coat changes

[Rosalyn Ancrum]

Hi guys.  My daughter asked me this question today and I told her that I would check with my expert buddies.  When will  the adult coat start coming ?  I know I saw it mentioned before but I can't recall at what age.  Also when should she begin taking her pup to the groomers for professional grooming?

[Rosalyn Ancrum]

Thanks Nancy.  She really makes a difference in my daughter' life.  I can tell already. I am very happy and proud!

[Rosalyn Ancrum]

That's for the heads up.  So I guess we can expect Koda  to be tangle prone without proper grooming.  I will let my daughter know .

[Stacy]

I don't think you can necessarily tell at this age. But in my very limited experience the higher percentage poodle they are the more grooming work they require. Willow is 50% poodle. Katie is 75% poodle and Maggie is 88% poodle. Her parents were an F1b labradoodle bred back to another poodle. So, she's my almost a poodle. People with poodles (not necessarily the most knowledgeable poodle people though) think she's a poodle.

[Rosalyn Ancrum]

Koda is an  ALD.  However, I truly understand.  I had a bichon and everyone thought she was a poodle. It didn't help living in a small town where various dog breeds weren't common. To me Kirby, my bichon had a cotton like coat and she matted a lot if you didn't keep her brushed and trimmed. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Our bichon matted like crazy too...those tight ringlets are cute but so much work!

[Rosalyn Ancrum]

Oh yeah, the memories!!  Everyone in my hometown thought she was a poodle. Unfortunately, skilled groomers were lacking as well. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We groomed her ourselves, just scissor cutting and lots of brushing.  She had a permanent puppy cut ;)

[Rosalyn Ancrum]

best hairstyle ever!!!  The puppy cut.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It may be of interest to this discussion that "soft" coats are undesirable in purebred Poodles. They should be "crunchy", lol. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Well I guess Riley's is more on the desirable poodly side...her adult coat is noticeably "crunchy" I would say lol.

[Stacy]

I haven't had the opportunity to pet many poodles, but I suspect that their coat texture would not be my very favorite part of the breed. I like my soft doodle coats. I love the coat on a papillon. They are so soft and silky. I wonder if that's what other people like about doodles too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I've felt some very wiry, woolly doodle coats. I think what most people like about doodles is their general cuteness, lol. 

It's funny, Jasper is from show lines, and has an amazing pedigree as you know, so his coat should be perfect according to the breed standard. But he really feels very soft. JD's coat was silky, but Jasper's is actually softer to the touch. It's the first thing most people comment on when they pet him. And it's thick and doesn't tangle. I imagine it would matt like crazy if I let it get too long, but the only thing we really have to keep up with in between groomings every six weeks is his ears. Of course, I do keep his body pretty short. JD's hair could be kept much longer.