Is it possible/reasonable to make it through coat change without just cutting the hair?

[creation_aplogetics]

I have a 9 month old sheepdog/poodle mix (I know, I know) and I think we are at the start of his coat change. Up until this past month, brushing every day or even every other day has been enough to keep up (in addition to grooming appointments every 3 weeks). But now his neck gets decently sized mats literally overnight and his last grooming appointment was the first time our groomer found a (small) mat that we missed. He doesn’t appear to be developing a double coat so far and the new growth appears to still be on the wavy side rather than curly. We prefer a longer coat but not at the expense of his comfort (I wasn’t seeking out a “doodle” when we got him, but I fell in love with him and steeled myself to be super diligent with his grooming to prevent the typical doodle doom). So I guess my questions are:

1) Am I fighting a losing battle that is going to continue to get worse for the next few months?

2) If it’s better to cut it, is there a way to cut him down without outright shaving him? I’m prepared to pay for a scissor cut, unless that just isn’t going to be enough to prevent the insta-mats.

 

[thegiant]

@creation_aplogetics A haircut is a haircut whether it is a human's hand moving two blades to cut the fur or it's a motor moving a blade to cut the fur. Your most humane decision will be to shave him down otherwise his chances of becoming pelted are very high.

Unfortunately, because he is a mixed breed, we can't give you a detailed explanation on how to maintain his coat through a coat change since there is no way to determine what his coat is going to do. So the safest thing is to shave. I typically shave puppy coats down to a 1/2" or 3/8" because that's usually what it takes to get rid of all the puppy coat and reveal the adult texture coming in.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@thegiant I guess your second point answers my actual question. “Trimming” the hair by an inch or two won’t actually do anything to prevent matting…all of the puppy hair has to come off, right?

I’m a hairstylist with no attachment to my hair…but I’ve spent the past 5 months meticulously caring for this dog’s coat and I feel like I finally understand my clients that have hair to their butt and don’t want me to cut off more than half an inch lol. When it’s gotta go, it’s gotta go though.

Edit: I love your username. My husband and I regularly tell people that we are prisoners in our home.

 

[whidbyministries]

@creation_aplogetics Yes it's possible but only if you think it won't cause you to be burnt out of grooming him for a long time if you try to keep up with it. My havanese was tough and he's only 12 pounds, plus his hair is silky and very easy to comb. Even still he took at least an hour to brush when he was blowing coat.

If you shave it's really not a big deal and it may save you some grief to do so.

If you do think you're able to stay on top of mats, the best thing to do is just increase the amount of brushings and baths. I'm talking brushing 2 times a day, and bathing possibly every 4-7 days, with a high quality conditioner and blow dry. If you find that this is too much you can tweak it but make sure if you do tweak it you aren't allowing a lot of matting to slip through. He will still probably have a couple mats even with the increased brushing but it should be easier to remove them if you stay on top of it.

It may sound like overkill but it's truly going to save you and your dog from hours of dematting if you are able to increase the grooming during his coat blowing stage.

Just remember that it is temporary and if you do decide to shave it's not going to ruin his coat. It will grow back.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@whidbyministries Thanks for this! I texted his groomer to get her opinion since she has months of experience with his coat at this point.

I think we are going to give it one more grooming cycle (so a month basically) to see how we can manage it with him not being in doggy daycare right now (we’ve also got two senior dogs that we can’t risk contracting this respiratory illness that’s going around). He loves it there but he always comes home looking like a street dog.

I’m a hairstylist and I actually enjoy doing his hair. Luckily, he also likes his nightly “couch time” and my husband and I tag team his brushing while watching tv. I’ve spent the past 5 months taking better care of his coat than I do my own hair so I won’t lie and say I won’t be sad if it needs to come off.

At the end of the day though, we knew when we got him that shaving him may be the only viable way to keep him comfortable and that’s top priority.

 

[whidbyministries]

as someone else pointed out him being a mixed breed will make this process a bit of trial and error. My advice is more geared for a drop coated dog.

 

[mamba]

@creation_aplogetics My neighbor has the same mix. I used to groom their dog every month and I straight up had to tell them we can't do anything besides a #5 if not a #7 because the dog would mat no matter what after trying to keep it even 1/2". Seriously the worst coat ever.

Get through the coat change. Just get a short haircut and save your sanity. You'll most likely be fighting a losing battle. Readjust expectations once the adult coat is in.

Note that whenever the dog gets even slightly damp you need to fully blow dry and line brush and comb EVERY SINGLE TIME or they will mat.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@mamba I figured when we got him that we would ultimately have to cut him short. The people at doggy daycare liked to play with him with a hose and it was a freaking nightmare. I always dried him after, but it was still frustrating (especially since I don’t like hose chasing from a behavioral standpoint either). I spoke with our groomer and we are going to give it one more grooming cycle with him being out of doggy daycare to see how it is, and then make a decision about how to move forward at his next appointment.

 

[philippelarabe]

@creation_aplogetics You mentioned matting on his neck. Maybe from his collar?
I have a long hair breed and did lots of research on best harness to avoid matting ... And I ended up buying whitepine outfitters. It's popular on Samoyed breeds too. The tubing reduces matting.
I've used their harness for 2 months now and it's great.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@philippelarabe I think that may have something to do with it. He doesn’t wear a collar except at doggy daycare (and after speaking with his groomer, doggy daycare is probably the culprit for most of our troubles). I did modify his harness with satin but he only wears that for walks anyway.

 

[napparenting]

@creation_aplogetics You’re worried about ruining a doodle coat

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@napparenting Yeah I guess I should just be like all of the “doodle” owners that don’t give a shit about their dog’s comfort.

 

[napparenting]

@creation_aplogetics All doodle owners are the same - just let your groomer shave him and start over . You’re already a typical doodle owner with your long post about saving coat and saying your dog got matted over night lol but pop off

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@napparenting Lol okay buddy.

 

[napparenting]

@creation_aplogetics Just a professional pet groomer who sees people like you every DAY ! Change your attitude and maybe your groomer won’t kick you out lol all of us are getting tired of you high demand doodle owners that’s why your dogs are 150 and up - it’s not the dogs . It’s you. Buddy !

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@napparenting Sure

 

[rukado]

@creation_aplogetics This person is rude. It seems to me like you're doing a good job. You're open to suggestions and concerned about your dog's comfort over aesthetic when it really boils down to it. Don't listen to them

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@rukado I’ve come to accept that you can’t interact on Reddit without encountering at-least one overly-aggressive/self righteous asshole. It was worth it though because I got so much good advice from the more constructive commenters in the thread like you.

 

[rukado]

@napparenting I dunno, I'm also a dog groomer seeing ridiculous doodle owners daily, but OP actually seems open to advice and suggestions. They're asking their groomer for advice and following it, and they're actually concerned with their dog's comfort, which is more than I can say for most doodle owners I encounter who are trying to keep the coat long. I think you're being needlessly harsh.

 

[hoping]

@creation_aplogetics I’m going to throw out banding and wrapping as an option if you really want to keep his coat long. It’s what show dogs get done to preserve their length. It is a ton more work and you may find that it’s not worth it, but I didn’t see anyone else mention it