Coat changes...on the brink of the next round Ella & Micah litter 12/09/08

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

While those ahead of you have now entered the other side, many of you are now on the brink of the dreaded coat change. I want to offer some reassurance that it really does not have to be awful provided you are prepared and anticipate it ~ much can be avoided. Because your doodle likely does not shed or does so lightly when their adult coat comes in it is common for it to mesh with the 'baby coat' resulting in what seems like a massive tumbleweed literally overnight! Now, more than ever take a load off your feet and enjoy a snuggle with your doodle while combing through their coat. I prefer combing because if you only brush often by the time you notice the matt in brushing it has worked itself into rather a situation. If you comb there is almost no way to miss the formation while it is still small enough to do something about it.

Best of all you have everyone here that can share their own experiences, advice, frustration and even humor about this ritual of passage. Hopefully they will take the opportunity to jump in and share what methods and products helped see them through this phase.

Too quiet around here! Sure hope to see some keyboards lit up soon!

[Susan, Zeke. Lily & Jasper]

Sorry to say that the way we have dealt with mats is to keep coats pretty short. This works great especially for Zeke because he is such a hot body even in winter and Lily likes to wear sweaters. This is terribly lazy I admitt but I only have to deal with their heads and tails! About 1" in winter and a little shorter in summer. Also by keeping them short it is so much easier to bathe and dry. Zeke's coat is so thick that even short he takes forever to dry. My favorite products to keep mats at bay on their heads and tail are Les Pooches brush and Cowboy Magic detangler. Lily gets aweful mats on her ears and both of these produsts take care of them very well. I do love the looks of a long haired doodle but for our lifestyle and climate, short is the way to go.