Does the matting get better?

[Piper Clark]

Our nine month labradoodle has a beautiful coat, but it's starting to mat so badly. I know his adult coat is coming in and so I've been brushing, brushing, brushing. But he's still matting (mostly around his neck, on his belly and under his arms). Once he gets his adult coat in does this matting lessen quite a bit? Or are labradoodles always getting mats their entire lives? I just scheduled his first cut next week.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I agree that the matting issue really seems to vary from doodle to doodle. Tara is an ALD and her extreme matting started around 7-8 months too. She is 2 now and once her coat reaches 2-3 inches long it requires daily brushing/combing and a huge amount of maintanence that neither one of us enjoy all that much!! So I keep her shorter so we have more time for playing and snuggling!!

But I know of other doodles who have 5-6 inch long hair and only require weekly brushing. Don't I WISH!! :)

[Piper Clark]

Teddy is also an Australian Labradoodle. :)

 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Luv Um!!!!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Coopers fur is 5-6 inches long and she only needs brushing once a month (twice a month if she has been swimming alot) Shes an ALD

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

Dexter will mat regardless of how diligent I am about brushing him.  Our solution is to get him a good short (i.e. 1/4 to 1/2 inch all over) cut 3-4 times a year.  His coat grows in much better if we start fresh and then we try to not let him get too long.

[Kathy (Ellie & Oliver)]

Our younger doodle had hair that was a matted mess.  I was resigned to brushing him for 45 minutes a day and putting us both through misery.  One day I joined the food group and found out that we were feeding him food with by-products and nasty ingredients.  I decided that I wouldn't feed myself those ingredients so I researched and learned a lot about dog food.  I changed his food to Fromm's and the mats were almost gone.  I now brush him a couple times a week and will find a mat once and awhile.  Yahoo!!  It is like if we eat a balanced diet our hair, nails, etc. are so much healthier.  This happened after his adult coat came in, and we do keep his coat on the shorter side.  Just a thought! 

[Kristen Juarez]

good luck, i'm right there with ya!

[Piper Clark]

Yes, it's not fun. Ended up getting Teddy cut to about two inches. The groomer said the matting would get really intense over these next few months while his adult coat was replacing his puppy coat. She advised that this would be the best way to deal with it right now. She did an okay job on him -- scissor cut his entire body which looks good. She just gave him some poodle-cut details that I'm not so in to. I'm shopping around for other groomers for the next time we need to go. There don't seem to be too many that are familiar with grooming doodles...:)

 

[karen & Tobey]

Tobey is 1 year old now...He dosn't seem to matt ...is this because He has not had the coat change...what happens to his coat and at what age does it happen?

[Debbie and Thomas]

Hi Karen...our goldendoodle is 2 1/2 now  and he matts a bit but nothing so bad that we can't brush them out.  He did not matt at a year old either...this started when he was about 18 mths old.  Mostly because he was swimming so much at our cottage on Georgian Bay...getting wet and then his hair dried in matts.  Nothing serious though.  Now he matts around his neck where his collar is and on his hind quarters.  I ordered a brush here on this site and it takes care of the matts.

[karen & Tobey]

Thanks for the answer Debbie..Where on Georgin Bay are you ? We live on Manitoulin Island The east coast of Island is on G Bay

[Debbie and Thomas]

We live in Toronto and our cotttage is just 1 1/2 hours away from the city.  It is way down at the south end of Georgian Bay...on Nottawasaga Bay.  We are just 20 minutes north of Wasaga Beach.  I have been to Manitoulin though with my sons lacrosse team...for a weekend getaway. It was beautiful!  We are on the "longest freshwater beach" in the world.  We are also named  one of the top 3 sunsets in the world. Just bragging a bit here because your island is super beautiful!