Cording--I'm Going to Mat My DOG

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

For several days I've researched articles and videos of cording a dogs coat.  There are some positive and negative conditions to doing this to a dogs coat.  I do not see anyone on here that cords the coat of an F1b.  Also known as Dreadlocks.

Positive--no more brushing. Ease in daily grooming for the dog.   A way to deal with unruly, unbrushable doodle coats.  I don't mind the time it takes to do this.  I take that much time grooming him anyway.

Negative--there is the same amount of time that goes into grooming however progress is very SLOW.  Months to Years.  The coats have a different way to be kept clean, wash, and DRY--oh my how long it takes to dry.  12 hours or more. If not, the coats smell and can mold.
It takes at least 6 months to One year to make a coat like this--most of the time it takes much longer to have a nice look.  The first  year the look is messy.

We can add a lot to the above P/N

Some owners thought it was masochist to try and brush out a coat that has a network of fibers at the base of the coat--which is what I find in Spud.  A THICK DENSE GAUZE-LIKE BASE.  Spud is miserable with the whole process. 

Spud HATES grooming.  It doesn't even work with his coat after a certain length. He hates hair/coat products that prevent matting.  The smells make him run and growl.  He will allow me to clean his ears now, but do not attempt to place a smelly conditioner on his curls.  In cording you use NO products, no scented or oily conditioners.  On article said, Dawn Soap was the best.   The other alternative is to keep him clipped.    We've done that... we are moving on for now. 

I've never liked the frizzy poodle look--he hates grooming and gets the frizzy poodle look. 

The pictures and videos are common in Europe and many there do cording for the wooley poodle coat, breeds of water dogs, Pulis and Komodors.  

Here are some videos on how to cord:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gMkydW5Qrs&feature=related

Komodor Puppies--these look like Doodles to me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ig7VBYnCrg&feature=related

This is my favorite--look how beautiful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebp7sTLd-XY


I'll let you know what happens.  He is not long enough yet.  My guess is that we are a month away. 

LET THE MATS BEGIN.   YES, I'm going to MAT MY DOG!

P.S.  Thanks to Nancy, Ned and Clancy, Nina, Phil and Harlow, and Shelly and Tori,  for their help and encouragement on my new project

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

I stopped by your house the other day to see this new rastafarian doodle but sadly you weren't home. I can't wait to see how his cording is coming along. I constantly knock on wood that Hunter's coat is pretty darn easy. She does shed but the only places she will get matte's are under her legs and that's not often.  She acts like she is dead when we brush her - its hilarious and you can see in her eye's its not "oh I am so relaxed that brushing feels so good"  its a look of "just kill me now and get it over with - when will the suffering end?!". 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Oh, Denise, this is so funny.  Ned is exactly like Hunter in his 'just kill me ....." He as finally resigned himself to being brushed.  My husband holds Ned and 'flips' him this way and that and Ned passively shifts to expose the SAME area of his body that I already brushed....

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Awww Denise, sorry we missed you.  Starlit sounds like Hunter and Ned.  She rolls over though on her back as if to say, " You can brush my tummy"  Of course, the tummy is not a problem her back and legs are.  She is finally starting to  mat a lot.  She is always behind in what most doodles are doing for their ages.  We may be entering the nightmare stage of her coat.  Oh well. Nothing we can't deal with. 

Spud's hair is now 4 inches long in some places!  Wow!  Something I never thought we could accomplish.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned sends Starlit his sympathy, and a pained expression to both Hunter and Starlit.  He got brushed for the second time in two days for an hour!!!!! His mom brushed more pin knots and little fuzzy balls out of his coat that were glued to his skin (he thinks so anyway) and made a large pile. He thought the days of bad mats were gone, but now he realizes that they just moved to a new zip code on his coat.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Almost two months update:

Could this really be so easy?  Yes.  We have crispy all around.  The cords can be felt and seen already.  He now permits me to do the upkeep on the ones already corded.   By nature, this is how his coat was meant to be.    :)     He looks like a DOODLE and I really can not tell the difference.  Even in person no one knows or even comments on the locks of dreads.  They look very curly--not dry or dirty.   I'm hoping in the Spring we can just cut them down to a half inch but I really don't think that will be possible.  The cords at the base should be wide.  But again, we are doing it our way and it is working.

Spud Dog Billionhair  was trying to tell me something.  I finally understand what he was saying.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Does this mean you have learned to speak Doodlese?

My little Pulidoodle and I are very happy to hear that Spud Dog Billionhair is a happy boy again and that your unique method of cording is going so well :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Spudsterfarian, yay.

[Becky & Sheeba]

Wonderful video of the photo shoot. I've often wondered how a doodle would look like with dreds. I read somewhere awhile ago that poodles use to have this dreds until the current look came into fashion. It will be interesting to see how your doodle looks.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I spoke with a corder on the phone.  She works with a corder from England.   She stated that the reason was really that the TOOLS were not available to groom until after the turn of the last century.   Now we have wonderful tools to upkeep a coat and cording faded in popularity.

He really looks  like doodles I see here online.  Makes me wonder how many doodle owners really are not brushing the heck out of these coats.

Of course cording can only be done on the wooley coat.  My other doodle has a soft fleece coat and she needs brushed. Cording would never work on these coats. 

[Adina P]

I was looking at Rosco's thigh hair today and it vaguely resembles that of a dog whose owner wants to attempt cording. 

What do you think?  This is just what happens when I don't brush the coat on his thighs.  Or am I making mats by not brushing?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Oh Oh Oh.  I'm in love.   YES!  This is the natural way the coat forms.  Tell your mom to go GREEN and Natural on your coat.     Rosco, BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL.  

JOIN MY CLUB.   We do NOT BRUSH DOGS HERE!

[Adina P]

These are just his thighs...no other part of his coat looks like this.  I really don't brush him much elsewhere because he typically doesn't mat, but my adherence to 'Rosco never mats' motto actually led to some mats on him...so gotta brush him again with SOME regularity.  But his mats you can usually comb or pull out...they aren't at the skin level.