I came across an interesting post on a forum a few days ago. A Goldendoodle parent was concerned as his 10-week curly-coated puppy started to shed. Is he going to shed that much in the future as well? Is there any possibility for his coat type to change as he grows up?
Curly Goldendoodles usually shed the least of all Goldendoodles. Their curly hair suggests they inherited the coat type from the poodle which qualifies them as low shedding dogs. Curly coated Goldendoodles should also have obvious facial furnishing. The more prominent facial furnishing the dog has, the less he sheds.
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How To Know If Your Curly Goldendoodle Puppy Will Shed?
Low shedding and hypoallergenic qualities of the coat are the main reasons for Goldendoodles being so popular.
It seems that Goldendoodles are suitable even for the people who seriously suffer from allergies and who never could have a dog as a pet before.
Of course, Goldendoodles are still dogs and dogs do shed but some shed a lot while others shed very little to almost none.
How to know if your puppy will shed? First of all, you need to know what you get. If you contact a reputable breeder he will inform you about the type you are buying.
If you take an F1 puppy, it means that his/her parents are purebred Poodle and purebred Golden Retriever. This puppy is the first generation of Goldendoodles and usually, it sheds more than the F1B puppy.
F1B puppy has one Goldendoodle parent and one Poodle parent. It has a great chance to inherit the Poodle genes (it is 75% Poodle and 25% of Golden Retriever). These puppies normally have a wavy or curly coat and shed far less. Most of the owners would choose F1B rather than F1.
Although curly puppies shed very little almost none, some of them break this rule and do shed.
What Is Facial Furnishing?
Facial furnishing refers to mustaches, eyebrows, and a beard. Some dog breeds have facial furnishing while others don’t. Poodles do have facial furnishing and Golden Retrievers don’t.
If your puppy has prominent facial furnishing, most probably he will shed very little. Opposite to unfurnished puppies that will shed more.
But there is also one important thing for you to know about furnished/unfurnished puppies.
Those with facial furnishing have a wavy or curly coat ( ”doodly coat ” Goldendoodles) which requires daily brushing and regular trips to a professional groomer.
The curly coat’s texture is such that grabs any dirt, mud, or snow. So those dogs are high-maintenance.
Unfurnished dogs (usually Goldendoodles with straight hair) may shed more but it’s far easier to keep them tidy and good looking.
They don’t require regular brushing (maybe once a week) and most probably will never have to go to a professional groomer.
What Is A Shedding Index?
A new discovery in the field of dog genetics is the location of a shedding gene. A high-quality breeder will breed dogs with a lower number of shedding genes.
When you want to buy a Goldendoodle puppy, it’s not necessary to look for a curly coat and an F1B type of coat anymore. Now you can ask for A Shedding Index.
A Shedding Index is a combination of two DNA tests. One test is for shedding genes and the other one is for facial furnishing. Shedding index ranges from 0 to 4. Value 0 refers to almost non-shedding and 4 means that the puppy sheds a lot.
If the breeder chooses to breed two dogs with a very low shedding index, there is a great chance you get a puppy that will shed super little to none.
Do Curly Goldendoodles Shed Their Puppy Coat?
Like all Goldendoodles, curly ones also shed their puppy coats. This happens around 6 months of age.
This change can happen pretty suddenly but also your puppy can gradually switch puppy to adult coat and this can take months to complete. Don’t be surprised if you Doodle keeps the puppy coat until he turns 1 year.
Even the Goldendoodles with non-shedding coats will have to shed when the time comes for this change.
If you notice that your puppy is shedding more than you expected before he is 6 months old, maybe you simply got the dog that will shed more than usual.
The point is, the dogs that shed as puppies ( but really shed, it’s not that they are changing their puppy coat to adult fur) will certainly shed as adults. There is no way to change this.
Another thing people usually worry about- If you have a curly-coated puppy, will he keep the same coat texture in the future or it will be changed.
Well, if you have a curly puppy, he will become a curly adult Goldendoodle one day. Look at the hair around his mouth – is it curly, wavy, or straight? Whatever coat texture your dog has during puppyhood, he will have once he grows up.
Why Does My Curly Goldendoodle Shed So Much?
Sometimes even curly Goldendoodles shed more than usual but then you should look for the reason in some other issues rather than genetics.
The dogs can shed more because of :
- Excess bathing may cause extra shedding, as well as some grooming products or medications
- Different kind of illnesses including parasite infection may lead to shedding
- hot summer months and high temperatures may cause excessive shedding
- stress, allergies, food issues may lead to fur lost
If your dog usually doesn’t shed so much and then starts losing fur at one point, do call the vet, as something is wrong.
Conclusion
Even though curly Goldendoodles should shed very little, it can happen the opposite.
If you have a problem with allergies but you really want a dog, Goldendoodle can be a good option. Find a good, reputable breeder and ask for a puppy with a very low shedding index.
Curly coat and prominent facial furnishing are good indicators that the puppy will shed very little. If you can choose, take F1B puppy rather than F1.
Be aware of one fact – no matter how little your puppy sheds or doesn’t shed at all, this is not a guarantee that he won’t cause any allergies in you or someone else from your household.
Although fur/hair are great triggers for pet allergies, also saliva, dander and some other things may cause allergic reactions.
