I'm Confused!!!

[Don Craigie]

I have been researching Australian Labadoodles and can not figure out if a fleece coat is low, high or very high maintenance. On one end of the scale some sites say all they need is to be brushed every two weeks and fully groomed 3 or 4 times a year. While others say they need to be brushed and combed weekly to prevent matting and should be fully groomed very 6 weeks. I would greatly appreciate any input so I can better understand what I may or may not be getting myself into.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Low maintenance…not really. My ALD has a soft thick fleece coat. He gets groomed every 4 - 6 weeks.  I keep him short -- about 1 - 2 inches.  His belly gets shaved because it mats the worst.  I've tried to let his coat get longer, but even though I brush him thoroughly every 2-3 days, his coat turns into tight fleece "staples" when he's wet. The groomer has a terrible time blowing and brushing him out (as do I) if his coat is any longer.  Keeping him short (like Jane's Murphy) works best for us. Best but it's expensive. The groomer keeps most of her doodles on a 4 to 6 week schedule.     

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

We are all confused. Just know, non-shedding dogs need more care, I think, than dogs that shed.  Depends on the age and coat, but I think my dog would need brushing every single day... if not more. Just the type of coat he has: wooly and curly.

I've often said, a sweeper is a much cheaper and much less time consuming.     But, you really just learn to deal with the coats

You cant get that cute, fluffy, doodle look without putting work into the coat. And--you better hope you dog LOVES being groomed. If not, buy a good set of scissors and shears.

[Ginny Nightingale]

read all the responses and I think I can sum it up for you--anyone who lumps all doodles together, be they ALD or American Labradoodles is making a mistake. Temperaments vary, size varies and coat definitely varies--even within a litter. I know that the ALD breeders will tell you that THEIR "breed" is consistent unlike other doodles, but that is a bunch of hooey. As you have seen, owners of ALDs have all kinds of coat maintenance requirements.

If a dog has a coarser, less soft coat, it does not necessarily mean he will shed, but it DOES mean that he will mat less--the coarser hairs are less "sticky"  so that the hairs do not form mats and shed dirt and water too.  My F1 doodle, ironically named Mattie, never has mats because her coat has a coarse texture--unlike her 2 ALD siblings (my other two labradoodles)  who have softer coats and more mats. Mattie needs to be combed about every two months (her coat is very thin too) and I groom her then too--just because I do not like it to get too long.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Biggest shock of my life was when I misunderstood Ned's breeder's grooming recommendation of 'brush a couple of times a week.'  I had a Springer Spaniel in a Springer cut - brushed his ears and feathers a couple of times a week (took 2 minutes) so I thought of adding Ned to my 2 minute regimen.  Uh, dumb connection.  When he was not in the matting stage it was a couple of times a week - 40 -60 minutes of hard hair pulling brushing/combing.  During the matting stage it was every other day or even daily - same amount of time.  Now that he is 7, I should brush him at least twice a week (same amount of time) but I don't, and he gets matted.  I brush his matted coat about every two weeks now with detangler and scissors at the ready.  He gets professionally groomed about every 4 weeks or this would never work.  He has a thick, thick coat. I think fleece/wool combo.  Clancy sheds - bunches, but his coat also grows and needs grooming as often as Ned or he would have no eyes. He mats only a little - mats that can be brushed out mostly.  You are very smart to do your grooming research.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I have a guy with a micro-fine fleece coat. I keep him pretty short because I'm not a fan of brushing for hours on end and he mats like crazy. I take him to get groomed every 10 weeks.

He's super soft and lets go of some hair when he gets excited or when brushed. There are a lot of trade-offs when it comes to coats in doodles I find. 

[Stephanie and Ragley]

My goldendoodle has a loose wave fleece coat. I like to keep her coat longer, but I can tell you that it is a lot of work to do so. I trim her down to about 2 inches in the summer and maintenance is way easier. Right now her coat is probably about 4-5 inches long; the longer the coat, the longer the loose hair that gets trapped and forms tangles. A full head-to-toe brush out can take hours if you do proper line brushing. I do all of my own grooming including trims so I can't give input about how professional grooming sessions play into it.