New matting - change in coat?

[Judith and Griffin]

I know there is a grooming group but I  think this *may* be a puppy issue so I'll post it here :-)  Griffin is now 10 months old and suddenly is getting tons of matting!!  He'd never had one before but even days after  his first professional grooming he had new ones already.  I usually  have to cut them out. He doesn't mind me combing him (if he's sleepy lol) but he will NOT let me work on mats.  I took him back to the groomer and some were so bad she had to totally shave the areas :-(
She said this was typical for his age.
His back has long (6 inches!) curly hair - NO matting.

His legs are like sheep wool and NO matting.

His belly and chest are soft hair and TONS of matting :-(  Oh and behind his ears.

My questions: Will this end when he's finished changing to his adult coat?  If not, what can we do?? I love his long shaggy look.  Is there a way of trimming that just thins it out to prevent matting?  I'm just at a loss :-(

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

After the dreaded new coat matting when I had to have him shaved down, the mats tapered off on my dood-but the longer his hair, the more apt to find them even soon after brushing.  I'm not consistent enough with combing since he hates it and it is a bit of an ordeal so I always seem to be fighting at last a few.  behind the ears, belly and hind legs are the worst spots on mine.  the shaggy looks takes a lot of dedication!    

[Kelly & Zoe]

They are a bit of work!  Love em though...

[Judith and Griffin]

Well, I had to do it. After he stayed a few days with my brother, playing up a storm with his dog, he was more matted than ever.  The groomer warned me it would be a drastic change but there really was no option b/c the matts were so big and down to his skin.  I'll try to upload pics.  Kids haven't seen him yet.  I wonder if the girl will cry... Poor Griff will feel tons better but hardly looks like himself!  Groomer says since his coat is changing, we'll just see what comes in and she'll help me lean to deal with it as it comes.  It will grow... It will grow.  And I'm sure the cut will grow on me after a while too :-)  He's still my sweet goofball :-)

[Bonnie and Kona]

Aww he looks great! Your groomer did a super job keeping his doodle face. It will be so much easier as you go through the dreaded coat change.

[Kelly & Zoe]

He looks great!

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

He looks so cute!

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

I have not had to shave Hurley down. Thank goodness.  When he was going through the puppy coat to adult coat change I brushed him every day.  It was our time and he actually enjoyed it.  He would lie on the floor and groan contentedly.  Now that he is past the coat change I don't have to brush every day but usually every 3-4 days and he still enjoys the attention.   His coat is full and fluffy but it is light as he is a wavy fleece so that probably makes a difference on the level of mats and he does them and some I end up cutting out but usually I can work them out gently.   When we hike I put booties on him to avoid the stickers getting into his pads or sticking to his coat.   In summer I do have to brush him every 2-3 days because of the heat.  

His cousin's coat is a curly fleece and he has to be kept cut short as he gets the mats that are down to the skin.  His coat is so thick it is challenging to just brush him.  I do take both dogs to the groomers every 2-3 weeks so they stay clean and trimmed.   Just don't have a convenient way to groom Hurley or his cousin, Oakley, at home.   

[Judith and Griffin]

Just an update: We're waiting to see  how Griffin's coat grows in. He had 3 types of coat before he was clipped so short: wiry on his back, woolly on his legs, and silky on his belly and chest. His back and head were the only areas that didn't have  mats!  Cut so short, all the hair feels the same and I wonder if his adult coat, as it grows in, will be a lot different than what he had before.  I thought he'd be hating the super cold weather we had earlier in the week but he didn't seem to mind at all!
Oh and we were combing him daily but he matted immediately even after a professional grooming.  Groomer said the way his coat was coming in there was really nothing we could have done about it (she had groomed him once before the mess started and once when it was just beginning)  We'll see!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Thanks for the update. I hope Griffin's coat gets easier to manage when the adult coat is fully in and no more puppy hair. Kona's certainly did! Owen has never matted badly. Kona matted badly during the coat change but doesn't anymore. Good luck!

[Judith and Griffin]

Thanks! I'll tell you, now that I'm used to the way he looks (took a while!) I sooo appreciate how soft he is, how CLEAN his is, how many fewer "hair clouds" are floating around my  house.  I so miss his shaggy look but there sure are silver linings :-)

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

So I am wondering when a puppy ( 4 1/2 months) loses hair as I brush him out, is that less hair to matt later when he has the coat change?
Puppy hair doesn't grow back in does it?
I'm just hoping each hair lost is one less to worry about later :-)