Bordoodle Grooming Guide: Coat Types, Brushing and How Often to Groom
Dog LoveThe Bordoodle grooming guide, from a groomer's chair
A Bordoodle is a Border Collie crossed with a Poodle, and that cross can hand you almost any coat. One sheds on the couch and never knots; the next never drops a hair and felts in a fortnight. We groom both every week in the salon, and the routine that works is the one that matches the coat you actually have.
Groom the coat, not the breed
Every Bordoodle carries one of three coats. Work out which one yours has, then follow that coat's routine:
- Flat or straight (Collie side): brush twice a week, more in a shed. Salon every 8 to 12 weeks for a wash, dry and deshed. Never clipped short.
- Wavy fleece (the most common): brush every second or third day. Full groom every 6 to 8 weeks.
- Curly or wool (Poodle side): brush daily. Full groom every 4 to 6 weeks.
- Somewhere in between? Follow the curlier routine.
In this guide
Why one Bordoodle needs nothing like another
Two parents, two completely different kinds of hair, and a cross that shuffles them freely from one puppy to the next.
A double coat
A weather resistant outer layer over a dense woolly undercoat. It sheds properly twice a year, grows to a set length and then stops.
A single coat
Almost no undercoat and very little shedding, but the hair keeps growing until somebody clips it.
Those two coats want opposite things from a groomer. So the honest answer to "what does a Bordoodle need?" is always another question first: which coat?
- Flat or straight.Takes after the Collie side, sheds seasonally and carries an undercoat.
- Wavy fleece.The most common of the three, sitting somewhere in the middle.
- Curly, sometimes called wool.Takes after the Poodle side, barely sheds and mats faster than anything else we handle.
Plenty of dogs land between two of these. A wavy body with tight curls on the ears, legs and tail is very common on our table.
The flat coat and the curly coat: the two Bordoodle coats that behave most differently
Get to know the two extremes and the fleece coat in the middle makes sense on its own.
The flat or straight coat
Smooth on the face and front, longer feathering on the back of the legs, the tail and the chest. It sheds, and there is an undercoat beneath it.
- Sheds in earnest twice a year. Spring and autumn are when the undercoat lets go, and that is when brushing pays for itself.
- Never clipped short. That outer layer keeps heat out in an Adelaide summer as much as it keeps cold out in winter. Taking it off does not cool the dog down.
- Knots live in the feathering. Behind the ears, the britches at the back of the thighs, the tail and the chest ruff. The smooth areas look after themselves.
- Brush twice a week. More while the coat is dropping, with a wash and a proper deshed at the change of seasons.
- Deshed with a brush, a deshedding comb and a release spray. Nothing with a blade and no rakes. They cut the outer layer and leave the undercoat exactly where it was.
The curly or wool coat
Tight springy curls close to the body that hold their shape when you press them. It sheds almost nothing, which sounds like a gift until you learn where the shed hair goes instead.
- The loose hair stays in. It cannot fall out, so it twists around the curls it is caught in and locks, usually close to the skin where you cannot see it.
- It mats everywhere. Not just at friction points: across the back, down the legs, over the whole chest.
- Damp is the danger. A curly coat felts fastest while it dries, so a wet walk or a swim is worth a comb through once your dog is dry.
- Brush daily. That is the truthful answer, with a full groom every four to six weeks.
- A dematting rake is fair here. Used lightly, and only on a knot you can already slide with your fingers.
Bordoodle coat types compared: shedding, brushing and grooming frequency
One table for the fridge. Work down the left column, see which column your dog keeps landing in, and take that routine as yours.
| What you are checking | Flat or straight | Wavy fleece Most common | Curly or wool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape of the hair | Flat, with longer feathering | Loose open wave | Tight defined curl |
| Press and release | Lies flat | Stays where you put it | Springs straight back |
| Shedding | Seasonal and heavy | Light | Almost none |
| Undercoat | Yes, dense | Sometimes, patchy | No |
| Brushing at home | Twice a week | Every second or third day | Daily |
| In the salon every | 8 to 12 weeks | 6 to 8 weeks | 4 to 6 weeks |
| What the salon does | Wash, dry and deshed | Full groom | Full groom |
| Matting risk | Low, mostly in the feathering | Moderate, at friction points | High, and fastest when damp |
The four places a Bordoodle mats first
Whichever coat you have, the trouble starts in the same handful of spots. Run your comb through these weekly, in this order, and you will catch almost everything early.
- Behind and under the ears.Warm, soft hair that rubs against itself every time your dog turns its head.
- The britches.The long feathering at the back of the thighs, which the Collie side loves to grow and which sits right where your dog sits.
- Under the collar and wherever gear rests.Steady friction in one narrow band, hour after hour.
- Armpits and the chest ruff.Every stride moves this hair against itself, and it is the hardest place to see a problem forming.
How to brush a Bordoodle at home, plus the Adelaide bits nobody warns you about
The tools are the easy part. The method and the local hazards decide how the coat looks in six weeks.
The kit
- Slicker brush.Opens the coat.
- Metal comb.Checks your work.
- Detangling spray.Lets the hair slide instead of snapping. A dry coat is where most breakage happens, which is why our Dogify Detangling Spray is what we reach for on the table.
- Fleece and curly coats.Add a dematting rake for stubborn spots, used lightly.
- Flat coat in full shed.Swap the rake for a deshedding comb and a release spray, and work the undercoat out gently.
The method
- Work in small sections.Part the coat so you can see the skin.
- Brush from the skin outwards.Skimming across the top only tidies the surface.
- Finish every section with the comb.If it reaches the skin, that section is done. If it stops partway, the knot is still sitting underneath.
Our guide on how to brush an oodle properly at home walks through the full sequence, and how often to groom an oodle sets the salon rhythm around it.
The Adelaide bits
- Grass seeds.The big one for a Bordoodle, because the Collie side grows exactly the feathering that catches them. From spring to the end of summer, check the feet, between the toes, the armpits and the ear openings after any walk through dry grass, and get a seed out the day you find it.
- Beach and river days.Salt and sand grind in the coat while it dries, and a curly coat felts fastest at exactly that moment. Rinse, then comb once your dog is dry.
- Heat.For a flat coated Bordoodle the answer is never a short clip. A thorough deshed takes the dense undercoat out and lets air move, which is what keeps a double coated dog comfortable. Our article on what deshedding actually is explains the difference.
Keep them dry and watch them
A Bordoodle can inherit the Poodle habit of growing hair inside the ear canal, along with a drop ear that holds warmth. We only pluck ear hair when a vet has advised it for that particular dog; for most dogs, leaving it alone is kinder. If trouble keeps coming back, start with why dogs keep getting ear infections.
A small daily habit
Teeth cleaning works best little and often. Get a finger brush on the outside surfaces while your dog is young and relaxed about being handled.
Not sure which coat you have? Brush on the curly routine for a fortnight. The coat will answer the question for you.
Bordoodle grooming questions we hear in the salon
Do Bordoodles shed?
It depends on the coat your dog inherited. A flat or straight coated Bordoodle takes after the Border Collie and sheds properly, with a heavy drop in spring and autumn. A curly or wool coat takes after the Poodle and sheds almost nothing. A wavy fleece coat, the most common of the three, sheds lightly. No Bordoodle is guaranteed to be low shedding.
How often should a Bordoodle be groomed?
A curly coat needs a full groom every four to six weeks and a wavy fleece coat every six to eight weeks. A flat coat is never clipped, so it comes in every eight to twelve weeks for a wash, dry and deshed instead, more often while the undercoat is dropping.
How often should I brush a Bordoodle?
Daily for a curly coat, every second or third day for a wavy fleece coat, and twice a week for a flat coat, more while it is shedding. If your dog sits between two coats, follow the curlier routine. Five honest minutes most days beats an hour on a Sunday.
Where do Bordoodles get matted?
Four places, whatever the coat: behind and under the ears, the long feathering at the back of the thighs, under the collar and wherever gear sits, and the armpits and chest ruff. Push a knot sideways with your fingers. If it slides, comb it out with a detangling spray. If it feels fixed against the skin, leave it for a groomer.
Should I shave my Bordoodle in summer?
Not if the coat is flat or straight. That double coat keeps heat out as well as in, and clipping it short removes the protection without cooling the dog. A thorough deshed with a brush, a deshedding comb and a release spray lets air move, which is what actually helps. A curly coat has no undercoat, so a shorter summer length is fine there, and often the kindest option for a fleece coat too.
What brushes does a Bordoodle need?
A slicker brush, a metal comb and a detangling spray cover every coat. Add a dematting rake, used lightly, for fleece and curly coats. For a flat coat in a shed, use a deshedding comb and a release spray instead, never a rake or a blade tool.
When does a Bordoodle's coat change?
Between eight and fourteen months for most dogs. The soft puppy coat gives way to the adult coat and brushing suddenly gets harder. If your Bordoodle has started knotting after a year of easy brushing, that change is almost always why. Nothing has gone wrong, but check the coat type again, because it may not be the one you started with.