Dixie's Doodles Alumni

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Comment by Dixie Moore on June 19, 2010 at 4:15am

Julie, I hope that Lily is doing fine today. I expect that my dogs have been stung many times, and that I probably have not known about it. I agree with Minga's advice; monitor it and don't let her irritate the spot by chewing on it or scratching at it.

Comment by Dixie Moore on June 19, 2010 at 4:10am

The change from puppy coat to adult coat doesn't go the same way for every doodle. I have also read that it starts at 10-ish months. Actually I think it is most often noticed around then, but that it starts much earlier.

The transition to adult coat seems to take many paths. My feeling is that it is the genetic diversity in our dogs that causes so many differences. If you think about it, Labradoodles have been purposely bred only since 1989. Most other breeds have decades, many over a century, in their ancestry.

I have wondered if people notice the coat change earlier when their dog does not have as thick of a coat as those dogs of owners who notice it later. Just a thought.

I always refer to Labradoodles as low to non-shedding, as all hairy mammals must shed some. Dead hair must go somewhere. For example, people shed, at times more than at others. I also think that the adult coat will usually shed less than the puppy coat. So if you notice that your puppy sheds a little, you will probably notice less or no shedding once the adult coat comes in.

What I have usually noticed is that as the puppy grows, the puppy coat gets a little older and duller looking and turns very fine and cottony. I think this is because the individual hairs have not come out easily as they have died off. I will notice the adult coat coming in around the shoulders and upper back, and generally it is curlier or wavier and shinier than the old puppy coat. Sometimes, as this develops, the "teenager's" coat gets a little odd-looking, with the puppy coat looking almost like a skirt. The puppy has shiny new curlier coat around the upper back and shoulders, and fuzzy, dull, straighter coat from the "waist" and back toward the tail. I usually describe it as looking like a tutu, as in ballet.

This is the time when I eventually give up brushing and trying to keep their coats long. That adult coat is competing with the puppy coat for space on the dog. It grows into the puppy coat and starts to mat up and tangle.

Some of them will transition more easily. I think these are the ones that don't have the super thick coats. I remember years ago that one of the breed developers wanted to start producing the dogs with less thick coats. She wanted to make the coat maintenance a little easier for everyone. I don't think she had consistent results with that.

Once the adult coat comes in, some of them will be pretty easy to maintain. These will probably be the ones that shed a little. The others will be more difficult. I have tried to find that perfect length, the "point of no return". This is where if you let it keep growing, you will end up with a hopeless mess and have to shave the dog short. I haven't been too successful at that, but my feeling is that it is around 3 inches. Maybe for each dog it is a little different, plus it depends on the owners and how frequently and skillfully they brush out the mats.

With some of the dogs it seems like it's impossible to get ahead of the mats, and I think this is because we aren't completely getting the mats out when we brush. I think maybe we think we are getting them out, but we aren't. I don't know how many times I've picked up a "nekkid" doodle from the groomer and have been told that the dog had little pin mats up close to the skin and that nothing else could be done except to shave them.

The coat change can be pretty exasperating. What I like to do is to trim the coat to around 1 to 1 1/2 inches all over and try to get rid of as much of the dead hair as I can. Here are two examples of Truffle's coat before trimming to 1 1/2 inches and getting rid of the old dull puppy coat:

Here she is afterwards, much shinier and a little curlier:

It's sort of like with our human children; everyone's experience is unique. My daughter that was born with blonde hair has almost black hair now that she is in her late twenties. Why is that? It's genetics and diversity and luck of the draw. The same is true with our dogs. Your experience will be unique, and seeing how they grow is part of what makes doodles fun.

Comment by Minga & Malu & Costa on June 18, 2010 at 8:58pm

Julie, I would just monitor the sting wound to make sure it doesn't get out of control and that Lily doesn't start to scratch or bite at it. Essentially it is the same as a human getting stung by a wasp. Just gotta let it heal!

Comment by Kathryn J Kotrla on June 18, 2010 at 7:59pm

Our Casey will turn 1 on July 3rd, and his grown up coat is just now coming in. When I was researching Doodles, I read that their adult coats would come in between 10 and 14 months. For you Doodle experts, is this right?

Comment by Julie & Lily Kreager on June 18, 2010 at 6:50pm

Lily just got stung by a wasp. Do I need to do anything? She's sleeping it off right now.

Comment by Beth Lord on June 18, 2010 at 6:11pm

Christine & Michele, that's interesting about the fuzz/fluff shedding. Alfie's 8 months old & I haven't seen anything like that. I wonder if he's just a different coat type, or his coat change will come later for some reason, or maybe it's due to the fact that I keep him trimmed short for work. He does look curlier than Shelby. But oh so soft! :)

Comment by Robert Johnson & Joan Milligan on June 18, 2010 at 5:05pm

Dixie~ Got Angus's papers today - Thanks! He is the joy of our lives. There is his alter-ego, though -- Jimmy Nick. Jimmy Nick barks, grabs and runs, and has a sly, mischievous look in his eyes... We ask him, "What did you do with Angus?"
He swam for the first time today... been there before, but just took the plunge and really swam today!

Comment by Robert Johnson & Joan Milligan on June 18, 2010 at 4:50pm

Angus swimming in the Chesapeake Bay! He had a BIG day with grown labs at the beach.

Comment by Robert Johnson & Joan Milligan on June 18, 2010 at 4:33pm

How old are they when they get their big boy/girl coats?

Comment by Dixie Moore on June 17, 2010 at 3:17pm

Shelby looks wonderful, Christine!

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