Mat Zapper, Puppy/Adult Coat and what to do?

[Km]

I try to read most of the posts about grooming but still remain a bit confused!  There was a thread that went around about posting pics of their groomed doodle to give people more ideas.  That would be fantastic.  

However, my questions at this point are about my 10month old dood, Ridley.  We have definitely been through the coat change for awhile now.  How long does this last?  When do I consider the coat change "done?"  I have no idea what type of coat he is.. and it's not because I haven't read up!  I will post pictures later this weekend to get opinions... or is it still too soon to tell?  His coat has definitely changed quite a bit since puppyhood.  Right now we are mat-ville.  I've cut a few out, I brush frequently which worked as a puppy, as we never had any mats.  It doesn't seem to be enough as he's gotten older now.  We bath him frequently because he's dirty/smelly all the time from his outdoor festivities with the kids.  I have had some success with shampooing then leaving conditioner in for 20 minutes while I work through the mats before rinsing.  He's a super good sport with this.  Leaving the conditioner in that long, I have also seen a big diff in less tangling in general of the next 2 weeks. HOwever, we are still getting crazy mats mainly on legs (right up to skin) and in armpit areas.  I was going to purchase the mat zapper to help me with these mats b/c otherwise he's gonna look like has mange if I have to keep cutting the bad ones out.  

Second question, I have learned on this forum that you can't really tell what type of coat the dog has until after a year.  I want to also purchase the proper Les Pooch brush but know that I have to first know what type of coat Ridley has, right?  So, during this time of coat change or matting, I could surely use a LP brush!  But, when can I safely purchase one that is appropriate for his coat.  He is kept very long at this point.  We'd like to keep it that way but are willing to do what we need to do,as we are still learning about him.  I'd really like to post pictures of diff parts of his body just so you all can point out to me "fleecy" vs "wool" etc.  I think he has combo coat.  Front end is nice and soft, back end is less  "silkyish".  

So, in a nutshell, can I purchase a LP brush at 10months?  Would I know enough about his coat by now?  

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

We bought a LP brush early on by sending a picture of our guy to Kemp.  We used the brush, but even so, with the new growth coming in and living a life other than Doodle care (LOL) we could not keep up with his coat.  there are many variations and in my opinion, with coat changes going from puppy to adult, unless you can give a really good brush every single day, there are doodles that will mat.  Ours did.  we did the shave, just in time for summer.  

but, I suggest you take some pictures, find Kemp on here, and he can advise the brush you will need. Good Luck.  

[Wendy and Myla]

I think every doodle is different - I know that when Myla was 10 months old her coat was awesome - silky, no mats, and if there were some "tangles" I could detangle with my fingers while cuddling.  She hates being combed or brushed and that is our fault - we should have started that right at the beginning!!!  Now at 14 months, it is disaster - she is blowing her puppy coat and it was getting tangled in her long hair!  Mats were occurring daily and because she hates being combed we couldn't keep up.  We just cut her down two days ago and it took us a good 2 1/2 hours because she was so matted and hopefully we can now comb and keep up.  Fingers crossed!!!!!  I am glad we didn't get the Les Pooch brush yet as we still have no idea what this coat will turn out to be!  We figured that at 12 months we didn't have to worry about the "dreaded change" and her coat would be awesome!!!  Now it is a wait and see what happens when this grows out!  According to all of the reports, most puppy coats change between 10-12 months and then you sort of know what you have.  Not us!  Good Luck!!!!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I think that you are overthinking this--personally, I don't think that there is that much of a science to the LP brush, although Kemp may disagree--the brushes are not that different and if you pick a standard one it should help--also, though, get a steel comb with teeth that are closer on one end--brushing is not getting down to the skin to remove the loose hairs that form mats. AND DO NOT get the dog wet (as in bathing) UNTIL you have the mats out--mats become like CEMENT after washing--you need to have the dog dematted completely before the bath! Some people use a spray called Cowboy magic to remove the tangles.

As far as the timing of the coat change, it usually starts at around 10 months and goes until 16-18 months--but is worst at around 10-12 months (on average!) so you could be in the thick of it now, with a big improvement right around the corner.

You have lots of years ahead of you to have a fluffy long-haired doodle, so my suggestion would be to stop torturing him with all the brushing and mat zapping and get the coat short until this period is over--you will all be happier.....IMHO!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good thought Ginny, I agree.

[Adina P]

I second Ginny on this.  I don't have matting doodles, because mine shed, but if it were me, I'd keep it all short for the summer and grow it out in another 6 months and then re-evaluate. 

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

spot on Ginny - cement is right!  I remember being able to get the tangles out with my fingers.  then all of a sudden at around 11 months, just as you state,  the mats were so dense and covered the whole area behind his ears, his hips and underbelly.  he's very short now but mat free and very happy and cute.  it will grow in and we will see 

[Julie and Charlie]

Charlie is in a coat transition right now too... it's 20-30 minutes of combing (ripping!) and snipping per day- and the amount of hair in the trash can is ridiculous. His groomer couldn't get him in until June 7.... in the meantime, I'm debating doing a shave myself, if only to end this ridiculous routine.

[Oliver & Elizabeth]

Couldn't agree more. When Oliver hit 10 months we couldn't stop the mats, we were struggling through nightly brushing sessions. My groomer recommended a near shave--1/4 inch--and it was a miracle. It was much better to have a shaved doodle for 3 months than to struggle through the transition with a long (semi matted) coat.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I shave the armpit area on both my guys to keep mats at bay. If you want an LP brush you could get one now. I emailed Kemp descriptions of my 2 and sent pictures and he recommended the green brush. I have 1 wool doodle and 1 fleece one but use the same brush on both dogs.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Get the brush now and you won't regret it.  Also, like Ginny suggested, get a graduated toothed steel comb. Get products with silicone - like Cowboy Magic, Horse Mane 'N Tail Detangler or Bedhead. Ned had major matting until he was two then he gradually eased up and, while he still mats, we can comb most of them out and we can go two to three weeks between brushings.  We kept Ned a bit shorter during this time depending upon how bad the matting was.  We get him professionally groomed every 4 - 8 weeks.

At his shortest at 10 months when we were brushing every other day (40-60 minutes at a time) and were most frustrated:

But with lots of work, we  also let him get longer - just more brushing required.  We had the time.  Ned at 18 months:

Nowadays we keep him longer.  You will be able to do so eventually if you want to.

[Chelsie]

I so feel your pain! This was my post almost word for word a few weeks ago! Sam is 12 months old and is mat city, mainly his legs, ears, and armpits. I would brush him everyday for at least an hour and still the next day he had horrible mats. We are moving and I took him to my parents farm for the time being until we find a place and had to give him a haircut. I had to use a new groomer to us and she did a good job, just a little shorter than I asked for! The groomer didn't think his mats were terrible, but then again she did shave him down pretty good! I attached a before and after picture for you to see! Yes that is his red couch!!

[Chelsie]

Here is his before picture! Darn iPad!