Curious, WHY can't you cut out the puppy coat?

[Camilla and Darwin]

I have been steeling myself for the dreaded coat change and have been thinking about this a lot. I have read that you have to pull the coat out and you can't fix it by simply shaving it off. I believe it, but I want to know, why is that? Why isn't cutting it off going to remove the puppy hair? Just wondering, and any answers would be very appreciated!

[Adina P]

Then this doesn't necessarily apply to non ALD's as not all breeds and mixes have a 'coat change' and require such a removal of puppy hair.

[Diana Allen]

He looks awesome!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness is now going through his coat change. It started when he was about 8 months. I too was mystified by this whole thing. It is now becoming much clearer to me as the "change" is progressing. I was brushing him every day, but he was still matting. I was clearly using the wrong type of brush. I"m now using the Les Poochs brush, and there is a huge difference. With my old brush there was very little hair in the brush when I was finished. With my new brush I'm pulling out lots of the really soft fleece hair, which I believe is his puppy coat, and the matting is much less. Even in the places where he was cut short (eg behind his ears and his tummy) I still need to brush it out regularly, and there is always hair in the brush even from these areas. It's funny because a few weeks ago I posted a question about where the "puppy coat" actually went during the coat change. I couldn't understand it because it seemed like I was never removing any of this hair. Now with the new brush I clearly see the difference.

[Lin D & Yogi]

My ld is 9 months and really matting. We cut his coat down. I am wondering how long the coat change lasted for you? Also, I need to try a different brush and the Les pooch brush sounds ideal.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

For some doodles the change is completed pretty quickly. For my ALD, Ned, it took about 2 years for the entire body to change. He matted badly in spots which traveled to the various body parts.

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

Abby went through this last fall - she was 10 months old. She loves the water and spent a lot of time in the lake last year. I couldn't keep up with brushing her so she matted up - BAD - and all I could do is cut her short. Her legs were so bad that I had to scissor them close to the skin. Now I can comb her out and the comb fills up pretty fast (tho she doesn't drop hair) . I feel I am getting that dreaded puppy coat combed out and I am hoping we won't have the matting problems next summer The weed reference - I think - hits it on the head. You have to get it out by the roots or it will just keep growing.

[Betsy D.]

This has made it clear for me, as well. Cimmy will be 9 months old in a couple of days. For the last month or so when I brush her I get a lot of hair. The "ball" of hair when I am finished always surprises me by it's size. I can then brush her again a few hours later and I get the same amount. She does seem to be matting a little on her upper chest, but the groomer says this is nothing compared to others. I really don't see any difference in her coat as of yet. Will I? Also, how long will this take for her adult coat to come in, provided that I am continuously brushing her? And last, will she continue to matt after her adult coat comes in or will it be more like her puppy coat of no shedding, no matting?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

We are also goign through this (at 9 months). I can brush Peri every day and I get lots of hair out each time. I am also finding clumps around the house - it looks like her puppy hair - she wasn't shedding prior to this.
Thank goodness for the Les Poochs brush - I would be completely lost without it! Have only found a few mats under arms and around ears - the brush removes them easily (as long as I keep up with this daily).

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

No way to really predict the exact adult coat. The best predictor would be a previous litter by the same parents and see how the coats turned out. ALD's are a developing breed and even though there is more consistency than earlier generations, there is still a wide range of coats out there. Mostly, after the puppy coat is gone, the adult coat is more easily managed than during the change itself.
I have one girl with a very fine fleece coat. So fine I use a flea comb to catch the tiny mattes before they grow. She should be over the change about now so I am waiting to find out if she is still going to matt the same way. One thing, she is really silky soft. I can forgive the tiny mattes as long as she lets me run my fingers thru that coat.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I don't know if the puppy coat and the adult coat grow from the same or different follicle. We need a scientist to jump in here. I have a customer who is geneticists and is very interested in everything to do about her doodle she got from me this year. She can't stand to have an unsolved puzzle.
We all agree though, that the puppy coat must be pulled out and the only way to really do this is by brushing it out over time. Keeping the coat short enough to slightly matt and brushing and combing often seems to be the best way to do it.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I hope this isn't too off subject, but I have been looking into the Les Pooch brush and some alternatives. I was wondering, is the Chris Christensen slicker brush good as well? If he is cut down to 1", do you think I could keep on top of it with a cheaper slicker than a LP, or is there really no substitute? Does anyone use a different brand of slicker with success?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Honestly, I would do the Les Pooch brush. Our neighbor has a Wheaten who matts terribly and he swears the LP is the way to go. I had actually bought mine first and he used it on Max - he was amazed.
And Peri actually LIKES being groomed....hated other ones I tried. But I will be curiuos to see what others say. Way I saw it was I could spend $20 on trying a few OR I could just pay the big bucks for the big one and call it a day!