Is there any hope for less shedding?

[Michelle Klohe]

Hi All!  We recently became the forever family to Bristol an F1B Goldendoodle (mom F1 Goldendoodle/ dad standard poodle) we went with the breed in hope of having a lower shedding dog due to our sons allergies.  Well we have exactly the opposite.  At this point our guy who is now 15 weeks old and is shedding horribly.

 At this point he has lost all of his puppy fur along the tail to the back of the head and the only furry stuff is on his legs and underbody but those are starting to fill in with this wavy wiry coat as well.  Our groomer and vet were concerned about this coat change so early (he started it at 10 weeks) and at how fast it is happening.  Did anyone else have their puppy lose so much so fast? I can literally get about a tennis ball size of fur out of him daily.  We have had labs in the past and have friends that have goldens and frankly none of us have had a shedding puppy who 1) shed so much so early and 2) who is continuing to shed that much on a daily basis. Has anyone had a puppy who has shed this much as a puppy and have it taper down as an adult.  Our kiddo was off allegory meds for over a year and is now back on them due to this shedding and I am at a loss as to what to do.  I have emailed the breeder several times and she says this a normal amount to be shedding?  This is our first doodle so I have no idea what is normal. We have a friend with an F1B who is 11 days younger and she doesn't shed one bit.  

I would also love some good fur remover tools that are gentle on a puppy. We used a shedding loop once but I was afraid it was too harsh so we have switched to a curry brush and it works ok but there is always more even right we brush him.  We have to keep the fur at bay or our indoor puppy will soon become an outdoor one with the shedding.  Thanks so much and cross your fingers that we will hopefully outgrow some of this.

I have added some pics to help better explain the shedding.coat change.

 

**I am in no way considering putting my doodle outside.  It was just me venting my frustration.**

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

"She keeps saying it is a normal amount for him to be shedding and that his adult coat won't be complete until around a year old."    If you thought you were getting a non-shedding dog; the breeder told you you were getting a non-shedding dog, and your dog sheds, this is a case of her misleading you to make a sale. To me, that isn't a huge amount of hair.  One of my dogs sheds only in the brush but we get almost that much - we don't brush him daily any longer though.   Whether the dog sheds or not though, is less important than that the dog aggravates your son's allergies. Did the breeder tell you the dog was 'hypoallergenic" also?

There is truly not a hypoallergenic dog breed, however 'non-shedding' dogs tend to be more allergy friendly. Here is a link to the most allergy friendly breeds: http://www.justdogbreeds.com/low-shedding-dog-breeds.html
While doodles are great dogs, not all of them are allergy friendly, even if they don't shed. Doodles also have a coat change from pup to adult that can cause a change in allergic reactions to them. Here is an article about determining allergy levels with a particular doodle. http://doodlerescue.org/group/isadoodleforyou/forum/topics/the-alle...  No one should make a guarantee that a doodle is or will be hypoallergenic - this is marketing hype. 

[Michelle Klohe]

According to her FB page he is an F1b and they ARE low shedding great for people with allergies or those that just don't want to clean up hair.  In our exchanged emails and phone calls (there have been multiple) she sees this young shedding as a normal amount (no clue how really) and that she can't guarantee coat outcome.  So yes, I feel I was misled as she said at pick up that he would "fill out" and on the phone she says it's the normal puppy process.  Although with his open face and losing fur at 8 weeks that should have been an indicator that shedding was a possibility. (Things I realize now)  She has been a breeder for 15 years, this can't be the first shedding F1B she has had.  She also later mentioned to me that the families of two other litter mates had also reached out to her about shedding puppies but that they weren't "overly concerned about the shedding"  In my opinion they wouldn't have reached out of they had no concern.  We were second to last puppy pick and she specifically recommended this puppy to us over the other one (he was the runt and smaller, and we have an older boy and she said he would be the better of the two for an older active child. Although the runt  was really curly already).  If I wanted a shedding dog we would have found a rescue pup.  Only due to allergies did we go with a breeder puppy.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

And going to a reputable breeder is exactly what is appropriate when you have specific needs. So you did the correct thing, apparently your breeder was more concerned about selling the last two puppies than being concerned about what you needed (the curlier puppy would be easier to sell than the open-faced one).  Open face almost always means shedding. In theory F1b is a safer bet for those concerned about allergies however genes don't always get passed around according to OUR plans.  :-}   I am so sorry that you are having such problems although, your son still could have allergic reactions even to a non-shedding dog and even though he is okay with your other dog.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

My Pippa is also an F1b open faced shedder. I know that really doesn't help you with your problem, I just wanted you to know that sometimes it just happens that way. Like when a child gets more of his/her looks and traits from one parent than the other. I love her dearly and would not give her up for anything but I did know what I was getting into. There were three open faced doodles out of her litter of eight. My breeder told me that her brother who had an even straighter coat than hers, would be less of a shedder. I didn't argue with her because I already knew she would shed as well. Her hair is just different from my other doodles. They have hair, Pippa has fur.

[Michelle Klohe]

Did she go from furry puppy coat to a wiry coat and fill out from there?  She is beautiful, all your girls are :-)

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Thank you Michelle! Pippa started out with sort of a fuzzy coat and that gradually changed. Now she has a courser coat down the center of her back but her sides and chest are softer and fluffier. The picture below is the day we brought her home. She was 15 weeks old.