I'm Confused!!!

[Don Craigie]

I have been researching Australian Labadoodles and can not figure out if a fleece coat is low, high or very high maintenance. On one end of the scale some sites say all they need is to be brushed every two weeks and fully groomed 3 or 4 times a year. While others say they need to be brushed and combed weekly to prevent matting and should be fully groomed very 6 weeks. I would greatly appreciate any input so I can better understand what I may or may not be getting myself into.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How long is their fur? I know if you keep it really short, it doesn't need brushing that often, but C & L's coats always look longer to me. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

21/2 inches is about as long as it gets but for calendar time I sometimes get them groomed a month later, which is not a good idea. Luca was shaved for the first time in his life in Oct. because the groomer said he was matted. He may have had a couple of mats but having carefully brushed him for a couple of hours the night before he was groomed I assure you he did not need to be shaved. But I always had the impression the boomer didn't like him and thought doodles should be kept really short. We now have a new groomer and he just got some trimming and a bath last time since his coat was still so short going into winter.

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

I agree they all just vary so much. I've found the sweet spot with my ALD that makes him pretty low maintenance (to me, for others it might sound high). If I get him fully groomed about every 6-8 weeks then I have to do very little in between. As soon as I let him get beyond a certain length, the mats start forming and we get into trouble. But if I get him groomed down to about an inch I can let him go for 6-8 weeks with only brushing him occasionally. For the first 4 weeks after a haircut, I do nothing. Then I start brushing him so we can stretch it to 6-8 weeks, but even then only about once a week.  And even when I brush him, I mostly focus on the places I know are more likely to mat (his chest, belly and legs). 

[Don Craigie]

Lori does your dog have a fleece coat and if so is it wavy or curly?

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Don- I would describe him as having a wavy fleece coat. I'm going to try to attach two pictures to show when he has been more freshly groomed, and also an example of when he is getting too shaggy and we are entering the danger zone. I think you'll be able to tell the difference. :) He's a big guy so keeping him shorter and more low maintenance is easier. As long as we get him trimmed up regularly, I haven't found the maintenance to be overwhelming (although we had to learn the hard way and once had to have him shaved down due to matting). And I love that he doesn't shed hardly at all!

[Don Craigie]

Thanks Lori! Your reply was very helpful.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This is very similar to my experience with my two ALDs.  They are groomed once a month and I keep the length short enough so that I don't have to brush regularly.  My mini has more of a wool coat (curly) and my standard ALD has a fleece coat (no curl).  Neither of my guys shed.  Here's their Christmas picture....you can see the length that works best for my guys.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Very cute photo Jane!

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Ditto for the maintenance routine I follow for my two Australian Labradoodles. They both have wavy fleece coats.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I have an ALD and he is six years old (almost).  I brush him weekly, bathe him every couple of months and trim him as necessary.  Full grooming every 6-8 weeks?  I don't think so.  His coat is long with his face, ears, and belly and sanitary area trimmed closer.  We do our own grooming.  His coat is great and I would say low maintenance.  Matters what you want.  We like the longer look and don't want to spend too much time on grooming.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

No all fleece coats are created equal - I have two ALDs (they have same father different mothers) and they are both considered to have fleece coats.  Charlie's has a very dense wooly fleece coat (very thick and his tail is almost like a fox) and Beau our parti doodle does not have near the hair density, and is extremely easy to maintain.  I could let him go in between grooming with occasional brushing, but I don't.  From the time they were puppies, I have generally brushed their heads and tail daily mainly because I cannot imagine getting up in the a.m. and not washing my face and combing my hair! LOL And I think it a great bonding time.  At night if one of them jumps on the footstool, he is probably going to be brushed.  I like to brush through their bodies every week. They are professionally groomed every 8 weeks and I like the groomer to take them down to 1" and just trim heads and the tails only occasionally.  The longest either of them has been is 5 inches, and with Charlie's dense coat it was off the charts high maintenance. I believe all dogs require some maintenance to keep them healthy, happy and reasonably clean.

[Leslie J]

I had no idea how much was involved in maintaining my ALD Cocoa's fur until I took her to the groomer for a bath and trim at 7 months and found out she had lots of mats close to her skin and I'd only been brushing the hair on the ends. I had hoped that it was because her coat was changing, but her fur has always matted easily. Sometimes when I have lots of time (like 1 1/2 hour a week) I've let it grow out. When it's long it is beautiful! Mostly, I let it grow to about 2 1/2" and then have it cut it down to 1" (pretty much exactly like Lori & Rooney do). It's very expensive to maintain. I grew up with Collies, which had long hair but didn't mat, and I thought Cocoa would be the same.

I agree with the saying "You'll either have to comb it out or sweep it up!"