popular Golden Retriever and the adorable Poodle.
As a result of their hypoallergenic, non-shedding coats, Poodle mix breeds became very popular in the 1990s.
Labradoodles were one of the first Poodle crosses that became popular, developed in 1988 by an Australian breeder who needed a dog suitable for blind people suffering from allergies.
Since that, many other breeds of Doodles have been developed to follow the success of the Australian Labradoodle, including the Schnoodle, Bernedoodle, and Sheepadoodle. And, of course, the Goldendoodle.
The Different Coat Lengths
The coat length of this breed will primarily depend on what generation cross your dog is. The most common types of Goldendoodle include F1 and F1B dogs.
F1 Goldendoodle dogs are first-generation crosses, meaning they are the puppies of a purebred Poodle and a purebred Golden Retriever.
The coat of these dogs could resemble either of its parents and is typically longer and more wavy or shaggy rather than tightly curled like the Poodle’s coat.
On the other hand, F1B Goldendoodle generation dogs are backcrosses, meaning they have one purebred parent and one crossbreed.
This means that they likely contain more Poodle genetics and will have the shorter, non-shedding, curly coat of this breed.
What are the Most Popular Goldendoodle Cuts?
Goldendoodle haircuts are available in various designs to fit a wide range of personalities, lifestyles, and budgets. Pet owners enjoy experimenting with new hairstyles for their dogs to make them look even more adorable.
See which Goldendoodle haircut is right for you and your pet by exploring the choices below.
1. Teddy Bear Cut
The teddy bear cut is one of the most popular and cutest Goldendoodle haircuts. With this hairstyle, your dog will have rounded features, such as rounded ears, rounded cheeks, and even rounded paws.
This gives your pet a super cuddly, fluffy appearance.
The coat with this haircut is typically 0.5 to 2 inches in length but can have slightly longer sections around the legs or chest that get to 3 or 6 inches long.
While super cute, this hairstyle is relatively high maintenance and requires quite a skilled groomer to properly execute as a lot of hand scissor work is required, which can also mean that it’s expensive.
You also need to brush your pet daily and take him to the groomer monthly to maintain his adorable look.
2. Puppy Cut
For many, the puppy haircut simply means cutting your Goldendoodle dog’s hair the same length all over, keeping your dog short, clean, and free of mats.
This is also the type of cut you may attempt yourself. But for others, this haircut is specifically designed to make your dog look like a puppy.
For others still, the puppy haircut simply refers to the first cut your dog gets and is more of a trim, bathe, blow-dry, and brush just to get your dog used to the grooming experience.
3. Poodle Cut
If your Goldendoodle has the thick curly hair of his Poodle parent, then this may be a good haircut for your dog. Like a typical Poodle cut, this version features short hair on the face and body with fluffy legs and a fluffy tail.
This haircut does require quite a bit of maintenance but is a chic, classic style that looks great on curly dogs.
4. Kennel Cut (Summer Cut)
Goldendoodles that live in hot climates are well suited to the Kennel Clip since it allows most of the dense, warm fur to be removed. That is why this cut is also known as the Summer Cut.
With this haircut, the coat is cut short all over but has a little extra length on top and around the tail. This is perfect for very active dogs and requires little maintenance.
The kennel cut is quite popular among Standard Poodles and is also favored by Goldendoodle owners.
5. Lamb Cut
The modern is a simple cut to achieve if you plan to cut your dog yourself and is quite low maintenance to maintain.
The lamb cut features a smooth, rounded style free of corners or sharp edges. Dogs of other breeds may also have this style.
6. Lion Cut
The Lion Cut, also known as the Continental Clip where Poodles are concerned, is one of the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) accepted haircuts for showing this breed.
This haircut is meant to make your dog look like a lion with shaved legs, shoulders, and tail but with a fluffy head, chest and stomach.
The backside is also fluffy, and there are sometimes fluffy balls on the feet and tail, but the dog’s muzzle is shaved.
This is a very high maintenance style that takes a lot of skill to achieve and daily brushing to maintain.
7. Mohawk Cut
If your pet is a real rocker, then you might consider the mohawk cut for your dog.
As the name suggests, the mohawk cut leaves your pet with a fluffy mohawk that typically runs the entire length of the back, starting from the top of their head.
The rest of their coat would be cut short in the kennel cut mentioned above.
You can have a lot of fun with the length and thickness of the mohawk part of this cut. And some daring pet owners even decide to die the mohawk some bright colors to make their pet stand out from the crowd.
8. Dino Cut
Another fun haircut, the dino cut, allows you to transform your Goldendoodle into a dinosaur.
The thick coat of the Golden Poodle mix allows for some unique shaping, and with this style, your groomer would almost shave your dog in the kennel cut while keeping small blocks of hair down their back to look like Stegosaurus.
It’s not a typical cut, so it requires a groomer that is up for the challenge to execute this, and it requires maintenance to keep up.
But if you want to do this haircut for a particular day like Halloween, you can simply trim the blocks down after the event, and you’ll have the typical Goldendoodle kennel cut.
9. Full Shave
The full shave is precisely what the name suggests, a complete shave from head to tail. This is not an exceptionally stylish cut but may be necessary for various reasons.
These could include sending your dog in for a big operation, getting rid of extreme mats, or helping your dog survive the sweltering summer heat.
This is a very low-maintenance option for pet owners who don’t have time for daily brushing and grooming.
10. Medium Length Cut
The medium-length cut is ideal for pet owners who want a coat that is not too long that it needs a lot of maintenance but not so short that their dog lacks any style.
With this haircut, you have the option to style your pooch when you want or leave it shaggy and natural to show off those gorgeous golden locks.
Other Haircut Ideas for Your Golden Retriever-Poodle Mix
When looking at your Goldendoodle, you may opt for a haircut that emphasizes one of its particularly adorable features.
Perhaps you’ll decide to showcase those floppy ears, maybe you want to make the tail a highlight, or you want your dog’s happy face to be the centerpiece of a cut.
Here are some ways you may choose to focus on your dog’s unique characteristics.
11. Clean Face Cut
Goldendoodles typically have thick, wavy, or curly hair, which can get quite messy when they eat, drink, or scratch around in the dirt.
If you prefer to keep your dog’s face clean, then you can opt for this cut which would keep the hair around the cheeks and muzzle to around one inch.
12. Round Face Cut
Goldendoodles have super-cute faces, and the round face cut emphasizes this adorable shape even more.
This haircut includes trimming the hair on the face and ears to the same length all around, giving your dog a very rounded appearance. This style is often paired with the teddy bear cut.
13. Top Knot
Have a top knot yourself and want your Goldendoodle to match? To create this style, you would trim the hair around the face shorter, leaving a fluffy part on the head to look like your dog has a top knot.
You can even add colorful clips or a hairband to style the look.
14. Clipped Ears
Clipping your dog’s ears means using a blade or clipper to cut the hair very short on the ears. This will help keep their hair under control and prevent any tangles or mats from forming.
The cut will show off your dog’s floppy ears while still keeping them neat.
15. Full Ears
If you don’t like the look of clipped ears, you may instead decide to leave your pup’s ears long and fluffy.
You can add some style to your dog’s fuller ears by adding layers or providing a straight or round edge to the bottom of the ears. This look can help shape your dog’s adorable face.
16. Bell Bottom Cut
The bell bottom cut makes it look like your Golden Poo is wearing bell bottoms. Here the top of the legs is trimmed short while the bottom features long flared hair.
While this look can look amazing, it is pretty difficult to maintain, particularly if your dog loves swimming or running in the mud.
17. Round Feet
Trimming your Goldendoodle to have round feet can make him look like he is wearing fluffy boots. To create this look, your dog’s feet need to be neatly scissored to make them round and fluffy. The nails should stay concealed.
18. Pom Poms
Harking back to their Poodle heritage, pom poms look very cute on Goldendoodles. Pom poms are best added on the tail or the ankles, with the rest of the leg and the feet clean-shaven.
19. Beveled Feet
Beveled feet give your dog a neat appearance, with the legs looking like one clean, solid column. With this look, the length of the hair on the feet should exactly match the length of hair on the leg.
The ends of the feed should be rounded while hiding the nails.
20. Clean Feet
Very active Goldendoodles can benefit from having clean feet. With this look, the hair is cut short all around the feet, including the ankle and the nails. This is a classic look that is often combined with the puppy or lamb cut.
21. Plume Tail Cut
The plume tail cut shows off your Goldendoodle’s naturally fluffy tail. This haircut doesn’t take much effort; you simply need to let your dog’s tail hair grow out naturally right up to the base.
You can then brush it to create a beautiful plume. Trimming your dog short on the rest of his body will help to emphasize his beautiful tail.
22. Flag Tail Cut
This haircut is designed to make your dog’s tail look like a flag. To achieve this cut, you need to keep the base of the tail trimmed short and the rest of the tail hair long, tapering it to the tip.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to cut their face hair?
The hair on your Goldendoodle’s face can grow quite quickly, hanging in their eyes or their foot, and so you may want to trim it before your pup needs to go for a full groom.
The first step would be to uncover the eyes using blunt-tipped scissors. You need to trim the hair around in a triangular shape carefully.
Next, you should gently brush your pet’s beard using a steel comb, using blunt-tipped scissors to trim the hair on the chin in an oval shape.
Next, you can brush the top of your dog’s head, using your scissors to trip this area. Here you can have fun playing with the shape.
Finally, you will want to trip the ears, snipping off any extra hair from the bottom of the ears, being extra careful not to cut the ears themselves.
To see if the ears match, you can pull both ears gently towards the nose to check their length.
Is it okay to shave a Goldendoodle?
You may have to shave your Golden Retriever-Poodle mix occasionally, especially if you live somewhere warm or if you have to deal with mats and tangles.
While it isn’t really recommended to regularly shave your dog less than 0.5 inches as this destroys the natural oils in your dog’s coat, Goldendoodles don’t have a double coat, so shaving occasionally should not damage their coat or skin long-term.
When should a Doodle puppy get its first haircut?
When your Goldendoodle puppy is about 16 weeks or four months old, this is a good time to take him for his first haircut.
By this stage, your puppy will have had all his vaccinations and won’t be susceptible to picking up diseases from other dogs at the parlor.
That said, you can introduce your puppy to the grooming process before this through bathes and regular brushing.
You also don’t want to wait too long before taking your dog to the groomer for the first time, as older dogs may actually become more anxious when introduced to new scenarios.
How much does it cost to groom this breed?
Professional dog groomers will cost between $40 and $80. As Goldendoodles are typically quite large dogs, they usually cost towards the higher end of the scale.
Rather than going to the parlor, you can also find a mobile or home-grooming service that comes to you, although these are usually more expensive.
If you are confident enough to self-groom your dog, you may find a facility that allows you to do so where you’ll pay a nominal fee of between $11 and $23 for the use of the space and their tools.
What happens if you don’t groom a Golden Retriever-Poodle mix?
Those who neglect their pets will end up with a Goldendoodle with a corded or matted coat, which can be painful as well as uncomfortable.
You must brush down to the dog’s skin in order to prevent this matting. Once matts and cords begin to develop, they can be very hard to remove, and you may need to shave your dog to get rid of them.
Taking Care of your Goldendoodle’s Gorgeous Coat
Goldendoodles should be taken to the groomer every couple of months while they also need daily brushing, particularly of the longer, fluffier parts of their coat.
When introducing the brush to your puppy, be sure to do so slowly, so he gets used to the tool and the process, as you don’t want to have a daily fight with your dog.
You may want to initially give him some treats during brushing, so he sees the experience as a positive one.
How can I find the best Goldendoodle groomer in my area?
Goldendoodle’s coat requires an adequate level of skill and experience from the groomer, so look for someone with experience grooming doodle breeds.
Good groomers do not groom too many dogs at a time or use medications to keep the dogs still.
You can also ask a groomer for some tips on how to maintain your dog’s coat at home and how to groom your dog to look its best.
Which Goldendoodle Haircut is the Best?
Goldendoodle haircuts are a fun way to express the personality of both yourself and your pooch.
If you don’t mind putting in some maintenance and effort, then a lion cut can make your dog stand out from the crowd, or you could opt for something unique with a mohawk cut.
That said, the common teddy bear cut will also make your Goldendoodle even more adorable.
However, if maintenance isn’t your thing, you may opt for a short kennel cut or even decide on a full shave. Ultimately the choices are pretty endless!
Dog lovers, how do you cut your Goldendoodle? Let us know in the comments below.
Janine is an experienced content writer and travel journalist based in Cape, Town, South Africa.
Raised by a bundle of botanists, researchers, and biologists, she is passionate about things related to the animal kingdom, including, our furry friends. However, as a terrible allergy sufferer, she is limited in her pet selection and so has grown up surrounded by curly-haired Poodles.