Doodles & Frenchies: Groomer Tales from the Table

Golden Doodles and Frenchies couldn’t look more different, yet they can take the same amount of work in the grooming room. We get into why the “hard part” of pet grooming isn’t always the haircut, it’s the handling. A doodle may show up like a happy, bubbly goofball, but that curly coat can mat fast and force tough decisions that put comfort over style. A French bulldog may have a short coat and a quick bath, but nails, facial wrinkles, and water on the face can turn into a full negotiation if that big attitude shows up.

We also talk about what we see beyond the grooming table in dog daycare and everyday life, including the quiet signals that start drama. If you’ve ever watched a dog park moment spiral from a stare to a scuffle, you’ll recognize the “eyeballing” behavior we describe and why some small dogs act like they’re fifty pounds. Breed tendencies don’t mean your dog is “bad,” but they do help you predict triggers and protect your dog, other dogs, and the people handling them.

The best takeaway is simple and practical: training changes everything. When you practice paw handling, teach calm stillness, and set clear expectations, you can end up with a Frenchie who tolerates nails and a doodle who stands like a pro, even if their instincts say otherwise. If you’re a pet parent searching for golden doodle grooming tips, French bulldog grooming advice, or a North Texas groomer who tells it straight, you’ll feel right at home with us. Subscribe, share this with a fellow dog person, and leave a review with the breed you want the groomers at Hound Therapy to tackle next.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to Tale Talk Grooming Chronicles with House Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare, academy, and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of House Therapy, serving pet owners across North Texas. We're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories, and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto, humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't fight. Let's get started. Who let the dogs go? Who let the dogs go?

SPEAKER_01 0:40

A fun dive into the quirks, challenges, and heartwarming stories behind grooming golden doodles, Frenchies, and the pups who keep groomers on their toes. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer back in the studio with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Hi, ladies. Now it's so lovely to have you both back on today. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Very good. Thank you so much. My voice is a little scratchy, so apologize.

Coat Type Meets Big Personality

SPEAKER_01 1:12

No worries. Well, Shannon and Tanya, it is great to have you here today. Now, today's topic we're going to be covering is Golden Doodles, Frenchies, and Groomers Tales. So, what should pet parents know about these breeds and the stories behind grooming them?

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Oh gosh. Well, those are just a tip of the iceberg. And I like to use both of those breeds just because it goes from a really big or a small, long-haired, curly-coated dog to what seems to be a very easy dog to groom, which is a short-haired, smooth coat, um, you know, little Frenchie, which is maintenance. Yeah, easy maintenance. And why this matters is because of the personalities and their hair coat and texture. So uh we're just gonna talk a little bit about uh personality matters in dogs. Doodles, albeit they are family friendly, they're amazing, they've got such a different type of a grimming need. Um, but their attitude is really what makes the difference there.

SPEAKER_03 2:13

Bubbly. These little bubbles.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Yeah, they're kind of the happy, clueless client. Yeah. Which we love. I mean, they're great. I love them. Uh but they've got that curly and fluffy, which equals, you know, Matt's and grim often, to the which seems like a very easy dog to have, which is a a Frenchie. And a Frenchie is, you know, part of the Bulldog family. Um, and it's in their name. They are bullies. Uh, and I don't care what size uh they are, whether you have a bigger one or a smaller one, they are um a little bit more aggressive towards how they want to get things done. They're gonna really talk about getting their nails clipped and they're gonna have some uh very strong attitude uh about what's being done to them, where a golden doodle is, you know. Okay. Well, yeah, I guess I don't like it, but I'll do it. Um, and you would think that, hey, you know, my grooming price for my doodle and my French here are gonna be very different. And they're not because they're very different kinds of breeds. You've got the short attitude, um, which is no neck, no muzzle, it's all teeth, and it's coming at you for anything it doesn't like.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

Little dog, big attitude.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Huge attitude. The littler the dog, the bigger the attitude. So it's a harder dog to do in the aspect of getting the regular basic parts done for the dog. They're easier in the fact that it takes less time to do their actual grooming and to maintain their coat and their skin. Um, but it's not necessarily their the time to to do their nails uh and to get water on their face and the clean in front of their little wrinkles is sometimes much more difficult than doing uh a big long fluffy haired doodle. Uh and it's you know, it's it's hard for people to understand that concept because they look very different. Um, but I would say it's it's really in the attitude.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

I agree.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Um some things to worry about is you know, those those dense coats dogs. And and we're gonna throw in um you've got the drop coat dogs too, which um they're they're not they're your your Yorkies and your Maltises, they're all usually cut pretty short these days. Um almost everybody does a pet groom. Um, but you'll get you uh uh uh any kind of a Frenchie and you put them in. We in fact we had one today, put them into a pen and we like to call it eyeballing, right? They they're bullying is what they're doing because they're bullies. And you have a submissive golden doodle, the two of them would get along great, but you take that same Frenchie and you put them together with another dog that's mixed with, you know, a another Frenchie or another bulldog or um something of the sort. Even a chihuahua or a small dog, big attitude problem dog, which is a Yorkie. Um, you know, we love those, but those Yorkes don't think that they're, you know, seven and they don't know that they're seven pounds, they think they're 50 or 60. And those bullies will stand. Uh, and I see this at dog parks all the time. I see it in daycares, I see it everywhere. They'll stand and they're like, my dog didn't do anything, but they're gonna look at you and they're gonna look at the another dog in a certain type of way. And it's basically saying, Hey, like you wanna you wanna go?

unknown 5:40

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

And the and the the uh the loose aggressive dogs, you know, that they're they're they're chill until, you know, like, hey, if you if you come near me, you're in my personal space. They usually aren't the ones to worry about. It's the ones that are real playful and they're like, Did you just call me? Did you just look at me? And now you've got a little brawl on your hands. So um they're very different. Uh golden doodles to to Frenchies uh is it it's just they're they're almost the same amount of work to groom. And they're such very different breeds. Do you have any more questions?

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Yes. What one piece of advice do you wish pet parents everywhere um knew about these breeds?

SPEAKER_02 6:27

I I would say breed tendencies for sure. Um, breed tendencies is something that you should know. Uh that just because I use doodles as you know the big aloof dogs, that 99% of them are, there are any rescue dog and any dog is capable of biting and any dog is capable of being backed into or feeling like they're being backed into a corner and coming out and reacting and changing. Um, but it's the little dogs really that you have to watch out for. Uh, if you've got a dog with a name that's got bullying anywhere in it, understand that that is they are bullies. Um, and they may not make the first very visual reactions. Oh, yeah. I mean, they're great. They're not gonna make the first visual um and that you may not see that first initiative from them, but I promise you it's there. Uh, and you have, you know, my my golden doodle has never acted that way. My lab has never acted that way until you have a little tiny, you know, Frenchie or a Boston Terrier or something that comes in at you and they're eyeballing you like they're a big dog. Somebody's gonna want to take them on at that dog park. So know your breed's tendencies. It doesn't mean it's your dog's tendencies, it's just in that breed. And it's it's lying there whether it's dormant or not. It's there for a reason. Um it's it's though they the the doodles that we love so much, their curly-coated hair is as unpredictable as all of that, maybe. Their attitudes are pretty predictable. We know what they're not gonna do and what they're not gonna like. Schnauzers are the same thing. I know cockers. Um, I know what all of these breeds are going to do um 99% of the time. I'll even go with 90% of the time because 10% of them. 10% of them surprise me. And yeah, and and I I you'll see videos of of us on Facebook, and I'm like, oh my gosh, look at me doing this Frenchies nails, and it's not growling, not biting. This is like I mean, it just never happens. So when we get them, it's those are the ones that we video.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

Or a schnauzer that lets you touch its feet. You're like, what is happening? Yeah, in the ears. The pleasant, right?

Training That Changes Everything

SPEAKER_02 8:44

Yeah, so it's it's you know, it's just we expect those because it's in their personalities. It just makes them a strong, hearty, healthy little dog. And they, you know, I love a dog with attitude, uh, but you need to make sure that you keep that attitude in check. Uh, I was at the vet today, and you know, the vet, I my dog is is just very docile and she's very good and well, well behaved. And she made the comment, she goes, Well, that's because she's well trained. And I said, you know, you're right. She goes, I I really wish that everybody knew that and and did that, that came in here. And and they don't always. And she, you know, she recognizes that in her practice. So uh, you know, anybody who's in the animal industry understands that any dog anywhere um has got a certain type of way that they're gonna act based on their breed that we're already prepared for. That said, that's that's the norm. If you take one of those animals and you properly chain them and and you'd say, hey, look, this is what we're doing. Um, you know, you're gonna need to behave and you you make them do that. You have a very well-behaved Frenchie and it's amazing. So um, or uh very smart, not aloof, you know, doodle, golden doodle, who is, you know, uh the the actual working dog that comes in that sits and stays and you know doesn't know how to wiggle its entire body uh when it sees you because it just can't help itself. He's so happy. Um and uh training, know your dogs breed.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Thank you, ladies. Always love hearing your insights and stories, and we'll see you both. My random my random thoughts.

Book A Groom And Wrap Up

SPEAKER_00 10:32

That's a wrap for this episode of Tale Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009 to schedule an appointment or visit us online at www.houndtherapy.com, serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails whacked.