What is the best tool to use to pull out puppy coat?

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

Harlow hates the comb but she is in that dreaded adult coat transition with all the matting associated with it.  My neighbor loaned me her shedding rake.  Harlow didn't seem to mind it.  She laid there quietly while I got a grocery bag full of fur off of her.  But later I noticed that she had a couple of bare spot where it looked like I pulled out too much fur.

Can folks comment on what tools they use to remove puppy coat please?

[Carol Brand]

I'm the Poodle lady that checks in every once in a while. I have to tell you that you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT have to "pull out" the puppy coat to get rid of it or to let the adult coat come in. I don't know where or how this myth came to be but, I'm guessing that it is from people who don't know how to correctly groom a Poodle type coat.

Poodles (and lets face it, most of you have dogs that are 75% + Poodle) have coats that change as they mature. Poodle puppy coats tend to be softer and straighter. Adult Poodle coats are ideally coarse and curly (these coats mat less than soft coats.)

The adult coat is not made up of new hair. The individual hairs on a Poodle change as they grow out of the dog's hair follicles. I have a 13 month old Poodle in full show coat. The hair on top of her head is about 6-7" long. If you part the hair down to the skin, you will see that the hair at the base has a different texture than the hair at the ends. This is her adult coat coming in. Matting occurs commonly during the coat change period because the curlier bottom of the hair shaft tends to bind up with the softer, straighter hairs.

If you are getting tons of hair off of your dogs, it is probably because you have allowed your dog's coats to web and mat. When you try to brush or rake out this webbing and matting you are breaking and cutting the hair and/or ripping it out. Breaking hair damages the coat. Ripping hair out of the dog is just painful.

As an owner, if you can not keep up with the brushing to keep a web and matt free coat, especially during the coat change time, then you should shave your dog close. This will remove all of the soft puppy coat and the harder, curlier adult coat will grow in.

[Azure & Muppet]

Thank you for that explanation. I love poodles, and would really like to own one someday, but I'm very inexperienced and ignorant about the kind of coat they have. I want to learn more and become more knowledgeable about it so I can give proper coat care.

[Carol Brand]

So just for some perspective.... it is imperative with Poodle show dogs that we lose as little hair as possible when we brush. This is because we need coat density in order for the coat to stand up and hold a scissor line. My mentor once said to me, "Eat every hair in your brush and you will learn to brush correctly." Now she was kidding, but you get the point. Other than re-banding, I probably brush my Poodle in full show coat 2Xs a week.

When you are getting so much hair off your dog I wonder if it is the tools that you are using. I wonder if the rake doesn't grab and hold onto the hair. I use a Pin Brush with very long pins, followed by a flexible slicker (in some areas because it tends to break off the ends of the very long hair) and finally a Poodle or greyhound comb.

When you say that you only use the rake in the areas that need it, what areas are these and how is the hair different. If you take a blow dryer set on cool and blow the hair, can you see it webbed together or can you see only separated hairs all the way down to the skin?

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

K, I took Harlow to her groomer yesterday. When I picked her up, my groomer wanted to talk to me about the texture of Harlow's coat and how thin it was. I was duly chastised when she found out that I had used a shedding rake on Harlow. Lesson learned, I will only use a comb and brush on Harlow. :-}

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

Carol,
I keep losing what I am writing, suffice it to say, thank you. My family has had poodles forever, this is the first doodle we have had and it definitely is a different situation with the grooming. Don't remember ever having had a problem with mats. Have actually had to clip her to 1/2 inch to try to keep them out. Will have to wait and see when her curls grow back if there will still be a major problem. Your info re poodles may prove to be very helpful. Thanks again.

[Carol Brand]

You know part of this may be the coats Doodles are bred for. Poodle breeders try really, really hard to get coarse, curly coats because these tend to mat less.

Doodle breeders on the other hand select softer, looser-curled coats. In Poodles we hate these type coats because they don't scissor well and they are very, very hard to care for. We say that you can watch them mat as the dog walks across the room. I think this is what a lot of you are up against.

Best of luck!

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

My brother has recommended a de-tangling or grooming product called Crown Royale. Have you used this and if so do you think it would work on doodle type hair. Apparently it is used for show dogs. Again, your advice is greatly appreciated.