The Doodle as the ideal mixed breed

Every Doodle enthusiast knows that the Doodle was once bred to be the ideal service and pet dog. Not only because of his character (gentle, intelligent and serviceable) but especially because of his hypoallergenic coat.

A lot more research and work has been done on this topic than I touch upon here, so I will limit myself to the simple facts and logic since enough books are written on the subject.

In order to develop a coat that is as hypoallergenic as possible six different breeds were used. All six had different coat structures, hair colors and tasks, so they had different characters. Number seven, the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, was only used a few times because of the color and features of its coat.

Shedding

Not only do the colors and coat structures of the ancestors of the Australian Labradoodle differ but so does the shedding cycle for every breed.

Coat maintenance

Every breed needs its own specific coat maintenance to keep the coat healthy, clean and free of tangles.

Insight into the coat structure and shedding cycle of all ancestor breeds provides a clearer picture of the required coat maintenance of a Doodle.

Doodle coat structures

So, a Doodle has a mixed coat as a result of six different coat structures.

Labrador Retriever

In order to optimally carry out its task the coat is short and shiny with a water-repellent wiry coat and a woolly, soft, weather resistant undercoat.

A originally sheds twice a year but currently sheds almost constantly, making daily brushing a must.

Poodle

Poodles have a longhaired, curly, woolly coat. The undercoat has the same structure and length. The corded coat is also prevalent in but is very rare.

A has a continuously shedding (mosaic shedding) coat. The loose hair weaves through the top coat, instead of falling on the floor.

American Cocker and English Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel has a combined (both short and long hair) soft, shiny coat with a dense, water-repellent undercoat and feathering on the ears, chest, belly and legs.

They look alike but differ in structure and hair style and they shed three times a year.

Irish Water Spaniel

Irish Water have a a continuously shedding long haired, greasy, wiry, water-repellent curly coat with a similar undercoat. When they shed the loose hairs weave through the top coat instead of falling on the floor.

Curly Coated Retriever

Curly Coated Retrievers have a short, firm, frizzy, curly water- repellent coat with similar undercoat that sheds twice a year.

Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

The Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier has a soft, silky, long, wavy to slight curly coat with similar undercoat. The the loose hairs weave through the top coat, instead of falling on the floor, but it is said not to shed in the spring and the fall.

Regardless of which breeds are still being used during the breeding and which aren’t, these coats are all in the family tree and the genes of every Doodle.

In theory and in the Doodle breeding standard a distinction between four different coat structures is made.

Wavy coat

A wavy coat is straight to wavy in shape and can have a silky to woolly structure.

Curly fleece coat A curly fleece coat can have a thick or thin hair implant, more or less lint and loose to somewhat firmer curls.

Curly coat The curly coat is the coat that is most similar to the coat of the Poodle. It generally has a thick hair implant and can vary from few curls with much lint to many curls with little lint.

Woolly coat Although the woolly coat is often considered a curly coat, and I also did this in the past, seeing the first real woolly coat made me realize that there are actually coats that don’t really consist of lint or curls but completely of wool. These coats are similar to sheep coats and seem to be made out of mats. Practice however shows that there are many mixed types within the mentioned coat structure, depending on the most dominant genes in the puppy.

Many Doodles have a wavy coat but at the same time have an undercoat so thick that the coat is still difficult to maintain, or that a relatively easy to maintain curly coat has so much soft undercoat that the dog will look fluffy and is very sensitive to tangles. It is even possible that a Doodle that was bred as F3 will still have a rigid but semi-long Labrador coat, raising the question of whether this dog should be cut or plucked.

This mixed coat makes the Doodle one of the most high-maintenance in the world, and there are no two identical Doodle coats, even though they may look similar. Proper knowledge and insight into the coat structure and how to treat this is therefore extremely important in order to be able to provide the right coat maintenance for your Doodle and to offer it a tangle-free, comfortable life.

Undercoat or not?

Single coat Although it is often said that a Doodle has no undercoat, they actually do. Just like their ancestors the Poodle, and Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, the Australian Doodles have a so-called “single” coat. It was named this way because they actually do have an undercoat, just like the other ancestors, but this developed in such a way that it has the same length and structure as the top coat.

Every (except the hairless dogs) has an outer coat (top coat) and an undercoat to protect it against weather conditions, violence, hypothermia and burns. The coats of each breed were bred for optimal performance of the dog’s tasks. In case of the Poodle, Curl Coated Retriever, Labrador Retriever and the Irish Water Spaniel: searching and fetching waterfowl, for which the undercoat was “designed” in such a way that the dog could be wet for a long time without suffering from hypothermia.

Double coat The undercoat of shorthaired or semi-longhaired breeds with underwool (such as the Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Shepherd, Pyrenean Mountain Dog) or pluck coat (such as most Terriers) is clearly distinguishable from the top coat. During the wooling session every six months, the soft undercoat lets loose and is removed from the coat to make room for a new protective undercoat layer. If a Terrier changes coats every three months the dog groomer plucks the rigid top coat to make room for the softer undercoat.

Since Doodles have a single coat the undercoat has the same length and feel as the top coat. All silky, long-haired breeds and curly breeds have a single coat. Examples are: the Maltese, Yorkshire Terrier, Coton de Tulear, American Water Spaniel, Barbet, Bedlington Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Pumi and the Silky Terrier. The name “single coat” however leads to so many misunderstandings that many breeders and Doodle owners wrongly believe that Doodles have no undercoat, which quite negatively affects the view of the required amount of coat maintenance.

From left to right: Maltese, Yorkshire Terrier, Barbet, Pumi, Kerry Blue Terrier

Do it yourself: coat test

To experience that your Doodle in fact has a top coat and an undercoat, you can do the following test.

You need:

• a good magnifying glass; • a white sheet of paper; • a pencil.

Exercise:

1. Carefully pull a pluck of hair from the root out of your Doodle’s coat. Don’t pluck too much hair at once because that will hurt! 2. Place this pluck on the white sheet of paper and get your magnifying glass. 3. Look through the magnifying glass and see the differences in the structure and thickness of the hair: - the thicker, straight rigid hairs are hairs of the top coat; - the woolly, thinner, frizzy hairs are part of the undercoat. 4. Now pull the hairs apart a bit and draw the pluck. 5. You’ll see that some hairs curl more and that you can actually distinguish three or four different hair types.

Congratulations! This is your first step on your way to having insight into your own Doodles coat.

What is hair?

Hair is a horn-like outgrowth of the skin that grows from a so-called hair follicle out of the skin. Nutrients are provided through the blood vessels in the hair bulb to keep the hair strong and healthy. Multiple hairs grow in a little bundle from a single hair follicle consisting of one harder top coat hair and a number of softer hairs in little groups around it.

Most often a difference in length and structure between the hairs of the top coat and the undercoat can be observed. If this is the case we call this coat a “double coat”.

As mentioned before, Doodles have a “single coat” because the hairs of the undercoat are so strongly developed that they have the same length and structure as the hairs of the top coat, although many Golden Doodles still clearly have a dull, soft layer of undercoat hairs in certain spots.

A hair is composed of several layers:

• medulla: this is the innermost part consisting of spongy cells that absorb the nutrients so that the hair is taken care of from the inside; • cortex: the layer around the hair. This is where the pigments are stored; • hair cuticle: this is the outer layer, consisting of wider cells that cover each other like scales. If these scales connect nicely the hair is shiny and greasy. If they are too far apart, causing air to come in between them, the hair becomes porous and looks dull and fluffy.

Since the total coat is formed by a multitude of hairs, and the appearance of the hair is completely influenced by the genes of the parents and ancestors, there are no two identical coats. So every coat has to be individually looked at and assessed to determine what degree of coat maintenance is required.

Hair grease

The grease of the skin, also known as sebum, takes care of the hair and the skin on the outside. This sebum is secreted by a sebaceous gland that ends up in the hair follicle.

The sebum keeps the hair supple, makes it water-repellent, prevents dehydration and contamination. So a greasy coat is good for the protection of skin and hair, but a too greasy coat is not appreciated in today’s society because it will start to smell, attract dirt and dust, holds dirt and dust and is not pleasant to touch, making it not very practical and hygienic in a family setting. Hair growth cycle

Hair is a living organism that grows and dies to make room for new hair. All dogs shed, but some dogs shed more obviously than others.

The life cycle has five stages. These are:

1. Growth period 2. Intermediate stage 3. Rest stage 4. Maturation stage 5. Shedding stage

A hair at the end of its cycle will no longer receive nutrition, dries out and will feel crispy because of it. The ends discolor, the hair will become porous and will eventually break off, while a new hair is already growing in. This is what shedding actually is.

Shedding

Since shedding actually is a protective mechanism of the skin to protect a dog against extreme temperatures or against temperature changes the shedding cycle differs for each type of dog and coat.

One group, as mentioned before, only sheds twice a year and stays protected against the cold or the rays of the sun in that way. The other group sheds three times a year and the last group sheds, just like humans, continuously but inconspicuously because the long loose hairs are woven through the top coat.

A Doodle sheds continuously but the growth cycle of every separate hair is very long because Doodles are longhaired dogs. A Doodle will therefore never lose a clump of hair, but always only a couple of hairs to do as little damage as possible and to make sure the coat doesn’t lose its protective function. Factors influencing hair growth and shedding

Shedding is a natural bodily process and the body is constantly exposed to various internal and external factors, so the hair growth cycle and the health of the hair is also exposed to these factors.

Climate & light intensity Because hairs themselves have no sense of time the amount of light serves as their indicator. In the summer (when the amount of light increases) the coat has to be thin, so shedding increases in the spring. The coat is prepared for the winter in the fall by decreased shedding.

Dogs used to develop real summer and winter coats to optimally protect themselves during those periods. Central heating and our lights in the house completely messed up this task. Dogs could actually shed more in the winter because the heater is on a high setting and the days seem longer due to the lights in the house. In other words: the coat “thinks” it’s summer.

That’s why it’s possible that breeds that used to shed twice a year, now shed all year long.

Hormones Since hormones spread through the bloodstream they have a large impact on the shedding process. Some hormones slow shedding down while others speed it up. A bitch can completely “lose her coat” during pregnancy and giving birth. Also, certain diseases can make changes to the hormone levels, making the coat look dull or thin. Stress hormones can also lead to coat problems.

Health The coat is the reflection of a dog’s health, so a poor health status often translates into a poor coat. Metabolic problems, intestinal problems, resistance problems: all health problems have a direct influence on the skin and the coat.

Skin problems Since hair and skin are actually the same, skin problems automatically have consequences for the coat: a sick skin is a sick coat and can therefore be the cause of bald, dull, thin or damaged spots in the coat.

Nutrition I will go into more detail on this later, but it is obvious that nutrition provides not only the body with its necessary nutrients, but also feeds the skin and coat. A lack of certain nutrients will therefore harm the health of the skin and coat.

Overbrushing effect A daily brushed skin will feel damaged and will want to repair and protect itself by making more hair. This will make the coat thicker and shed faster, thereby making it more sensitive to tangles. Wrongly shaving or grooming the dog I would like to use this opportunity to clear up a major misunderstanding, which is that Doodles that are shaved can get a different coat. This is complete nonsense, based on what happens to course coats when another technique besides plucking is used. A coat of this type will indeed change structure and become “unpluckable”. Doodles however have a coat fit for scissor cutting in which the coat is cut at a certain length. The effect and the hair structure remain the same, whether this is done with scissors or clippers.

The influence of castration and sterilization on the hair growth cycle Although early castration and sterilization are commonplace, especially among Australian Doodles, these procedures can have a large impact on their coats.

No scientific research was conducted on this, but every dog groomer will agree with me that the coat can become so thick or frizzy after the procedure, that it will become more sensitive to tangles and therefore more difficult to maintain for the owner.

This is because the hair growth cycle is directly influenced by a dog’s hormone levels. Fluctuations herein can lead to an irregular hair growth cycle, causing faster secretion of new hair or causing the hair to fall out later.

The coat of dogs fit for plucking is often affected in such a way that it will become too soft to pluck. In Doodles excessive hair growth of the undercoat can be observed which forms a thick, frizzy layer in the coat that is sensitive to tangles. This difference can have consequences several months after the procedure in the form of mats.

This phenomenon will however not show until after the first shedding, so with Doodles that were castrated or sterilized before they turned one year old.

If you however learned how to optimally take care of the basic coat maintenance yourself this side-effect won’t have to have negative consequences for the coat maintenance.

The coat

As indicated before, the function of the coat is to protect the skin against the wind, rain, sunshine and cold, but also to regulate the body temperature.

The undercoat serves as an isolation layer between the skin and the outside world, ensuring the dog won’t overheat or becomes hypothermic.

The coat also protects against damage and violence, enabling a dog to run through bushes without getting a single cut, or to have a fight with another dog while keeping most of its skin and body parts intact. Damaging the coat

Porous, soft hair will damage more easily than rigid, smooth hair, and wet hair is more vulnerable than dry hair.

Brushing, combing or treating the skin with the wrong material can literally break the skin and can cause serious damage.

Scraping against rough surfaces, such as a brick wall, can damage the hair just like wearing an overly tight or rugged collar or harness.

Dust, dirt, moisture and even exhaust fumes can affect the skin, so it is essential that the dog is regularly optimally brushed to spread the protective skin greases over the entire body and to remove the dust and the dirt.

Shedding

A puppy is born with a thin layer of hair on its body, called a puppy coat. This hair is softer, thinner and shorter than the hair of a mature coat and there are fewer hair follicles per square inch. The main task of the hair is to keep the puppy warm and comfortable during its first weeks of its life.

The puppy sheds its puppy coat for an adult coat when it’s between 4 and 14 months. This structure of this coat will be thicker, more rigid, smoother, firmer and more dense, so more hair follicles per square inch. So it’s not true that a puppy loses its puppy coat all at once and it’s also not the case that a puppy coat can be shaved once to make room for an adult coat. Shaving would only disturb the hair growth cycle.

Since Doodles have different backgrounds the shedding of each Doodle can take place at different times. In practice most Doodles tend to start shedding around the age of six months, and the coat will have its adult structure when the dog is two years old.

Some owners hardly notice the shedding. Others experience it as a thunderclap in the clear sky. Since the hair becomes loose and gets stuck in the coat while new hair grows in annoying tangles can quickly arise and brushing is no longer a fun experience. If owners ignore this for too long, because they’re using a superficial (puppy)brush, don’t brush often enough or are afraid to go to the grooming salon, the coat maintenance will become increasingly stressful to the puppy. Shaving the puppy short will become increasingly necessary with all the consequences this entails.

Tangles

Because a Doodle continuously sheds it is vital to brush regularly to prevent tangling of the dead hairs which weave through the top coat. If you leave these dead hairs, clumps of hair will twist into each other and form clusters that can develop into felt spots. If you put a dog's hair under the microscope you will see that it's made up of scales. The dryer and more porous the hair is the wider these scales are apart. They can reach a point where they become little hooks. The greasier the hair, the closer together the scales are, thus forming less hooks.

When there is pressure, friction or movement the hooks grab hold of each other, forming clusters of hair. This is the beginning of the tangling process.

A tangle that is left unremoved or doesn't get brushed out can become a felt spot in situations of repeated pressure, friction or movement. The thicker this felt spot, the less sebum the hair will be able to receive; the result is extremely dry hair that will eventually die. Felt mats will develop which are close to the skin, covering an ever increasing part of the body if left unattended.

These felt spots are often invisible on the surface because they are being covered by the coat. The longer a Doodle's coat is the bigger the chance that there are felt spots underneath close to the skin.

Danger of tangles

Felt spots prevent the skin from breathing properly, causing it to suffocate. This can cause various problems like itching, allergies, skin irritations, parasites, compromised mobility and shortness of breath. Your Doodle will experience this as if it's wearing extremely tight body armor that prevents it from breathing and moving freely.

Because the hair is no longer being fed the necessary sebum it dies, becomes more porous and will attract extra dirt. Sweat will accumulate in the fur and spread a nasty smell. Also, blemishes will appear along with other irritations since the skin becomes softer, thinner and more vulnerable under the stress of heat and the weight of the felt spots.

Not only will the coat lose its glance and start to smell bad, your Doodle will also become less spirited and mobile. No owner would intentionally want to do this to their dog.

Shaving

If a coat is so matted that you can’t get through it anymore, it is in the best interest of the Doodle to completely remove it. In most cases a dog groomer will feel that shaving your Doodle bald is the only option.

This seems like an easy way out, but shaving a Doodle bald has many disadvantages:

• An extra short shaving head is required, often 3mm or sometimes even 1.5 mm. • The result of shaving with such a short head is that your Doodle will really become bald. • You will show the Doodle’s most disadvantageous side since you can see its entire skeleton, resulting in a poor look. • Because the coat is shaved so short it loses its protective function, literally and figuratively exposing the skin to rain, wind, cold and heat. This puts the dog at risk of catching hypothermia or sunburn. The skin is very sensitive to scents, substances and other impressions, making your Doodle sensitive to allergies. In addition, the skin will be more easily damaged when running through bushes, rolling on the floor, fighting, or playing with other dogs. • Since the layer of mats have to be completely stripped off the body the groomer has to push the shaving head against the coat, which can cause mean, poignant cuts in the skin. • Any dog that looks “different” will be attacked by other dogs more quickly. • There is a chance your Doodle will also feel very uncomfortable the first days after the shaving and will be more quiet, calm and less lively than before the grooming.

It should be clear that not a single Doodle owner should want to let it come to this.

Is your Doodle being shaved in the winter? It's definitely recommended to keep the Doodle warm after shaving by giving it an additional layer of protection in the form of a jacket or a sweater.

Is it being shaved in summer? Then be aware of sunburn.

Black coats and white coats

I have to put it out there because I think not enough puppy buyers are aware of it. The color of the coat greatly affects the maintenance sensitivity of a Doodle. Especially in mixed coats and castration coats you can see a clear difference in the hair structure, hair density and the sensitivity to external influences such as dust, water, twigs, and sand.

Although it’s a very human thing to let the choice of your puppy depend on your color preference, the characteristics of the colors should be considered in making your final choice. If you have no insight into this you can’t make an informed choice and you might be stuck with a heavy-maintenance coat you never asked for once the dog starts shedding.

Breeders generally don’t look as much at the sensitivity to maintenance as to the uniqueness and beauty of the coat. They obviously do this because they’re not dog groomers and they have puppies they need to sell. I on the other hand, as a specialized groomer, see many similarities in color characteristics I would like to share with you to prevent unhappy owners and Doodles resulting from so-called mismatches. As far as I know no scientific research was conducted on this, but the experiences are at least worth the consideration.

White coats

Nice and white is not ugly and often stunning (but more difficult to keep it stunning). I don’t know if Murphy’s Law has something to do with it but it seems like white dogs love to get dirty the most. They love playing in the sand, they roll through the most disgusting faeces or semi-digested remains of birds or fish, they frolic through the mud or swim in the dirtiest ditches.

Many white coats that are thick, curly or fluffy (such as many castration coats) will irrevocably develop tangles after getting wet (unless you’ve learned to prevent these). This has to do with the structure of these coats. The white hair is often softer, more porous and has more of a cotton-like structure than black or brown hair. This is because the lack of pigmentation. This makes the hair more vulnerable, so it will get damaged and also tangle more easily because the shaft of the hair contains more “barbs” that clamp onto other hairs.

Take for instance the spotted Lagotto Romagnolo (Italian Water Dog) or Perro D’Agua (Spanish Water Dog) with both white and different colored legs. In nine out of ten cases the white legs get tangled more easily and more heavily than the differently colored legs. A completely white (Golden) Doodle with a coat as described above is one of the most maintenance sensitive dogs you could ever own. Keeping this type of coat long is nearly impossible! It is smarter to choose for a practical length, for instance 10, 13 or 16 mm at the most and to groom the dog every six to eight weeks and thin the coat to keep it free of tangles.

More sensitive

You should also take into consideration that a white Doodle is more sensitive in all aspects than Doodles of other colors.

This sensitivity applies to the skin which will turn red more easily. The skin is also more susceptible to heat strokes or sunburn and to skin problems and allergies.

Ear infections are more common among white and light-colored Doodles than among black and brown Doodles and also external impressions, such as crowdedness, stress, loud noises, new experiences and too many things at a time can be experienced more dramatically. This could cause a fight or flight response that unleashes negative associations.

It’s good to be aware of this so you can provide your white or light-colored puppy with the right care from the start.

Black coats

A black coat can be beautiful! Nice and shiny, full fleece or curly coats are often a joy to the eye and many black Doodles have a majestic appearance that gives them a certain je ne sais quoi. Many jet black puppies however turn grey once they get older and get a totally different adult coat you couldn’t have foreseen when you bought the puppy.

And if you think white is contagious, black has its own demons. Although you often don’t see it from a distance, the woolly, black coats often contain a lot of dust. This makes your Doodle look dull, as if there’s a grey haze over the coat.

What’s worse is that this dust makes the coat extra sensitive to tangles.

Because if this coat gets wet and is dried by the air the dust will clump together and will form spots of mats that are impossible to comb through, potentially being the start of a completely matted bottom layer. An unsuspecting owner who uses a superficial brush will brush over the tangles, and will later suffer the consequences. Naturally there are “rules of engagement” for this coat type as well, such as not letting the hair get too long and regularly grooming the coat.

The difficult thing about coat features is that they’re not yet visible in puppies. Many puppies are born lighter or darker than they will eventually be and a puppy coat is very easy to maintain up to five months.

You should however know that coats can dramatically change because of interventions, such as castrations and sterilizations and can be affected by external factors, such as climate and light, and internal factors, like hormones, stress, nutrition, medicine use and so on.

If you however look at the coat features of the parents of the puppy, buying a Doodle is less of a gamble and you’re at least mentally prepared for what’s coming. If you have all the time in the world to brush your Doodle on a weekly basis, blow him out after every wet walk and bring him to the grooming salon every six to eight weeks (or do this yourself) there doesn’t have to be a single problem and you can freely pick your puppy, based on color and your feelings.

To whom all this color information is a thunderclap from a clear sky I hope that these new insights can help alleviate the Doodle life.