Adult coat comming in??

[Tegan]

Until about a week ago Kali almost never had mats. I brushed her every day or two and her coat was great. Since winter is coming up we decided to let her fur start growing out for that cute shaggy look. Just a few days before her 10 month birthday she started matting up like crazy. After trying to get the mats out I decided it might be easier just to trim her. I had to wait a few more days before I could clip her (at this point it's a 2 person job) and in those few days (which I brushed her every day) she was even more matted up. We've got her trimmed down fairly short now and we've gotten out all the mats. After poking around on the forum it sounds like her adult coat is coming in. Is that what's happening? Also what can we do to prevent mats from forming? How long should we expect this to last? I'm not really even sure what coat type she is although from the descriptions it sounds like either fleece or loose wool (her coat is mostly loose curls but she has some tighter curls on her hips and bum).

[Karen & Lucy]

You are probably exactly right!! I was shocked when Lucy turned about 11 months and all of a sudden.......... Hair everywhere and Matts galore!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't get them out soooooo she was shaved down. This change lasted until she was approx. 14 months. I hated it. My DH was not a happy camper, since I told him she was not to shed. HaHaHa. She does shed minimally now. Mostly when I brush her. Hang in there Kali will get over this and , by the way, she is really cute. Love those black doodles!!!!!!!!!

[Tegan]

So far she hasn't shed at all.... until this new development she didn't even loose hair when I brushed her. By the sounds of things she'll have to be short over the winter. I hope she doesn't get too cold. And thanks by the way =) Lucy is just adorable.

[Minders]

Don't panic it does sound like the transition from baby to adult coat. When this happened to Mindy the transition happened FAST!!!! The mats got ahead of us and she had to be shaved down - there was no Doodlekisses to go to for info and no breeder since she's a rescue. The groomer asked - do you people own a brush?!?!? obviously she had no doodle experience or hopefully she may have been kinder. This too shall pass.

[Odie]

I'm curious...at what age in months did you owners start noticing that your dood's were blowing their puppy coats?? My doggie is currently just almost 8 months old.

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas was probably about 9 months old when this happened with him. He matted like crazy. I left him with friends for a week while I went on vacation, and I didn't want to ask them to brush him (just too much work). They still brushed him a little, which definitely helped, but he got really matted in that week. I worked on it myself for another week or 2, but then he went to the groomer. He had a photo shoot for a calendar right after that, so I didn't want him shaved. They brushed out as much as they could, but I had to take him in after the photo shoot to have a few mats shaved off. The rest of his long hair covered up his shaved spots, so it wasn't too bad. For probably a month or so after that (maybe a little longer), I had to brush him practically every day. I would start to brush him, and, by the time I finished, he'd already have tangles in the spots I started on. So, you're not alone. Since then, it has gotten better. He's about 14 months old now. I completely brush him every week or 10 days, but every day, when I'm petting him, I feel around for tangles or small mats, and I brush those out right away. That usually only takes a minute or 2, but it saves a ton of time compared to letting it turn into a big mat.

[sbis0oszc95r]

Our puppy is 8 months old and he's also starting to mat. The groomer really shaved him down, but that got rid of all the mats. She told me to NEVER bathe him at home....that makes it worse. I wasn't sure I believed her because it sounded like she just wanted more business.....:)

I can't afford $60 every month, so I'm trying one of the brushes that she recommended.

[Leslie and Halas]

I've only bathed Halas at home a time or 2. He goes to the groomer every 5 or 6 weeks, but it's only $40, so I don't think that's too bad. Considering the time it has taken me to brush him after I've bathed him, it's totally worth the $40 to me. $60 might be another story. I know that other people on DK have commented on how tangled their hair is after swimming, so bathing probably does the same thing. My groomer uses a conditioner that she says is supposed to help the hair stay tangle-free between groomer visits, so that may be helping us a little, too.

[Diane Dolphin Rocker]

I just posted this yesterday in a response to a question about conditioners, but it is a great product to help remove mats and to keep them from coming back in, so here it is again:

"My Ruby has a wavy, soft-as-silk coat. I recently found a GREAT conditioning product. called "De Mat Spray"...it is made by Kelco Industries. I found it on a web site call www.afortunatedog.com (through Kelco's site). Turned out that this company was really nice to work with, and I have since found out that the lady running it is a groomer and a doodle owner, but a member of another doodle site (cover your eyes Adina!). It is really great stuff. It is a "spray-on, leave-in conditioner and mat eliminator". I have used it both after a bath while Ruby is damp, and sprayed it on while dry. (Spray over a towel or old blanket, because it can make your floors slippery.) It really helps to keep the mats at bay. You can also use before the bath (during your comb-out) to help get through the really tough mats ... just saturate the mat with spray and work it in with your fingers. It makes it easier to get through the mat with either your comb, or scissors (if you're making the vertical cuts through the mat). I think I'll copy this and post it in reviews too, so leave a comment there if you get a chance to try it. Good luck with your new baby!"

Also, this is advice for my puppy families on how to remove the mats once they have formed:


"Mats pop up over-night! First, you need to know how to brush correctly. Watch this video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szIij_zknNs
It teaches you how to correctly brush your doodle to make sure you are getting to the mats, otherwise you just skim over the top of them. I bought the green Les Pooches brush, and I like it a lot for brushing. I also bought the red mat zapper, and although some people swear by them, I don't see that it does anything. My favorite way to remove mats is this:
1) get a plate of REALLY good treats (like cheese or hot dog) and give one everytime you make the dog uncomfortable
2) brush gently all over with lots of praise and rubbing. It really has become a bonding time for Ruby and I.
3) locate the mat and move the hair around it out of the way
4) Using an open pair of really sharp scissors, slide one side in as close to the skin as you can get and pull up and away so that you are making a vertical cut up through the mat. Repeat about 20 times.
5) brush it out

Doing it this way keeps you from leaving big 'holes' in the coat. Ruby was first groomed around 10 months. And I have it done every 10 to 12 weeks after that. The shorter the hair is, the less matting you will have.

And this is my favorite link to share regarding grooming. It is a file you can print out and take to the groomer to show exactly what you expect your dog to look like after grooming. http://idog.biz/QuickDownloads/Professional%20Groomer%20Inst.pdf Make sure those mats are out before you go to the groomer, or they may shave her down. Or, if you say don't shave under any circumstances, they will charge you a fortune for the time they spend on her. "

And I will add the the above now, once you 'isolate' the mat, I would saturate with De Mat Spray and work it in with your fingers, even if you still need the scissors, it will make getting through it easier.

Sorry so long!

[Samantha and Socrates]

I've heard so many people say that their Doodle's coat changed in a matter of days and starting matting like crazy...my Socrates is starting to the same thing and he is 10 months! His entire coat is now the consistency of cotton, the mats literaly pull apart like cotton balls.

Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I really REALLY don't want to shave him, but I had him groomed less than a week ago and he's already a matted mess again, even after I brush him every night and clipped out some mats by his neck and shoulders.