6 Best Dog Shampoos & Conditioners For Labradoodles in 2024

Researched & Written by

Sean Green

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At Pawster, we are committed to presenting the most accurate and up-to-date information to assist you in your pet care journey. When appropriate, we consult licensed and practicing veterinarians to fact-check our professionally written articles.

Today we’re going to be looking at one of the most loved breeds on the planet – the adorable and unmistakable Labradoodle. The iconic coat of the breed is something that attracts many people to it in the first place, but it’s a lot of work to look after – which is why you need to find the best Labradoodle shampoo on the market.

Today we’re going to cover everything and anything related to bathing and grooming a Labradoodle. We’re going to talk about grooming techniques, tips to make bath time more pleasurable for you and your pooch, and we’re going to answer some frequently asked Labradoodle bathing questions that we receive from our readers.

The most important part of this article is going to be related to Labradoodle shampoos. We’ve conducted a huge amount of research into almost every reputable dog shampoo on the market to find out which ones are perfect for the Labradoodle. We’re going to impartially review our top 6 recommendations to give you all the information you need to make an informed choice that’ll keep you and your pooch happy.

Let’s get started.

Popular Types Of Labradoodle Shampoos

Before we talk about the specific shampoos that we want to recommend, it’s a good idea to talk about things a little more generally first. In this section, we’re going to talk about 2 of the issues that plague the Labradoodle in terms of bathing (and we’ll discuss what you should look out for in a good product to try and mitigate them).

Natural Shampoos

Labradoodles aren’t particularly susceptible to any specific allergy in particular – but they are well known to be a little more sensitive to allergens on the whole. These allergens are usually found in food, or in topical treatments like shampoos and conditioners.

Because we can’t tell you specifically what your pooch is likely to be allergic to, we need to be general in this section. One of the best ways to minimize the chance that your pooch has an allergic reaction to shampoo is to use all-natural products.

Most of the allergic reactions that occur to dog shampoos are due to chemical compounds in the formula. It’s a surprisingly common problem, and it’s why most dog shampoos on the market these days are making a huge effort to make their products as natural as possible.

However, like most things in life – you need to be careful of the marketing department when shopping around.

Many products will claim to be “natural” or organic, but when you look at the ingredient list and the fine print – you see that it’s not actually the case. Make sure you’re getting organic products from reputable brands, and always read the label properly before purchasing your product.

Soothing

Labradoodles are a funny breed when it comes to temperament. At times they can be brave and courageous, and at other times they can be scared and anxious. Unfortunately for us, one of the most common causes of anxiety in a Labradoodle’s life (apart from separation anxiety) is when they are being bathed.

Labradoodles are not alone in this, many breeds dislike the idea of getting all wet and soapy (which is a little strange, as most of them love getting wet and muddy). As such, shampoo manufacturers have tried to solve the issue by creating soothing shampoos.

They work on aromatherapy principles that help in the exact same way in dogs as they do in humans. Scents like lavender, rosemary, mint, and many others create a relaxing effect that will leave your pooch feeling more relaxed than they otherwise would.

Or at least that’s the idea…

The thing about soothing shampoos is that they’re not exactly scientific. In theory, everything should work as described and your pooch should be more relaxed – but as far as we know, there’s not been any hard evidence or studies that prove their efficacy.

That being said, we’ve seen several anecdotal reviews from real customers (of various different brands) that have said they noticed a difference in their pooch. We tend to think that the benefits aromatherapy style shampoo treatments provide work well – and they’re a nice addition to any formula. In our personal experience, they do help your pooch relax a little more – which is obviously better than nothing.

But just remember, they’re not magic. Your pooch isn’t going to instantly enjoy being bathed just because of a few nice smelling infusions.

3 Tips On Maintaining The Perfect Labradoodle Coat

Grooming is arguably more important than bathing for Labradoodles, and it’s going to be a huge part of your life when you own the breed. Here are a few hints and tips that should hopefully make your life a little bit easier.

Groom Them Regularly

Labradoodles need daily grooming sessions to stay looking great. Their super thick curly hair is super sensitive to tangling and matting, and unless you keep on top of it – you can get quite a mess on your hands very quickly.

It’s tempting to groom your pooch two or three times per week instead of daily, but this is actually more work than simply sticking with the recommended daily schedule. If you brush your pooch every day, you’re catching tangles and matting before they become too big. Small matting can be removed much easier than big tangles, and if you do a daily groom it’s going to take you no more than 5 minutes from start to finish. On the other hand, if you don’t do daily grooming sessions, you can expect 30 minutes or more of grooming when you finally get round to bringing out the brush.

Staying on top of the grooming saves you time, and keeps your pooch in better condition – and we strongly recommend you adjust your grooming routine accordingly.

Invest In Good Equipment

We’ve just spoken about how you need to try and groom your Labradoodle every day, as you can imagine, this means that you’re going to be getting quite familiar with the grooming equipment you invest in.

We strongly recommend you invest a little bit more in your grooming brushes than you otherwise normally would. They’re not that much more expensive, and considering how much usage they’re going to get – they’re worth every single additional cent invested in them.

Better equipment feels better in your hand, is easier to use, and it is more effective at removing matting, tangling, and dead hair.

It’ll save you time, and it’ll feel better for your pooch, so in our opinion, it’s a no brainer.

Groom Them From A Young Age

Again, another consequence of the huge amount of grooming you’re going to be undertaking as a Labradoodle owner is that you need your pooch to enjoy the experience. Trying to groom an uncooperative dog every day for the rest of your time together isn’t going to be fun for you or your pooch.

The best way to get your dog to enjoy (or at the very least tolerate) grooming sessions is by introducing them to the concept from a young age. Within days of getting your pooch home, you should begin grooming them gently on a daily basis. Your young pup probably doesn’t need daily grooming at this age, but it’s more about getting them used to the idea of being brushed and touched while staying still.

At first, you should reward them for simply staying put and allowing you to groom them, afterward reward them for allowing you to groom their ears and feet – which are both sensitive areas.

Overall Best Shampoo for Labradoodles

Our 2024 Picks: Best Shampoo for Labradoodles
	Buddy Wash Original Lavender & Mint Dog Shampoo Soap-free shampoo and conditioner Made with pure botanical extracts Price: $0.43/oz	CHECK PRICE
	4Legger Organic, Hypo-Allergenic, Lemongrass & Aloe Holistic, essential oil blend gently cleans Eco-friendly, non-toxic shampoo Price:  $0.93/oz	CHECK PRICE
	Natures Miracle Supreme Odor Control Natural Puppy Shampoo Gentle, tearless, no dyes or perfumes Made in the USA Price:  $0.33/oz	CHECK PRICE
	Paws & Pals Oatmeal, Shea Butter & Aloe Vera Shampoo Crafted with a delicate balance of essential oils Irritant-free shampoo detangles matted fur Price:  $0.56/oz	CHECK PRICE
	Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Dog & Cat Shampoo pH-balanced, soap-free shampoo Controls excessive shedding, dander Price:  $0.84/oz	CHECK PRICE
	Burt’s Bees Oatmeal Shampoo With Colloidal Oat Flour Gentle cleanser featuring colloidal oat flour Honey helps regulate and retain moisture in hair Price:  $0.31/oz	CHECK PRICE

Buddy Wash Original Lavender & Mint Dog Shampoo

So now we know about the kinds of coat care issues that we need to take into account with Labradoodles, and we know a bit about what your grooming responsibilities look like. It’s time for us to talk about some specific product recommendations.

Before we get into this section, we want to point out that we’re a completely impartial site that has no affiliation to any of the brands we are about to recommend. The products below represent the very best on the market right now in our honest opinion – we’d happily use any of them on our own dogs.

We narrowed down quite a few products into the 6 we are going to recommend today, there are some excellent runners up that we’re going to talk about later, but in our opinion, the best shampoo for Labradoodles on the market right now is the Buddy Wash Original Lavender & Mint Dog Shampoo & Conditioner.

This is an awesome product from one of the most respected brands in the industry, they produce quality shampoos, from cosmetic grade ingredients, and sell them at a very reasonable price point. This is a natural product that’s made in the USA, and there’s not a single harmful chemical in sight.

As you’d expect from a brand with this kind of reputation, this is a soap and alcohol-free formula. The bulk of the cleaning power comes from the coconut extract base that combines with natural essential oils and other deodorizing compounds. The high-quality nature of the ingredients in this product ensures that it creates a thick luxurious lather despite the lack of soap – which is something other lower quality products struggle with.

The conditioner in this product is as good as the shampoo, and again it’s made from all-natural ingredients. The perfect combination of compounds (including sage, aloe vera, and rosemary) work together to enrich, nourish, and protect every single hair on your dog’s body. The infusion of aloe vera and green tea extracts ensure that your dog’s skin is going to be protected against redness, soreness, and irritation too.

We really liked the scented infusions in this product that make it one of the best soothing shampoos on the market. The combination of lavender and mint smells absolutely delicious, and they’re two of the best compounds used for relaxation via aromatherapy (which is why you smell them at almost every spa in the world).

The best thing about this product, however, is probably the price point it’s being sold at. Buddy Wash has a bit of a reputation for selling premium products without the premium price tag, and when you learn that this product costs about $7 for a 16oz bottle – it’s easy to see how they earned it.

This product honestly does everything a good Labradoodle shampoo should do, and more. Unless you have some very specific reason to try something else, this should be at the very top of your shortlist.

4Legger Hypo-Allergenic, Lemongrass & Aloe Dog Shampoo

Runner Up – The product above is our overall recommendation, and it’s a deserving winner – but that doesn’t mean it’s the only good shampoo for Labradoodles on the market. This awesome

Hypo-Allergenic, Lemongrass & Aloe Dog Shampoo by 4-Legger was a very close second choice for us, and it’s more than worthy of your consideration.

Like the product above, this is an all natural product that contains no soap, alcohol, or chemicals in its formula whatsoever. The amount of effort 4-Legger put into its natural company ethos is quite honestly impressive. It’s a vegan, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, ethically sourced product that has been officially graded by the USDA as “Organic to exceptional standards”.

We absolutely love the cleaning power that this product provides. It uses a slightly different tactic to the other products on this page (and to be honest, it’s different to most other products on the market). 4-Legger use lemongrass as the cleanser and base of this product, which is one of the best natural sanitizers in existence. The zesty fresh material is antibacterial and antifungal – which means the stench causing bacteria the currently live on your pooch are going to have a very, very bad time.

As an added bonus, lemongrass has a small yet significant amount of pest repellent capability inherently inside of it. When you combine this with the fact that you can use this product with the vast majority of topical flea and tick treatments on the market – it’s easy to see why so many people regard it as one of the best in the business.

The conditioner in this shampoo is excellent as well, it uses a natural blend of essential oils (in huge quantities) to repair and nourish each and every individual hair on your dog’s body. It’s going to reduce the amount of tangling and matting that occurs, and it’s going to leave your pooch looking glossier than you ever thought possible.

4-Legger understand the importance of skincare, which is why there’s a huge dose of aloe vera in the product. It’s going to prevent redness and dryness from occurring, and it’s going to repair and promote the recovery of any skin that’s already been damaged.

At this point, you’re probably wondering why this wasn’t our overall pick, and it was honestly a hard choice for us. This is probably a better product than our overall recommendation (slightly), but there is one small issue, the price.

At around $15 for a 16oz bottle, it’s more than twice the cost of the Buddy Wash product above. This is a super concentrated formula, and you need to use much less per wash compared to most other products on the market – but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s not exactly cheap.

If you’re not on a strict budget and can afford the $15 this product costs, then we suggest you give it some serious thought. Despite it being more expensive, it’s still great value for money.

Natures Miracle Supreme Odor Control Natural Puppy Shampoo & Conditioner

Best Labradoodle Puppy Shampoo – Nature’s Miracle is a brand that needs no introduction, they’re right up there with the big boys like Buddy Wash in terms of recognition and reputation. In our opinion, the best shampoo for puppy Labradoodles on the market at the moment is their Supreme Odor Control Natural Puppy Shampoo & Conditioner.

This is a product that has some impressive cleaning credentials, and it’s going to sanitize and deodorize your pooch extremely well. The lather it generates is luxurious and the light fresh scent it leaves behind is pleasant too.

The conditioner is great, and there’s a wide range of natural oils and infusions that will leave your dog’s young fur in great condition while protecting it from the rigors of the adventurous life of a pup. Similarly, the delicate skin of your young Labradoodle will be nourished and protected by the various high-quality compounds inside the shampoo.

The real reason we like this product is the tearless nature of the formula. There are other shampoos out there that clean better and condition more comprehensively, but there are few that can compete with how painless this stuff is when it inevitably gets in your dog’s eyes.

If puppies experience eye pain from shampoo getting into their eyes at a young age it’s going to be a memory that they remember for the rest of their lives. This will make bath time an even more unpleasant experience for them than it usually already is – which is obviously less than ideal.

By using a tearless product of this quality you’re eliminating this risk entirely, it’s a no brainer for us.

3 More Top Rated Dog Shampoos For Labradoodles

To conclude this review section, we want to quickly talk about some of the other products we came across when researching this article that caught our attention. They’re all winners to have been mentioned here, and they are still worthy of your consideration despite not making it to the top spots above.

Paws & Pals Oatmeal, Shea Butter & Aloe Vera Shampoo

This is a great natural product that does everything you’d want a good Labradoodle shampoo to do. There’s no special features or unique selling points here, it’s just a robust, quality product that does what you’d expect it to. The conditioner and aloe vera work really well together to condition and care for your dog’s skin and coat – but it’s the shampoo we really like.

Oatmeal is one of the best natural deodorizers on the planet, it’s almost as good as lemongrass (but not quite). This is a shampoo that’s going to leave your pooch smelling fresh for longer than you ever thought possible. We also love the price point it’s being sold at, $12 for a huge 20oz bottle is exceptional value for money considering the quality of the product.

Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Dog & Cat Shampoo By Earthbath

This shampoo is very similar to the product above, it’s soap and alcohol-free and uses a very similar oatmeal infusion to provide the awesome sanitizing power it’s well known for. The aloe vera infusion in the conditioner is generous and will leave your pooch with healthy, well-protected skin. The vanilla and almond scent is also incredible, and while it’s not got a huge amount of therapeutic value in terms of aromatherapy – it’ll leave your pooch smelling great.

Earthbath is a reputable brand and has a reputation for creating organic quality on the same level as 4-Legger that we chose as our runner up in the section above. The standard 16oz bottle of this stuff costs around $8, which is great value for money. However, if you try it out and decide that you love the shampoo – consider getting the 1-gallon bottle instead (for around $33), it’s incredibly cheap.

Burt’s Bees Oatmeal Shampoo with Colloidal Oat Flour & Honey for Dogs

This is our budget recommendation, and if you want a product that gets the job done to a more than acceptable standard without breaking the bank – this could be the one you’re looking for.

You have to set your expectations realistically here, this isn’t a product that’s going to outperform the others on this page – there’s no getting around the fact that this is an inexpensive pick. However, the cleaning power it provides is more than acceptable with oat flour in its ingredient list, and the conditioner is surprisingly effective too thanks to the honey extract in the formula.

At around $5 for a 16oz bottle, it’s great value for money, and we’d be shocked if you were disappointed by the performance it provides.

4 Tips On Bathing Your Labradoodle

So, hopefully, by now you’ve seen a shampoo or two in the section above that you liked the look of – in this section, we’re going to give you some handy hints and tips on how to use it properly and make bathing better for the both of you.

Groom Them Before Bathing

Some people can dismiss the need for grooming your pooch before bathing – and it’s easy to see why it sounds like a waste of time when you’re going to groom them after the bath anyway.

However, it’s not a waste of time – it’s essential.

The tangling and matting that is a fact of life for Labradoodles becomes much harder to remove after it has been in contact with water. On this point alone it makes sense to groom before bathing, but there’s a bigger reason too.

Matted hair holds water like a sponge, and regardless of how much your pooch shakes themselves (or how much you rub them with a towel), you’re not going to completely dry them out. This means that you’ve got a warm, damp area of hair on your pooch directly after they’ve come out the tub – which is a perfect breeding ground for the odor-causing bacteria that make your dog smell in the first place.

Removing the tangling by grooming before bathing eliminates this issue, and it makes the post bathing grooming session quicker and easier too.

Lather Them Well

The thick curly hair of your Labradoodle is very dense compared to some other breeds. As such, you’re probably going to need to use more product than normal when you’re washing them. Don’t go over the top here, but consider using slightly more shampoo than recommended on the bottle to ensure complete coverage that’ll clean and condition each and every hair on your dog’s body.

Rinse Them Well

If you follow the advice in the tip above, there’s going to be a huge amount of shampoo on your dog – and every last drop of it needs to be removed. Shampoo that remains on your dog’s body after bathing can cause serious skin irritation and redness that is extremely uncomfortable for your pooch.

When you’ve finished soaping your dog, give them a super good rinse from top to bottom, when the first rinse is finished, go over them again with a second rinse to ensure every bit of shampoo has been removed.

Run The Bath Before Calling Them In

Labradoodles often get anxious around bath time, and anything that you can do to make the experience a little less stressful for them will be appreciated by your pooch. One of the worst parts about bathing for a dog is sitting around waiting for the process to start. They understand what’s about to happen to them, and the sound of running water in the bathroom causes a huge amount of anticipation anxiety.

The best way to do this is to run the bath before you call them in and make sure you have everything nearby that you need to complete the bathing session. Then you simply call them, pick them up, and put them in the tub to get on with the job.

FAQ Regarding Bathing a Labradoodle

In this final section of the article, we’re going to be answering some of the most frequently asked questions that our readers send into us regarding bathing a Labradoodle.

How Often Do I Need To Bathe A Labradoodle?

Labradoodles don’t need regular bathing, you can easily get away with bathing them around once every 6 to 8 weeks. If you need to bathe your pooch more regularly than this because they get especially dirty, that’s fine – but you shouldn’t really be doing it more than once a month on a regular basis.

How Can I Stop My Labradoodle’s Hair From Clogging Up My Plumbing?

The sheer amount of hair that you’re going to find in your plughole after bathing a Labradoodle is nothing short of mind-blowing. How a reasonably small dog like the this can shed so much hair in the tub (while remaining cuddly and fluffy) is almost magic.

The issue is that for every hair that you see trapped in your plug hole, there’s probably another hair that’s already gone down the drain. As you already know, hair is one of the worst things in the world for plumbing blockages, so you need to catch as much of it as you can before it makes it down the drain.

Luckily there’s a super simple solution to this issue, and it’s cheap.

Get a piece of steel wool and place it in the plug hole before you start bathing your dog. The steel wool will trap any hair it comes into contact with easily, which leaves your plumbing fully protected from your pooch.

Conclusion

So there you have it, hopefully, you’ve learned a thing or two about the requirements of the Labradoodle today. Follow the hints and tips above, and you and your pooch are going to enjoy grooming and bathing a whole lot more.

We put a huge amount of effort into the product recommendations we made earlier, and we honestly think that they represent the best Labradoodle shampoos on the market in 2024.

Any of them are more than worthy of your consideration, they beat off some stiff competition to be mentioned here today and they are all winners in our eyes.