Puppy Coat Change

[Carol]

For you with Australian Labradoodles, about what age did you experience coat change and how long did it last?  Mia will be a year old in 3 weeks and I'm not sure whether she has "changed" yet.  I would assume this is something that you would notice when it is happening?

[Robin & Josie]

That's a good question. I have a 13 month old ALD and haven't noticed any sudden matting etc. She is a wavy fleece, for what it's worth and very soft. Her groomer says she's starting to get a little "wiry", which she liked for whatever reason. We also keep her at about an inch and half in length, so maybe we have just been lucky? I'm looking forward to hearing others' answers...Here is a current photo.

[Wendy and Myla]

Our first doodle, Zak, never had a coat change and never matted and didn't shed.  She did get tangles, but you could comb them out with your fingers!  She had the best coat ever!  Then we got Myla and she did have a coat change (very gradual) at the age of one year. Her hair turned quite a bit curlier.  Luckily, by this time, I had discovered this forum and knew what was happening.  She does mat, but only under her arms and legs but the problem is she hates being groomed - she thinks it's a game when we bring out the brush and comb and just keeps twisting and turning trying to grab the comb.  It is a work in progress!  My point is that some doodles will not have a coat change at all so hopefully, that is the case with Mia, who is gorgeous by the way,and if she does, it might be so gradual, you don't notice.

[Carol]

So funny about the "grooming game".  Mia does the exact same thing.  I have to give her a bully stick or a stuffed Kong to keep her busy while I comb her out, or she is continually mouthing at the comb (and my hands).

Hope you're right about the gradual change.  My groomer has me paranoid,  talking about how they can become severely matted overnight.  Like Myla she gets some small matts if I go a week without combing her out, but nothing major so far.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Don't worry about it. If it happens, you will know it and just deal with it. Make sure when you brush and comb that you are getting down to the skin. If you think you are but are not, your groomer will let you know.  Ned began matting at about 6 months and took another year and a half before he quit getting bad mats quickly.

[Traz, Karen & Dale]

I think Traz's coat started changing at about 1 year.  His coat is the curly fleecy type and it started to mat, particularly at his jaw line and neck where his collar rubs.  Yes, the groomer will definitely let you know if your doodle is going through a coat change and cut them shorter when it starts to occur to get rid of the matting.  She charges more for grooming too if he is matted and prefers to groomer him every 4 to 6 weeks.  I try to brush and comb him every night to keep his coat under control because the grooming gets quite expensive.  I am thinking about trying to groom him myself.  We shall see if that happens.  My only suggestion is to be diligent about brushing/combing her to make your lives easier.  Good luck :-) 

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

We have an Australian Labradoodle and at seven months we started noticing changes, especially after having her groomed.  Her fur has always been very soft, wavey and a little curly especially around the neck.  She turned three in March and her coat has always been in a longer cut until six weeks ago.  I'm not exactly sure what happened but they shaved her to about 3/4 of an inch and I was in shock to say the least.  Now that it is growning out it is MUCH more curlier than it has ever been with tight curls and much thicker.  It is not nearly as long as it was before being shaved so maybe it will change as it grows out, but I don't think so. I have heard many say on DK that changes continued to happen as they mature.