Goldendoodle shedding.

[jamiegirl]

I am quite surprised at the amount of shedding our 12 week old goldenddodle does. I thought GDs are supposed to shed a lot less. I notice that she sheds quite a bit more after brushing. Is it her age or the brushing that is making this happen. We've also bathed her about once a week for the past 3 weeks; potty accidents, you see. Is that making the shedding worse? How often should we be bathing her if she is accident-free?

[2szvsb7hzygcy]

At 12 weeks or so, we saw some shedding with our male and I think that it was his baby coat coming off. He doesn't shed at all now. Having said that, some doodles do shed a little. I don't think bathing would have any affect on shedding or not shedding. Wait a bit and see if his new coat is coming in.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Post this question in the Doodle Grooming Group and include what kid on Doodle you have - F1 F1B.
You will get info from those who know - unlike me.

[Leslie and Halas]

I think Halas loses some fur when I brush him, but it doesn't always come off on the brush. Sometimes it just sticks to him and works it's way out later. So you may be seeing some of that. Or she may be losing some of her puppy coat, like others have said.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Dogs should not be bathed more often than every 6-8 weeks, in general, regardless of age or coat type. But that has nothing to do with shedding. I am sorry that you were led to believe incorrect information about the amount that a doodle may shed. "Less" is a relative term...less than what? Lots & lots of doodles shed, some more than a little. F1's are usually going to shed the most.
Golden retrievers "blow" their coats twice a year, usually spring & fall. If you are seeing a lot of hair, it may just be that your GD does shed moderately. You will know for sure if it happens again 6 months from now. Poodles' coats do not go through this puppy coat "change" that the others are speaking of, the fur becomes thicker,coarser, and woolier as they turn from puppies to adults, but it does not shed....ever. You may be noticing the hair more after brushing because the brush is helping it to fall away, but the brushing is not making it worse, it would be falling eventually anyway.
We did not have the same non-shedding expectations that many doodle owners have, but we have really had to learn to live with lots of hair all over our furniture & clothing. It's a "look", lol. I still wouldn't trade Jackdoodle for anything.

[Nicole Wayne]

Mazie, an f1 goldendoodle, sheds more than any dog I have ever encountered. Seriously. But like Karen pointed out about Jackdoodle, we wouldn't trade her for anything and have learned to live with having her hair all over us, our clothes, our furniture, our floors, etc. She goes to the groomer about 4 times a year, has a bath at home around every 6 weeks or so and gets brushed several times a week. The Furminator, a good brush, and the vacuum cleaner are my must-have tools in this ongoing battle.

Has anyone ever tried the Scotch brand Fur Fighter tool? I haven't found one yet in any stores around here, but have seen the product advertised on tv. BTW, it's a tool for your house, not your dog! Cheers!

[2SCdoodles]

I have two Australian labradoodles. The oldest is a 1 1/2 years old and named Capp. He has NEVER shed. His half brother is Java Joe who is 6 months younger and he shed everywhere when I brought him home at 12 weeks. Every time Capp nipped at Joe's fur there would be great big fur balls all over our home. I had Joe shaved down in December because he was a year old and his hair was beginning to matt. He has wool hair and it was difficult to get a brush through it. Guess what! He has not shed since! I think it was his puppy fur that needed to come out that I was finding every where!

[Adina P]

Unfortunately, it's true that many doodles still shed. It all depends on how the genetics lineup. A first generation golden doodle will get half of its genetic material from the golden retriever which sheds quite a bit! A lot of misunderstandings are out there about doodles including the part about shedding. People always talk about how the poodle makes the dog not shed--they forget that the golden retriever contributes the opposite.

Some first generation golden doodles truly do not shed--others shed quite a bit. I don't know if the shedding your dog does right now will last or whether it's just a temporary thing... Are you allergic to your puppy?

As far as accidents.. Is she having the accidents in her crate so she ends up sitting in her pee/poop? Do you put anything in the crate with her like a blanket or a towel? Sometimes if there is an absorbent thing in the crate the puppy will pee on the absorbent thing--in those cases it's best not to put anything in the crate that is absorbent.

As far as bathing, ideally you would only bathe your dog every 1 to 2 months. However, it's not the end of the world to do it more often... But once a week might be a little too much. But (another but), I would probably bathe my puppy too if it had pee/poop on itself!!! Absolutely :-)

One of my doodles gets a bath about every two months. The other gets a bath every week and 1/2 to 2 weeks because he is a therapy dog and he is required to be freshly clean for his visits. He does fine like this and since he happens to be furrier than my other doodle.. He also gets stinkier faster.

[jamiegirl]

We got our Jamie for the same reasons most of us do - to decrease the chance of my son having his allergies triggered. Fortunately, even with the shedding, my son seems to be doing fine. She is a first generation and most people who see her think she is more golden than poodle because of how her fur looks. We love her but I still hope that she would grow out of the shedding phase, or at least have it less.

I do love your advice on not putting anything absorbent in her crate. We have been putting the washable puppy pads in her crate and just tonight I found that she has peed on it even just a few minutes after we took her out to potty. We've been trying to figure out why she doesn't particularly seem to make a fuss when she needs to go potty when in her crate as we would assume would be the point of crate training. You might have just helped us unlock that problem.

[Adina P]

Oh good! Glad I helped... dogs are quite clean if allowed to be so some will take advantage of absorbent things and use it as a toilet!

[Adina P]

Another question...HOW MUCH room does she have in her crate? Should only be enough to STAND up, turn around, and lie down. If she has more than that she may still use it as a toilet in one part while sleeping in another part.

[jamiegirl]

She only has enough room to do as you have mentioned. It does seem like we are readjusting her divider every week because she grows up so fast! Should we be concerned that she does not whine or bark to let us know she needs to go? It has happened a couple of times where we would be in the same room as her crate and we would later find that she has peed on her pad (always on her pad). Now that I am writing it, I wonder if the breeder used puppy pads to start potty training her. That might explain it.

[Adina P]

she might start making noise once the pads are gone...=) Let us know!