Let’s talk coat change. If you own a poodle, cockapoo, labradoodle or any other type of doodle and poodle cross then this topic applies to you.
Poodles and doodles are born with a puppy coat, this coat is very soft, thin, wispy and has little texture to it, which is nothing like the coat we would normally associate with an adult poodle. Normally we would expect a curly, dense coat with a spring to it, whilst in doodles we would expect more of a wavy texture. While we are all lulled into a false sense of security at how easy it is to groom our puppies with their lovely soft puppy coat, when the puppy starts to become a teenager, you may find that suddenly, your puppy starts matting and grooming becomes much more difficult. This is because of coat change.
At approximately 6 months, the poodle and doodle coat begins to change from a puppy coat, into that dense and textured adult coat. Coat change can start anytime between 6-12 months of age and can last until the dog is 18 months old, there is no set duration as to how long it lasts, this is entirely down to each individual dog so it can last as long as 12 months. During that time, the adult coat grows and ‘mixes’ with the puppy coat. That mix of two different hair textures and densities creates the perfect conditions for matting and tangles to form. The longer the hair, the more chance of matting.
During coat change you will find that you have to step up with brushing at home. Ideally you should aim to properly brush your puppy daily, paying particular attention to high friction areas such as their bum, sides, armpits and behind their ears. To correctly brush out any tangles, it is important to use both a slicker brush and a metal comb ensuring you are parting the hair right down to the skin and combing it thoroughly. Missing even a few days of brushing can result in large matts to form which is painful for your dog, pulling on their skin and leading to hotspots, rashes and bruising to develop.
One of the most common myths that we hear everyday is people saying that you must not cut a poodle or doodle coat for the first year of their life because it ruins their coat. This is false. What many people perceive as ‘ruining the coat’ is actually the natural coat change happening and therefore changing the texture of the hair. If you regularly cut the hair, you will be removing more puppy hair with each groom and therefore the coat appears to change quicker, which is where this myth comes from.
In actual fact, the adult texture and density of your puppies coat is already genetically pre-determined before they’re even born, so no amount of cutting it or not cutting it will change the final outcome. Since neither us as the groomers or you as the owners have any say in what your puppies adult coat will be like, we can stop worrying about ‘ruining’ their hair. Regular grooming will help the hair and skin stay healthy and encourage a smoother and quicker transition between puppy coat and the adult coat.
What we can influence however is your puppies hair style and comfort before, during and after coat change. If you want to keep the fluffy cuddly look, this can only be achieved through the dedication to correct daily brushing. Unfortunately because the hair matts so quickly and tightly, there is nothing we can do to detangle that hair once it has matted and the safest and kindest way to remove the matting is to clip it off. Maintaining a long luscious coat is hard work! If you know daily brushing is not compatible with your lifestyle, it may be kinder to consider giving you puppy a shorter easier to maintain clip. Short hair will not matt as quickly so you can brush less often, every few days should be enough.
So if you have been wondering why your puppy is getting matted despite you regularly brushing it and having had no matting for the first 6 months, it is due to coat change. During that difficult time you can opt to brush your puppy even more (daily!), or to opt for a low maintenance hairstyle. If you’re ever unsure on how to properly brush out your puppies coat to avoid matting, please ask any of us in the salon and we will be happy to demonstrate how to do it properly. We all want the same thing, for your dogs to look gorgeous and be happy and healthy.
