Does cutting their hair change their hair (straight/curlier etc)?

[Km]

I have noticed that when my mom allows her standard poodles hair to grow, it's real shaggy but when she gets it cute it's classic poodle look.  We have an F1 goldendoodle that is 16weeks old and we really like the shaggy look.  Does this mean I should not get him cut?  I notice his hair is quite striaght on the ends but is much tighter (poodle like) near his skin.  So, that got me wondering if we cut him, will he be more "poodle like" or curly?  What is everyone's experience after you cut them the first time?  

I feel silly asking this question but.... do we NEED to cut him?  If we bathe and brush him regularly.... is this enough to keep the shag look?  Or will we ultimately need to cut?

Here's a pic of my lovable little man!

RidleyTearsUpBag.jpg

[Km]

Having trouble figuring out pictures.... trying again

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

He's SOOOO cute!!!!  he looks fine in my opinion but then again Bender is 8 months old and I haven't taken him to the groomers yet because I like his shaggy look HAHAHA!  He has an appt next week. I'd like to read the responses as well!

[Adina P]

Cutting hair won't change hair.

It's good to get a pup used to grooming, but a short haircut is not necessary unless you have trouble keeping him free of mats.

[Leslie J]

Cutting hair won't change it but it makes the evolving coat of a growing doodle more apparent.  Also I notice that longer hair seems to look straighter.  Cocoa's hair also seemed to have an ever-changing color which becomes more obvious after a haircut when the new growth isn't hidden.  Cocoa looks like a classic shaggy doodle when her hair is long but tends to look quite poodle-like after a hair cut.  As it grows out she looks "doodley" once again.  It is a good idea to get him used to grooming while he's young- I have found that the curly coat near the skin tends to mat very easily!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

He is so cute!!! As the others have already said, cutting will not alter the coat type.  You will probably at least need to keep his face trimmed so he can see and also trim in the sanitary areas so poop etc. doesn't stick. :(

If you are not aware, he will go through a total coat change as he nears a year old (timing can be different for different pups). During that time it is particularly challenging to keep their coats from becoming matted. It will require daily line brushing to get the puppy hair out and keep it from tangling in his new adult coat.

If you haven't joined the Grooming Group yet here on DK I would really recommend it. There you can find advise about grooming and grooming tools that can really help simplify the task of keeping you little man's coat the way you like it.

Here's the link:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/doodlegrooming

[Ginny Nightingale]

The straight part is his puppy coat and the coat growing in will change and change and change some more! Grooming him will keep him clean and mat free but will not change the genetics of his coat type.If you want him to get nice and shaggy, you can even just have his combed out and bathed now and then with the trimming others have recommended.

If his hair is getting curlier underneath, he might have a wavy/curly coat, but the longer it gets, the more the hairs will stretch out from the weight, so a curly dog can have big loose curls when they get longer.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I just was thinking about this and wanted to share something with you--I groom doodles and a year ago a couple who had a one year old doodle who was their first dog brought her to me for grooming--she had not been groomed much or maybe even at all and they thought she was fine but shaggy. They had brushed her but had not used a steel comb to get down to the skin and when they bathed her, the mats at the skin solidified. When i reached down to pet her head, she had a mat the size of a football behind and between her ears. That was the beginning of a long 5 hours of clipping and shaving to get down beneath the mats. Her skin was red, flaky and irritated beneath the mats. One year later, they have a happy, healthy and beautiful doodle who comes to me every 8 weeks for a complete groom.
So, I guess what I am saying is your doodle will take lots of time to maintain and a good grooming is a necessity! You can do it yourself, but be sure to learn how and remember that it takes a lot of time.

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Cutting does not change the texture (curliness, shagginess, etc.) of Cosmo's hair, but what does change it (at least temporarily) is how the coat is dried. When he goes to the groomer, she "blows him out" and he does end up looking very poodley. After a few days, the "coiffed" look goes away, and his shagginess returns.

When he is bathed at home, he mostly air-dries, with just a little blow-drying--so he looks shaggier.