Shaved Doodle due to Matts

[Patty Griffin]

My ALD is about 10 months old. He was last groomed in December. He got pretty matted since then so the groomer had to shave him. She saved his head and tail. I love my groomer and I know that if she could have brushed him out, she would have. I feel like a bad mama but Tanner hates to be brushed so it has been hard to keep him brushed. His hair seems to be soft, fine, and curly... Is it true that once shaved, his hair will never be the same again?? What does that mean exactly? I have two doodles, my other one is 6 years old - his hair is thicker and more course and doesn't matt as easy.

[Tracey & Spike]

I wouldn't think that his fur will change that much. You'll loose the puppy fluff. But I wouldn't think his coat would change that drastically. But I'm not an expert.
When we have Spike groomed he does get shaved down. Not as low as your poor dude is now. He goes down to a short fuzzy look. I never noticed a change after his groomings. Other than no more cute puppy fluff. If it helps Spike is a very curly poodle-ly looking dood. Especially when he's fresh from the groomer. That makes him a dead ringer for his full poodle dad.
As far as brushing. Are you using the right brush? When I first stated with Spike I used the wrong brush. It was way way too hard for him. It was more of a bush than he needed. Too hard and way to scratchy. I then thought I would go the other direction. Then he became matted because the brush wasnt strong enough. Now I'm in the middle of the pack brush wise. He doesn't mind his new brush at all. It no longer hurts him nor is the process uncomfortable.
Here is Spike typically. He's does get a bit shorter when he's fresh from the groomer. But it'll give you and idea of his coat type.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Oh, Patty, I feel your pain. Tanner's hair texture sounds so much like Tara's except I think her's might be a bit wavier. The point being that it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep mats out of it.  I was hoping that if she got shaved it would grow back more manageable but NO. It has remained the same throughout her 6 years. It's just so fine. I just try to keep it fairly short because she hates being brush (will tolerate it but not enjoy it) and the mats are just relentless.

Here is a pic of Tara about 2 months after she was shaved down. It is still pretty short here and she was always cold and wanting to be held. So you may have a lap dog for a while! LOL

Now that I see Tanner is only 10 months old, he may be going through the coat change which can really intensify matting His coat may be different when it grows out due to the change but  not  the shave down.  And he's still a cutie even with no hair! :)

[Bonnie and Kona]

Shaving does not effect the texture of the hair. He may end up with a different textured coat just by virtue of going through the coat change from puppy to adult. He is that age. I think you will find that once he goes through the "dreaded coat change" his coat will be easier to manage... fewer mats. The puppy coat that is falling out gets caught in the adult coat that is growing in. In order to get those mats out before they get too tangled, you need to not only brush your dog but comb him too. Line-brushing is essential. If you do a search for "line brushing" in this group, you will learn how. If you cannot find it here, try looking on YouTube. There are videos of it. Our first doodle had a coat that was hard to maintain when he went through the coat change. I brushed and combed him every day.  My second doodle must have a coat more like your first, because we didn't even notice his coat change. Good luck. Your pup is just adorable!!!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Patty ~ I agree that he is probably going through the coat change.  Keep the faith, his mature coat will probably different from his puppy coat and possibly easier to deal with.  It takes several months for them to go through the coat change and it is imperative to brush them every couple of days - as that is the only way to gently remove the puppy coat.  If he is getting even little mats, it can be painful when you pull through them with a brush.  He is still a puppy and it is not too late to get him used to being handled and gently brushed - I would try it for 5 minutes a day especially now that he is so short.  Good luck. 

[Shari Becker]

Hi Patty, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but Lexi is 19 months, and her fur is still fuzzy, soft and full of matts. Our groomer says that some multi gen doodles have fur that is neither fleece nor wool. She calls it cotton fur, and it is so soft that it feels like a chenille blanket, but it is impossible to care for unless you are willing to line brush every few days. And when you do brush it, gobs of cotton fluff come off her.  We feel like we have been fighting the grooming battle since we got her, and we just honestly don't have time for hours of line brushing. Basically, we shave her the minute the weather turns warmer, and we leave her sheared and short through November. Then in the winter, we kind of fudge it, trying to groom her as little as possible, knowing the groomers will just about cry when we bring her in. Our groomer has begged us to get an activet (?) large brush and to try to brush her more regularly. We will try because we are now feeling like delinquent dog owners, but she has so other issues (food intolerances, ear infections, lots of itching) and between those issues, our kids, and our jobs, we sort of feel like we can just do the best we can do. She's a very happy dog. :-) The only difference between Lexi's puppy coat and adult coat is more curls. The texture never changed. All this to say, Tanner is adorable, and probably soft and cuddly as can be, and this just may be his coat. 

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Fozzie and Shaggy get shaved about every 8-10 weeks and I I haven't noticed a change in coat texture or how it grows back in.  For bad matts I use thinning scissors to bust up the matt then I can brush it out easier without hurting him.  My groomer also suggested watering down conditioner to spray the boys with to make it easier to brush them out between professional booming apps.  To help your guy get used to brushing have you tried very short brushing sessions several times a day or at least once a day with treats to distract him.  Perhaps with a treat toy that keeps his attention.  

[Patty Griffin]

Thanks everyone for your responses...  He so short right now, there isn't much to brush!  i will have to try to get him used to me brushing him though.  I have tried giving him treats while I brush him but he still doesn't like it.  I use the Les Pooch/Activet brushes.  They are really expensive and have heard good things about them.  I'm hoping that his adult coat won't matt as east but hard to say.  One person mentioned that the texture of hair didn't change for her dog but that the hair got curlier.  I have noticed that Tanner had more of spiral curl when he was younger but his hair has more of a poodle looking curl now...  But he is a cutie and keeps us entertained!  That is for sure...  Here are both of my doodles...  This was before Tanner was cut so short.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I wonder if the brush might be part of the problem. I don't have one so I may be speaking out of turn here but I have heard they have sharp pins. If this is the case it might be too much for a dog sensitive to brushing. The type of brush and even the type of comb I use on Tara makes a huge difference in her ability to tolerate it. Maybe now that he is short  you could use a brush with rounded pins to desensitize him and then slowly work toward using the Les Pooches by the time his coat is grown out. The reason I don't use the Les Pooches is because Tara's coat is so fine and thin that a brush can easily reach her skin. I just use a plain old slicker brush and a comb with rounded tips. I also tried a Chris Christensen brush with rounded tips but the tines were spaced to far apart to be very effective. But she did tolerate it! LOL  Just a thought...

Your doodles are gorgeous!!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Agree!  I also went to a comb and work slowly most of the time.  That brush, on some dogs, really turns them off. I finally have Spud back to where he does trust me to groom him --all but the legs.   Last night, 

So, regroup. Start all over. Give treats.   Use a Steel Comb.  Do it for only 5 minutes at a time.  Do not discard your brush as you can use it, but I would use it sparingly down the road.   That thing really hurts sometimes on some dogs.  I have bled a few times when it came in contact with my skin.  If I am afraid of the thing just think what your dogs must feel 

Good steel comb and a slicker  just might turn your pup around.  Besides, the comb gets in nice and deep to the skin and that is what is needed

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yes, as you said a good steel comb. I had a fairly inexpensive one and recently replaced it with an Andis 7.5 inch comb (Amazon) and it has made a world of difference in Tara's tolerance level. The old one had more pointed tips but this one is nice and rounded.

Tara still has trouble with her legs too. Especially the front ones. She lets me work on them but you can see she is really struggling with it.

[Mary M.]

They're adorable!

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Both your doodles are adorable!!  It is a bit of a shock to go from lots of hair to so short but fortunately,it does grow back. :)