Labradoodle Haircuts: The 8 Best Styles by Coat Type

Ask a groomer about Labradoodle haircuts and the first question comes straight back: which coat does your dog have? The Labrador-Poodle cross throws a wider genetic spread than any other doodle — from flat, shedding Lab-type hair to soft fleece waves to dense Poodle wool — and the coat type, not the Pinterest board, decides which styles will actually hold. This guide sorts the coat types first, then walks through the 8 best Labradoodle haircuts with the comb and blade numbers behind each. For the breed's full routine — bathing, drying, tools, and costs — see our Labradoodle grooming guide.

Start Here: Hair, Fleece, or Wool?

• Hair coat (flat/open): the Labrador side won. Straight or slightly wavy, it sheds, it does not felt, and it will not hold a plush clipped shape. Style it with a natural scissored outline, not a doodle cut.
• Fleece coat: the classic Labradoodle — soft, wavy to loosely curled, low-shedding. Wears every style in this guide and carries length best, at the price of 3–4 brushing sessions a week.
• Wool coat: tight, dense Poodle-type curl. Beautiful and the fastest-matting of the three — most wool coats live best at ¾ inch or under unless the owner line brushes near daily.

Everything below assumes you know which coat you are working with. If you are unsure, your groomer can tell you in about four seconds of handling.

Labradoodle Haircut Styles at a Glance

Style	Body length	Home brushing	Best for
Teddy bear cut	¾–1 in comb	3–4× / week	Fleece coats, the classic look
Puppy cut	½–¾ in, natural face	2–3× / week	Easiest styled option
Kennel cut	#4F blade	1–2× / week	Busy owners, wool coats
Short summer cut	#5F blade	1× / week	Swimmers, hot climates
Lamb cut	Short body, fuller legs	4–5× / week	Stylized fleece coats
Natural scissored outline	Coat neatened, not clipped	Weekly + deshed	Flat hair coats
Face and ear styles	Round, clean, or natural	Varies	Pairs with any body cut
Shaved / reset cut	#7F–#10 blade	Minimal	Matted-coat recovery

1. The Teddy Bear Cut

The look that made doodles famous: an even ¾ to 1 inch over the body, a hand-scissored round head, full ears, and a soft plush finish. On a fleece coat this is the breed at its best. On a wool coat, run it at ¾ inch — the tighter curl traps loose hair, and a full inch of wool between grooms is a matting project.

Budget real brushing time: 3–4 sessions a week, line brushing to the skin, with extra attention to the armpits, behind the ears, and under the collar — the three spots where every Labradoodle mats first. Grooms every 4–6 weeks keep the head round and the coat workable. If your dog leans more Golden cross than Lab, the styling logic is nearly identical to our Goldendoodle haircuts guide.

2. The Puppy Cut

The same even body at ½ to ¾ inch, but with a shorter, natural face instead of a sculpted round one. Less beard means less water-bowl mess and fewer eye-corner tangles; the shorter length forgives a skipped brushing day. It is the default recommendation for first-time doodle owners and the standard grow-out style after a shave-down.

One warning from every grooming front desk: "puppy cut" means something different in every salon. Our puppy cut guide untangles the terminology — the short version is to always pair the name with a comb length when you book.

3. The Kennel Cut

An even #4F blade (about ⅜ inch) over the whole body, face and tail left slightly fuller so the dog still reads as a doodle. It dries quickly, resists tangles, and stretches the groom cycle to 8 weeks. For wool-coated Labradoodles with once-a-week brushers at home, this is the kindest style on the menu — short and comfortable beats long and matted, every time.

4. The Short Summer Cut

One step down: a #5F (about ¼ inch) all over for dogs that live in the water or in real heat. Labradoodles inherit the Labrador's love of swimming, and repeated wet-dry cycles felt a fleece coat astonishingly fast — a #5F summer coat sheds lake water in minutes and gives mats nothing to grab. Keep this much coverage rather than shaving to the skin; the coat still needs to shield against sunburn.

5. The Lamb Cut

Short body — #4F or a ½ inch comb — with fuller, column-scissored legs for a tailored, Poodle-adjacent silhouette. It keeps the high-friction torso short while showing off the coat on the legs, and it photographs beautifully on fleece. The honest trade-off: leg coat mats at the elbows and hocks, needs brushing 4–5 times a week, and must be dried thoroughly after every swim. Best reserved for fleece coats with committed brushers.

6. The Natural Scissored Outline — for Hair Coats

If your Labradoodle has the flat Labrador-type coat, clipped doodle styles are the wrong tool: the coat sheds rather than grows, will not hold plush shapes, and can look moth-eaten after an all-over clip. The right service is a natural scissored outline — bath, thorough deshed, then scissors to neaten the feathering on the legs, chest, and tail, tidy the ears, and trim sanitary areas and paws. The dog keeps its natural look, just cleaner. Cadence is more relaxed too: every 8–10 weeks, with deshedding baths in between.

7. Face and Ear Styles

• Rounded teddy face: full cheeks and crown scissored into a circle. The classic — and the beard collects water and food, so it needs a daily wipe.
• Clean(er) face: muzzle and cheeks taken shorter with a comb, keeping expression without the soggy beard. The practical pick for messy drinkers.
• Ears — full or natural: full ears complete the teddy look but felt quickly where they rub the neck; a shorter natural ear is easier to keep healthy, and better for dogs prone to ear infections since less hair traps moisture at the canal.

Face and ears are separate decisions from the body length — mix freely.

8. The Shaved / Reset Cut

Not a style choice — a coat verdict. When a fleece or wool coat arrives felted to the skin, the only humane option is a #7F or #10 blade under the mats and a fresh start. Brushing out a pelted coat means hours of pulling against live skin, and no ethical groomer will put a dog through it. The silver lining is that doodle coat rebounds fast: a reset grows into a tidy puppy cut in 6–8 weeks and a full teddy bear within three months — provided the brushing routine changes with it.

Which Labradoodle Haircut Should You Choose?

• Flat hair coat: natural scissored outline plus deshedding — skip the clipper styles entirely.
• Fleece coat, 3–4 brushes a week: teddy bear at ¾ to 1 inch, or the lamb cut if you enjoy the styling.
• Fleece coat, weekly brusher: puppy cut at ½ inch, or a #4F kennel cut in swimming season.
• Wool coat: kennel cut or a ¾ inch maximum teddy bear — and a standing 4–6 week appointment.
• Recovering from matting: reset now, puppy cut as it grows, then reassess the style once the coat is mat-free at target length.

For how these cuts translate across other breeds and coat types, see the full dog grooming styles guide.

For Groomers: One Breed, Three Coats, Zero Guesswork

Labradoodles punish assumptions — the style that worked on the last one felts on the next. GroomBoard stores each dog's coat type, comb and blade numbers, face and ear decisions, and known mat points in the pet profile, so every groomer on the team opens the appointment knowing exactly what this coat needs. Automated SMS reminders keep fleece and wool clients on the 4–6 week cycle that prevents the shave-down conversation entirely. Start your free 14-day trial →