Puppy coat advice please!

[Ben & Lilly]

Hi everyone,

I need some experienced doodle owners' advice! I have two 4 month old labradoodles, brother and sister from the same litter - Lilly and Ben. We got them when they were 9 weeks old, and they were little soft balls of fluff, Ben was fluffier than Lilly.

Ben's got a really thick fleecey soft wavey coat, but Lilly's coat has been really thinning and falling out, and the longer overcoat is getting really scraggly and wiry/fuzzy. I ended up cutting off the overcoat last night and I saw that the undercoat is short but really thick and shiny, and I can see loads of waves in it.

I'm wondering will she get longer hair? Or will it stay short? I didn't think labradoodles blew their puppy coat until they were around 9 months but her coat seems to have changed already! Here's some pics, Lilly has the pink collar, she's on the left in the first two pics and on the right in the 3rd pic:

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

I don't have alot of experience, but I really think that it's too early to tell what their adult coat will like.  I would just be patient and see how their coats change because undoubtedly they will. Your puppies are absolutely adorable and it may be fun to have doods with different hair types.  Oh, and welcome to DoodleKisses!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Your babies are as cute as can be!!! What a couple of chocolate kisses! I have two Goldendoodles from the same sire three years apart. Their coats are completely different. Owen started his coat change at 4 months also. He had a coat of bunny fur that was then replaced by a coarse layer of long hairs. At one year four months, he has a beautiful thick coat of wavy hair that sheds a little bit but doesn't mat. His coat is gorgeous. Kona started out with thick waves and still has curlier hair than Owen. He has to be kept short because when his coat gets to 2 1/2 inches it mats. Both are beautiful but are completely different. I was so anxious to know what Owen's coat would be like because it was so different than Kona's and just seemed to keep changing. I understand wanting to know. The problem is that there are so many options with these hybrid dogs that you just won't know until his permanent adult coat is in. He'll be gorgeous--that's for sure!

[Bonnie and Kona]

I forgot to mention that you should join the grooming group. There is a ton of information on coat types there. Have fun exploring DK, Carla!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna is a goldendoodle... but she had a coat change at around 4-5 months, then another (bigger) change at around 8-9 months.

They're adorable!

[Kathy, Harley & Roxie]

Harley is a goldendoodle and he also had some coat changes around 5 months, and then at about 10 months he began having a HUGE change.  Mats, mats, mats, shed, shed, shed.  I was one who vowed to "never cut my doodle"  well needless to say, he got a cut.  I'm hoping that once this coat change is complete the shedding will subside a bit...it was minimal up until recently. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

They are so cute! I do think they will have slightly different adult coats, but as others have said, it is too early to tell. The puppy coat can fall out over months and months and the new coat will definitely get longer--and they will change color, texture, you name it! So, it is just fun to watch and see what happens.

[Ben & Lilly]

Thanks guys! This is Lilly after her haircut. Little cutie! I don't know if her coat will get longer but she doesn't shed much at all, only a little that comes out in the brush so I think she will. Ben however is a big giant fluff ball and much bigger than her! Ben's coat is starting to thin out now too at the back, he'll need a haircut soon too. Both have gorgeous playful little personalities and they're *so* intelligent. They're so well behaved around my two year old son, he cuddles and kisses them, pulls them onto his lap and wrestles with them and they're so gently with him.

[Bonnie and Kona]

What a beautiful coat! Wow! Your pups sound like wonderful additions to your family. So happy.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

What darling little puppies :)   I think every dog is different in what happens to their coat even from the same litter.  Sasha is my goldendoodle and she had a very fluffy, kind of straight hair when she was a baby then around 6-9 months her hair got VERY poodlely.  Oliver my labradoodle his hair kind of remained the same throughout, he is 19 months old.  His hair is curly but not nearly as tight curl as Sasha's.  I too gave Ollie a good cut this past weekend, not because his hair was changing but because he was just  a big fur ball.  His hair was about 7 inches long and now it is about 4 inches and just beautiful loose ringlet curls.  Sorry I don't have any pictures :(    I think you just need to wait and see what their coats turn into, its very hard to predict  You have two beautiful puppies !