The Dreaded Coat Change....Is it Over?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

For the past few weeks it has been much easier to groom Guinness.  He is not forming mats anywhere near the way he had been.  It is only taking me about 5 minutes a day to comb him out.  If there is a mat, it's small, and I can either comb it out easily or cut slightly into in with my thinning shears and then comb in out.  I am still getting the "downy" baby coat in the comb, but again much less that in the past.  His coat is actually longer than it had been...about 2 to 2.5 inches.  Is it possible that at 15 months he's through the coat change, and this is the way it's going to be going forward?  If that's the case, I'll be so excited! 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Every few weeks!!! I thought he had a coat like Ned's. I think if I didn't groom Ned every few days, he would be so matted that I wouldn't be able to comb him at all. I will dream.... or as my mother-in-law used to say, "Wish in one hand and spit in the other..."

[Tara L P]

Wowza. That's a lot of mats. Is Ella (5 months) in for it? I brush her every other day and there are loose ends and/or little bundles here and there. Please don't say her soft hair will disappear?!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Tara, it is totally up to the hair gods as to what happens to their hair. It does often coarsen up some. Ned's is not as soft as it was, and I am glad, sort of, because the softest parts of him matted the worst and still do. Many have their color fade at two also. Not all doodles mat for all time. Some never mat and their coats stay the same. Some mat while the baby coat is coming out, and some mat forever. Ned mats much less, but he does still mat. His coat is sooooo thick that it is hard to get a comb through it. I tried a rake but it pulled out hair and didn't really do a thorough job on Ned.