Opinions & Advice on Grooming Henry Needed

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, I never thought I'd be here in the Grooming Group asking advice. I had poodles and I knew what to do with them. They didn't shed at all, their hair continued to grow forever, just like ours, and they had to be trimmed regularly. Just how short you cut them depended on what kind of look you liked and how much time you were prepared to devote to brushing and combing to keep them matt free.
Then I got Jackdoodle, and grooming was a thing of the past. It is just like having a Golden Retriever. he needs a bath, a little brushing, and goodbye haircuts. His hair only grows so long and never matts or needs to be cut. It's silky, not thick, not woollly, definitely not curly.
My foster doodles have been either like my poodles or like Jack, and I never had any trouble knowing what kind of grooming they needed.
Now...meet Henry, a DRC doodle who was just adopted:

Yes, he's the cutest thing in the world, and yes, he is terribly overweight. He weighs 116 lbs and should weigh 85-89. So that's not all hair. But he does have woolly, curly, doodle-y fur that we were sure was non-shedding. It seems like it should be, when you feel it and when you brush it. But, it's all over his house. It's all over his mom's clothes, and it was all over my clothes when I brushed him a little. At first I thought it was just a lot of dead hair that was never removed by brushing, because he wasn't very well cared for in his former home. He was just bathed and never formally groomed; his nails were never cut, either. But he isn't very matted at all, and his ears are completely free of hair inside, naturally. So how could that be if he is in fact a nonshedder? So now I'm thinking he's like a curly woolly version of Jackdoodle...his hair only gets so long and then falls out, he sheds, and he doesn't need haircuts.
But is that possible? And short of waiting a few weeks or months to see, how do we know? He's going to the groomer next week, and his mom has asked for my help & advice. We like the length he's at now. But if he's going to grow longer and matt, he should be trimmed when he's groomed, or he'll be too long and unmanageable by his next grooming. Plus, as long as she's spending the $ to get a 116 lb doodle groomed, she wants to have it done right.
Advice, please. Is it possible that he's a non-shedding doodle who just needs a really good brushing, and will need regular trims? Or is it possible for a doodle to have a really thick, fleecy coat that sheds and only gets so long?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Clancy's fur looks much curlier than Henry's in that photo.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Clancy may be curlier. I think of his coat as loose waves on his back and pretty straight on his legs, tail, head. I guess it is perspective.  I used to think Ned's coat was curly but now I realize it is pretty straight or fine dreadlock spirals = kind of like having a perm that you brush out.

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

Just wanted to say your boy is just precious. I always enjoy seeing pictures of your guys. :-)

[Adina P]

Looks like Rosco actually, though Rosco isn't too woolly, except maybe his thighs.  Wonder if it is a matter of having an undercoat that would make a dog like Henry shed.  Rosco definitely sheds and he doesn't look like he would, but it's on my black pants and any dark fabric that is clingy as well as lots I brush out and in tumble weeds.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I don't think it's the undercoat that's making his shed.  Murphy has a significant undercoat (the groomer is always amazed at how thick it is), and he doesn't shed at all.  It truly is a mystery.  Murphy has a very thick, soft fleecy coat that isn't curly (the dreadlock spirals when it's wet).  Guinness has the curlier more poodle like coat and doesn't shed either.  It amazes me that their coats could be so completely different yet they don't shed.  Also Murphy's hair grows way faster than Guinness's. 

[Clifford, Cloud, Jake..and Kim]

Is it possible part of it is the stress of the life change he's been going through?  Little Dood's fur looks a lot like Clancy's in the closeup and he sheds some.  Clifford's looks more like Henry's and he has been shedding more since his life has been more stressful with foster siblings and now a brother.  Henry's diet hasn't been the greatest and that will also affect his hair.

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

Thank you all for these posts.  Mitzi also has a very interesting coat.  She is curly, (sorry haven't been able to figure out the picture attachment system) mostly non-shedding, though when I clean the small puffs of fluff off the floor I wonder about that, her fur does not fall off onto furniture or clothes. She does matt if not frequently (daily) brushed, and her coat is slow to grow in length.  Her ears are also clean of growth on the underside.  She actually looks a lot like Henry, though she only weighs 60 pounds and is on a good diet. 

I groom her myself and am always looking for grooming styles.  We also have always had standard poodles so for a

long while I kept her faced shaved in a poodley look, though the topknot was more flat than a poodle.  She has gained

a little weight though and seems to have a more "retreiver shaped body" . She no longer looks good in the shaved face so she now definitely looks more "doodley".

One thing I have recently discovered is the 'no more tears" type baby shampoos which even has a "thick/curly" hair

type which I used yesterday and really like.  I also use the no more tangles when brushing her out and it really helps.

 

Sorry I am unable to advice as to what to tell a groomer.  I just try to look for a balance in length of coat and softness

in the finished look.  One thing I do prefer is a very short hair length on the chin, this seems to help prevent water from

spilling all over after she drinks.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Bring that big ole bundle of doodle love to Cincinnati and I'll clip him.  His hair looks quite a bit like Sophie's hair.  Sophie has two very different types of hair.  Her Apricot areas are very easy to run a comb through.  The white areas are more thick and tangle, but I wouldn't call it matt.  She does shed some although it is bearable.  If I were going to tackle this boy I would do it the same as Sophie when I groom her.  (Granted, I'm not a professional groomer, so I've just sort of devised this myself).  I would start with the clippers and a 1" guard and clip in one direction (head to tail) and (top to bottom on legs).  Depending on how it looked I might then go down to 3/4 (thats what I use on Sophie).  I just can't tell how long he is to start with.  This should basically keep him looking like he does now, only just a little neater.  I can always tell when I need to clip Sophie because a day after her bath she looks like she needs another bath.  I personally wouldn't want to take him any shorter than that right now because of what you call his "rolls".  Right now he just looks "fluffy" ..... if he is cut too short he will look "Fat". The top photo was shortly after her 2nd birthday and she had had a slight trim one time previously.  The 2nd picture was her first clipper cut which I did just like the explanation above.  Her hair seemed thicker and curlier once she was cut.  Obviously the head and face I did by hand, not with the clippers.

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

Another Mitzi look-alike!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Pretty, pretty  Sophie!

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

...another beautiful doodle!!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

What have you guys decided to do to Mr. Henry?  Can't wait to see his new do!