Coat predictions on F1 puppies.

[Stefan]

Hello all,

I am a new member to DK and must say how hopeful this forum as been!  We recently had our littler confirmed from the breeder (F1 mini) and they are due on April 28th and will be ready for pick up end of June (perfect timing since I am a teacher and have holidays soon after).  The breeder wants to keep a female back for her breeding program to put into a guardian home and after that my partner and I have first choice of the litter (it pays off being on a wait list for months and months).  I understand coat types change as they grow older but from what I read is it true that the curlier the fur on the ears, the curlier the coat as they grow older?

I would really love to choose one that has a nice wave or crinkle in their fur as they grow older.  Once the litter is born i'll post some pictures and gather some opinions on what you experts believe what kind of coat they'll mature into.

Thanks for any help in advance,

Stefan

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Hi and welcome! Looking forward to those pics!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I agree that lots of waves on the head will be a curlier pup who MIGHT be less likely to shed--and those waves show up right away--here are some pics of a pup I have raised to make my point--

9 weeks, weeks, 8 weeks and 2 weeks

[Donatella and Sunshine]

Sunshine is not F1 but F1B. The breeder told us that her coat was going to turn loose wavy. 

She is now 7 months and I can say she has a "mixed" coat. In her ears straight, in her head loose wavy, her neck curly with big curls and her back a kind of zigzag curls, 

I was expecting to get a "wavy to curly" puppy but I had to choose between two "loose wavy" puppies. How ever, when I saw her pictures and video I knew she was the puppy for us, no matter how the coat was. We also had to wait soooo loooong that when she finally came I just forgot I wanted curlier, and now I love her just as she is.

2 WEEKS (She is the one on the right)

4 weeks (the one at the left)

6 weeks

8 weeks

3-4 months

7 months now (you can see the ears straight hair in the last one.

[Stefan]

She is ADORABLE. I absolutely love her colouring. Thanks so much for the info!

[Rose Coward]

I recall being told that really wavy hair on a newborn pup means something quite different than that really wavy hair on an 8 week old pup.  The wavy hair on the younger pup is an indication that the dog will have longer hair (nothing to do with the amount of curl).  At 8 weeks the wavy head hair indicates a wavy haired as opposed to a curly haired dog. 

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

I'm sure your breeder would be the best resource for the information you are looking for, but I know the feeling of wanting reassurance.

My dog's coat has been a complete mystery all along. She is an f1b. I was first disappointed that she didn't have the thick coat of her litter mates. Then I was told by the vet at 8 weeks that she will always have the bed-head cowlicks and most likely would shed a little.

The minute I get adjusted to the idea of her coat being one way, it changes. Now at 6 months the part that was straight at 5 weeks is the most curly. She doesn't shed but the hair on her backside and tail is coarse and thin compared to the rest of her. The groomer told me I am very lucky because she will be easier maintenance. It doesn't really matter at this point. 

You can check the photos on my page. They are all labeled by how old she is. If you look at the photos at about 5 weeks you will see what I am talking about compared to recent photos.

[Jordan & Daisy]

I feel like most of the time the dog tends to get curlier as it gets older (at least the doodles I've seen) i.e. you pick a puppy with wavy hair and it's going to be very curly, you pick a pup with straight hair and it will likely get wavy. My neighbor's puppy looked exactly like a golden retriever and now he has a thick coat of wavy doodle hair! Here are some pics of Daisy as a puppy at 7 weeks, then 9 weeks, then 18 weeks..

[Rose Coward]

adorable

[Jordan & Daisy]

Thank you :)

[Lynette Main]

I looked at Shea's feet. The hair was really long and kind of shaggy. He also had more shaggy hair on his head. Mya was the same feet and hair. Their coats are silky ,shaggy and beautiful.Aja was 15 months when I got her and she was totally shaved.She turned out curly on her face with more of a longer curl on her body. Its a surprise !!!!