The Goldendoodle puppy coat is beautifully soft, sheds little, and is easy to manage, but now that they’re growing up, you’ll need to take extra steps in your daily and weekly routine to keep their coat clean and healthy.
Today we’ll look at what to expect during the Goldendoodle puppy coat transition and how to manage it.
Table of Contents
- 1 When to Expect a Goldendoodle Puppy Coat Transition
- 2 What Types of Goldendoodles are there?
- 3 What Goldendoodle Coat Types are there?
- 4 How Do I Know What Coat My Goldendoodle Puppy Will Have?
- 5 What Does a Goldendoodle Puppy Coat Transition Look Like?
- 6 When Should You Start Your Grooming Routine?
- 7 FAQS
- 8 Final Thoughts
When to Expect a Goldendoodle Puppy Coat Transition
Goldendoodle puppies’ coats last for between 4-8 months, so cuddle them, squeeze them, and make the most of them while you can!
After this 4-8 month period, they will lose the soft, fleecy coat and transition into the sort of coat they will have for the rest of their life.
The puppy coat transition can happen quickly or slowly, and their adult coat may not differ drastically from their baby coat. If it does, you’ll notice a change in texture and appearance and sometimes a subtle color difference.
What Types of Goldendoodles are there?
There are four main types of Goldendoodle, the F1, the F1B, the F2, and the F2B. The genetics of your pup’s parents will significantly influence how their coat turns out.
These classifications relate to your puppy’s pet parents, and their distinctions can be a little confusing, so let’s break them down.
F1
This is a first-generation Goldendoodle bred 50/50 between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. The F1 can have a curly or wavy coat but can also inherit the straight jacket of its Golden Retriever parent and be more likely to shed, making them less suitable for homes with allergies.
F1B
This type of Goldendoodle is more allergy-friendly as it’s bred from a Goldendoodle and a Poodle and has a much greater chance of inheriting the shorter coat of both. This type is also the least likely to experience a coat change during their transition.
F2
This Goldendoodle is the result of breeding two Goldendoodles together. They will have a curly coat and shed very little, making them well-suited to allergic homes.
F2B
This is a rare cross between an F2 Goldendoodle and a Poodle. They can have a wavy or curlier coat that won’t shed much at all.
What Goldendoodle Coat Types are there?
Three main puppy coats are expected following the transition from puppy coat.
Straight coat
Also known as the loose coat or hair coat, this coat type resembles a Retriever.
This dog combines the benefit of minor maintenance with the highest shedding and is, therefore, the least suitable for homes with allergies.
This coat will need to be brushed once a week to avoid matting and perhaps more if they have a dense undercoat.
Curly coat
This is the densest, curliest coat type and most likely to be inherited by the F1B, as it’s the closest to a Poodle coat or the F2. The curls can vary in tightness from being tight and dense like wool to loose barrel curls.
This adult coat type is dense, sheds lightly, and is usually shorter around the face. Curly Goldendoodle coats will need to be cut 2-3 times a year and will need regular brushing once or twice a week to avoid matting and knots.
Wavy coat
Also known as the fleece coat, this is the most common kind of Goldendoodle coat. It’s lower density than a curlier coat and will only shed lightly, so they are low allergy. This kind of coat needs to be brushed once weekly to avoid a build-up of knotted hair.
How Do I Know What Coat My Goldendoodle Puppy Will Have?
Predicting the adult coat of Goldendoodle puppies is difficult unless you purchase from a breeder who performs genetic testing on their pups. These tests can give clear indicators of what sort of coat type they will transition into as the pups age.
The parent dogs of your Goldendoodle puppy will be a good indication of the sort of adult coat they’ll inherit.
Another marker is to look at their facial hair. Goldendoodle puppy breeders say that the hair around a Goldendoodle puppy’s snout will indicate the fur they’ll have once they shed their puppy coat.
- A prominent mustache indicates a curly coat.
- A shaggy beard around the muzzle means more chance of a wavier coat.
- A neat snout with short hair is typical in straight-coat Goldendoodles.
Bear in mind that these are general guidelines and do not guarantee how their hair will come out after their coat change.
What Does a Goldendoodle Puppy Coat Transition Look Like?
At around four months, your Goldendoodle puppy will begin their coat change. Their soft puppy fur will start to mat at this point, and you’ll notice this the most around their armpits, toes, and anywhere else that friction is standard, like their collar.
This is around the time you should begin your adult grooming routine in earnest with light brushing when necessary to minimize matted hair.
They will also start to shed their puppy coat in clumps resembling normal seasonal shedding, which can be barely noticeable or solid and concentrated.
This period of shedding and matting as Goldendoodle puppies loose their puppy coat can go on for weeks or months as their adult coat works its way out of their skin. You’ll also see them looking a little crazy when their fur has a mix of their puppy and adult coats.
Their adult coat should have fully grown in by a year, at which point you can stop worrying about brushing them and cleaning hair from all over your house!
When Should You Start Your Grooming Routine?
The earlier you introduce your Goldendoodle puppy to a gentle grooming routine when they start to shed their puppy fur, the better.
Focus on one section of their body at a time with a brush or comb and work methodically, paying particular attention to high-friction areas.
If your Goldendoodle is starting to develop a curly adult coat, you’ll need to be extra vigilant as this is the most likely to lead to painful matted knots. Developing curly coats should be brushed daily.
You can employ many strategies to make grooming easier for them.
Praise
Make grooming fun and gentle, talk sweetly to them and praise them and reward them at the end with a treat they love.
Start slow
Don’t jump straight into thorough brushing. Start gently to help them get used to being handled and held. Use your fingers to brush through their hair at first before introducing a brush as part of their regular grooming routine.
Introduce them to your grooming supplies
Let your pup sniff and interact with the tools you’ll use to groom them so they can see nothing is frightening about them and so they become familiar with them. Praise them while they get to know them and give them a treat once they’re satisfied.
Handle their paws
Gently handle and massage your pup’s paws to get them used to how it will feel once you need to start clipping their nails. Their paw pads are sensitive, and your furry friend might be anxious about having them touched, so the sooner they get comfortable, the easier it will be for your both when you need to trim them.
FAQS
Will my Goldendoodle change color?
Your Doodle is unlikely to change color as they lose their puppy hair, but their coat tends to get lighter, known as fading. The hair on their face will generally stay the same color.
Should I take my Goldendoodle to a professional groomer?
If you don’t have the time to trim your Goldendoodle’s coat or don’t feel comfortable doing it, a professional groomer is a simple alternative with plenty of experience.
All dogs can get anxious the first time they visit the groomer so ease them into it with a delicate trim on their face and rump.
Is a Goldendoodle’s coat hypoallergenic?
No dog is 100% hypoallergenic; however, some dogs are better suited to homes with allergies than others.
Mini Goldendoodles shed lightly, less than most double-coated dogs, and are well-suited to people with allergies, especially those with curly or wavy coats, but require more grooming. Straight coats will shed more heavily but are easier to maintain.
Final Thoughts
Seeing your Goldendoodle puppy’s coat change can be an emotional time that can go quickly or slowly, but it’s exciting to see the dog they’re going to grow into!
Make sure to stay on top of grooming them and stopping their hair from matting, and most of all, enjoy seeing them develop into an adult dog! Don’t forget to check out our homepage if you need more advice on raising a happy and healthy dog.