Puppy coat change grooming

[lori]

Hi, my doodle is 13 months old and I am pretty sure going thru his coat change. His coat is pretty straight with a little wave on body (a little curlier on head) and  I brush him twice a day, but still the matting continues. It's not crazy because of all the brushing I do, but with each brush time, I find new matts. I think if I didn't brush him twice a day it would really be very bad.  I  have been reading some of the suggestions here and think I am brushing correctly but have a question about the coat length; which I read could be trimmed to about 2 inches during this time. I love the way my boy's coat looks but hate to keep putting him thru the constant brushing and mat separating. My groomer has said that she could trim and thin out the coat on the legs and chest (which she has done) but the back coat (which is pretty long now) cannot be just scissor trimmed. The only other option, she said, would be to shave it. If anyone has any pictures of their doodles with this 2 inch scissor cut that they would like to share, or any suggestions, I would appreciate it.  Also, do you think this need for twice a day brushing will ease up?

[Dreamydoodles Northwest]

I breed Aussiedoodles and Labradoodles and I've found that the easiest thing to do and probably the hardest thing to do in the same breathe... is to have them shaved down during this stage. as a new Doodle owner I know that suggestion might worry you a little because believe me I was the same way the first time my groomer asked if she could do it... but I can assure you that it will grow back and quickly and if you have a good groomer they can still keep their teddy bear look, leave the head in a nice clean teddy bear cut and then shave the body and leave the tail. Sweet.

This will remove the puppy coat that is trying to get out and allow his adult coat to grow in. Otherwise... depending on your Doodles coat texture.. you will need to continue with the daily brushing and he'll just continue to mat. This is just my personal observation but I believe this horrible matting happens because the baby coat is light and fluffy while the adult coat has more weight to it so it gets all matted together and since they don't shed... it just becomes a mess. It needs to go one way or another so you can either brush it out everyday and wait for it to all grow out with lots of trims or you can just shave him down and allow the adult coat to grow in fresh. It only takes 4-8 weeks for them to grow a pretty decent coat.

It took a few times of doing this with my very curly F1 Labradoodle Tippy to grow in her adult coat and not only was the adult coat texture more coarse in areas but MUCH curlier in other areas and not to mention a completely different color! Haha! She went from a milk chocolate to a cafe au lait color. 

Hope this helps.. I know shaving is a Doodle owners worst nightmare but during this stage it's just the easiest way to deal with the coat change. Good Luck in whatever you decide to do and I recommend dematting combs. Those help and lots of spray conditioner! Haha!

Here is a link to the Doodle-Do print out you can take with you to the groomer. :)

http://www.dreamydoodles.com/2011/08/29/the-doodle-do-instructions-...

Puppy Coat

Tippy as an adult with her Mom who is a Poodle

Now I keep her coat short. I can't grow it much longer then it is here in these pictures or it will begin to matt because she has an inbetween coat...curly everywhere except on her back and hips and this is where she matts.

[Leslie J]

Some dogs become easier once they lose their puppy coat. Some never stop matting. Cocoa has a gorgeous, soft wavy coat- but it mats like crazy! I enjoy it up to a certain length, and then I have it shaved down to an inch or so, so we both can have a break from all the brushing and combing. Hopefully this is a temporary situation for you!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You do NOT need to shave your dog. Some do trim shorter during the worst of the matting, but it really depends upon whether you can keep up with it. If you can, then keep him long if that is what YOU like.