Dreadlocks

[Trowby]

When Sage went in to be groomed the fur next to her skin was in narrow curly dreadlocks. Now she has been groomed the curliness is coming back after 2 days. Should I try to keep her coat dreadlock free? Or does it matter? She has had very few mats despite the dreads.

Also the trim on the ears should be inside the ear itself or on the head under her ear.

Many thanks for starting this forum

Trowby

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Dreadlocks are the best!!!!!!!!!! I groom my doodles to encourage dreadlocks. Not only do they keep the coat from matting, they look cool. This is my grooming secret that I plan to post in more detail as soon as I get time. I wash Hugo's head without brushing. I have never brushed his head. I carefully wash the dreads to keep them.

Trim both those areas on the ears. It helps maintain ear health by adding airflow so it has an important health component as well as helping with the look.

[Trowby]

Hi Barb
Who knew! Dreadlocks are good! Thanks for the feedback. Her dreads will come back and I will keep them. I'm assuming that they can be brushed to ensure no mats and they will go back again. I look forward to your next installment! Thanks so much

Trowby

[Terrie Kaleta]

i love the dreadlock look also, but i am worried that dreads will turn into mats if not brushed. then i wonder if the dreads may be tugging on the hairs and hurting?

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

From my point of view there are dreads and there DREADS. What we refer to in doodle coats as dreads are really just separate curls or waves. Real DREADS are matted strings of hair. We don't want the matted kind of DREADS, just the baby dreads. Here are some of Hugo's dreads. He has a thick wool coat. I don't think they cause matts, I think they prevent mats and I don't think they pull on the hair either. If you brush them out, wet the coat again to bring them back.

[Terrie Kaleta]

Barb, thanks for the detailed description. Boze's hair has the kind of dreads in your photo. I love them and am glad to hear they are acceptable in the doodle coat. This has certainly cleared up my concerns. Thanks!

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

It could be related to his puppy coat, depending on his age. None of mine have ever done that..st least not so I noticed. Of course, I have 2 shepherds, so I one of mine did send out little clumps, I might never know. Of the 2 girls I have in a guardian home, one does and one doesn't.

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas has little fluffs that come out. Sometimes, I think they came loose during brushing, but didn't stick to the brush, and they fall out later. Other times, it might be a tiny tangle that broke loose. But most of the time, I figure it is his puppy coat working it's way out. I notice it a lot after he's been wrestling with me or someone else, so I think that's still just pieces coming loose after lots of activity, whether it's puppy coat or grown up coat.

[Trowby]

Hi Barb.
Thanks for the picture. Sage's fur is like that but in finer strands. She seems more fleecy to me than wooly. I'm being vigilant about mats and so far so good. Her face fur is growing back- thankfully!

Trowby

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Thanks for the dreadlock questions and answers. My Roo is a dreadhead too and I love it. He looks just like he has had a spiral curl permanent. I just wash him, condition him and rinse him. He gets mats, which are very clearly different than his dreads or curls.. These usually can be carefully manuevered out with a rake. The matt ender is so sharp I only use it if I have too. I am so happy to know that dreads are "tight" as the kids say. They are very easy care. On the Austalian Labradoodle sight I think dreads are referred to as "spindles" anyway they and my Roo's hair look just like the picture. ALD's are bred for their hair to "spindle", maybe it's an Aussie word or something.

[Jelane Hurst]

Mocha has dreadlocks too, but mostly on her head. The rest of her body has rather straight hair. She is matting terribly and we are hoping that this is due to her losing her baby coat and getting the adult. How old is Sage? Can ayone tell me if this matting is the baby/adult coat and will it stop matting after some time? And if so how long does this usually last? We struggle with the mats and seem to get alot out and by the next day she is full of mats again. I must say that the dreads on her head do not seem to be matting. Perhaps my questions should go under matting and not dreadlock?..but I was happy to see that dreadlocks are "acceptable" :-).

[Trowby]

Sage is 7 1/2 months and hasn't lost her puppy coat yet. I don't think there is a correlation between matting and whether they will mat after the new coat. But I understand they do mat a lot during the changeover so maybe she will not mat when she gets her adult coat. I was glad to know that dreads are desireable too. Who knew!

I'll be interested in learning more about the coat change. Wish we could zip off the old and put on the new. ;-)