Flat coat vs. Curly Coat

[Kacie Hollander]

Hello!  My husband and I are in the middle of picking out a goldendoodle puppy from litter of 3 week old pups.  It's difficult because they are all SO cute!  The breeder said some look like they will have more curly hair (poodle-like) and some flat hair (retriever-like).   Shedding is not a major concern for us.  If anyone has photos of their doods that have very curly hair, or very flat hair, please share!  We are having a hard time choosing...

Thanks!

[Adina P]

Well, there's flat and then there's FLAT.  Some just don't doodle out for a while, but still get doodley hair later even though it might not be truly curly.  Others have a very short retriever coat and will stay that way.  Do you have any photos you can add to this discussion to show us your choices?  How old are they?  Do any of them have obviously longer hair around their eyes, forehead?  Long hair there suggests facial "furnishings" that usually indicate a doodley look later.  But really short, retriever hair on the face indicates the dog will have an 'open' face (like a retriever) and probably not be as doodley.

Have you looked in the "From Pup to Adult" group here?  Lots of pics showing various doodle's coat progression.

[Adina P]

P.S.  Since shedding is not an issue, what about temperament as the guiding force behind your decision?  Does your breeder to any temperament testing or at least seem to have a good grasp of pups' personalities?  That is how I chose my labradoodle.  I wanted a dainty, WHITE female.  I had first choice and ended up choosing the LARGE, RED male because temperament testing showed him to be the right temperament for me and my needs.

[Kacie Hollander]

We should have more recent photos in the next day or two.  I'll post them when I get them!  And yes, ultimately temperament will be the deciding factor :)  It is fun trying to figure out what all the adorable pups will look like!  Thanks for the advice!

[Heather]

Look on my page Kacie...I have two f1 Goldendoodles. My female Ellie is not curly at All, while my male Oliver has a little more curl to him. Both have Golden moms and standard Poodle dads. So hard to tell when their pups!! Good Luck~

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

they are also going to change a lot even between now and 8 weeks.  Usually around 6 weeks is the picking point and they will look a lot different than they do now even then. 

[Kacie Hollander]

Below is a picture of the 4 week old puppy my husband and I might bring home!  We think she's adorable.  Her face is just to die for.  I am just a little worried about her coat.  It seems very flat.  Does anyone else have a doodle that had a coat this flat when they were little?  Did it curl out as they grew?  Thanks!!

[Enid Ferner]

From that picture it looks as If she has the start of facial hair already so will probably be a shaggy adult, but definitely not curly. Four weeks is still pretty young to tell coat wise as they pretty much all look Retrieverish at that age... Having said that you can usually tell the curly coated ones because their coats have a fair amount of wave to them, even when quite young.
I personally love the shaggy "muppet look" over the curly coat, but that's just my personal preference.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

She's adorable! What generation is she? Labradoodle or Goldendoodle?

[Lynne A]

She will certainly fluff up, but she will probably eventually have more of a wavy/fleecy coat rather than curly. We were specifically not wanting a curly coat, so we chose Nutmeg from this 5-week photo. The second photo is the day we got her at 11 weeks. She is now almost 15 weeks and is even fluffier.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna is about as retriever-ish as a goldendoodle gets.  Judging by your potential pup's picture, I would say it will probably land up with a "scruffy" coat, definitely not curly.  The good thing about flat-coated doodles is their coat is very low-maintenance :)

5 weeks old (she's the one on the right).  She didn't have any "fluff" at all around her eyes and very short hair on her legs.  

2 years old.  We have never had her groomed - I just trim her tail, paws, chest and belly areas myself.  She is adorable, but definitely doesn't have the traditional "doodle" look.

[Cari W]

Hi! Wanted to respond to this but sorry so late! My husband and I are literally in the same boat right now! LOL. But we would LOVE to find a doodle that looked just like your luna! Did the breeder know she was going to have a retriever look? I cant tell whether they will know this as pups? A breeder (out of state) sent me the pics if this adorable guy (See pics below) But Its so hard to know. Does this look like Luna as a puppy? thanks!

[Alicia]

Hello! My boy charlie is in the middle between a straight coat and a wavy coat. Hes very easy to groom. Ive noticed when picking out a doodle if the hair on their nose is short like a poddle the tend to stay more straight/flat coat.