# Puppy coat! To clip or not to clip?



## meredian (Nov 5, 2012)

Would love some opinions on this topic. Originally intended not to clip his coat until six months because we'd heard that it could affect his "adult coat," but recently we've been reading that that's a myth.

What do you think?


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I definitely am probably NOT the person to ask! LOL! My Molly is 1yr old and she still hasn't had her hair completely cut! I LOVE her fluff!
The decision is totally yours, but keep in mind that keeping a long coat requires a lot of time! I brush Molly 2x a day right now becuz she's going thru coat change and matting has to be dealt with every day. I didn't even have her face shaved until a few months ago and her feet were done just a few weeks ago.....I figure 'by summer' I'll get to the point of a kinda Scandi clip HaHaHa!!! 
Here is a 'before' and 'now'.......... I guess I hate losing my 'puppy'


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Once you clip it off, the puppy look is gone. I would hang on to the coat as long as it is not a burden to you but for goodness sake, get rid of it once coat change starts! What a nightmare! They are only babies for such a short time...enjoy it.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Whether you want to do a full body clip or not, make sure he is still going to the groomers for brushing, bathing, drying, nail and sanitary trims. These are very important to get a poodle used to grooming!


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

What I tell all of my customers is that you do what you can maintain at home. If you can't keep up with brushing him, then cutting it shorter wont hurt. If you don't mind brushing and like his coat long, keep it long! But as fluffyspoo said, take him to the groomer either way so he's used to the routine. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

I loved the puppy fluff and waited as long as possible before I cut Lexi's off. She reminded me of a baby eagle with all that fur going every which way.  I vote to not cut it!


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## cindyreef (Sep 28, 2012)

OMG the MATTS!!! I didn't believe it could really happen so fast. I kept the puppy hair till 8 months and then cut him in sort of a berlin (with a puffy tail, top knot and ears) so I don't really know what cut it is. I just couldn't get rid of all the fluff. But now at 10 mths his hair really matts overnight. And close to the skin too. AArrgg! It is allot of work. I understand why some cut them right down during coat change.

Somebody please reassure me that it gets easier when the coat change is over...
And what product do you use for combing out the matts daily?

Thks


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Do what you want and what you can maintain...as others have said you get to have puppy fluffies only once. But yes, it's a myth that cutting the puppy coat will damage the adult coat. Honestly I'm not even sure how that got started!


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

Do what you like. I am a fan of shaping a puppy coat, otherwise they just look like a blob with eyes. I have had no issue with my 1st OT with coat change. She has never been shorter than a #1 on the body & scissored full legs. My current Toy is just turning 7 months & no issue & she is in a show Scandi.


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

I took Panda out of his puppy clip and into something more creative very early and have never regretted it.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Definitely a myth, but still a very widespread one - I camr across it myself with Poppy. I'd go along with the others - the day brushing and combing down to the skin becomes too much of an effort and a bore for both/either of you is the day to shorten the coat! The first trim can be a bit of a shock, but I love having a dog with so many different looks.


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## KidWhisperer (Apr 3, 2012)

Personally, I love a fluffy puppy! Sammi has gotten two big shave-downs and a smaller shape up in the 10 months we have had her, and I hated it each time. I would keep the puppy fluff as long as you can.


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## pgr8dnlvr (Aug 7, 2011)

How does one know EXACTLY when "coat change" is occuring? I have a toy who is 1 year and 1 month old and am really waiting in suspenseful horror for when the real coat change is going to happen? Maybe its already happening and I'm just lucky that my girls hair is farily easy to deal with? I still only really need to brush every 2 days and her coat is pretty much a full coat in a slightly modified European second puppy clip. I know her hair gets quite curly now when its wet, but does that really mean anything? Is it possible she's already through a big chunk of the change?

Cindy, are you saying coat change for you is occuring at 18 months or do you mean that you put your pup in pattern at 8 months and only 2 months later (at the age of 10 month) is when you started experiencing coat change?

Also, I'm confused. I thought poodles hair just grows and grows. So does the hair just end up with two textures on the same shaft or does the puppy hair gradually work its way out and new adult hair will grow out of the same folicle?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! 

Rebecca


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## Anntig (Jun 9, 2010)

My preference and what i recommend for new to poodles customers is to leave the puppy coat long and just do fft until the pup hits change or the owner finds it too hot or too difficult to keep brushed out, that way they get a chance to experience long coat and get some idea of the work required to keep it nice.

Other than the dreadful mats the way to tell if coat change is occuring is if the coat at the skin will have a slightly (or very) different texture than it does further up the shaft, it's the different textures on the same hair that seem to cause the mats. 
Some dogs never change much and end up with a rather limp flyaway adult coat but most have achieved some degree of change by the end of their first year.
As for how the myth started I suspect it was owners who took their pup to the groomer for the first time when the matting started and pup came back with (surprise surprise) a different feel to the coat which then continued to grow back different.

Cindy ice'n'ice or a heavily diluted silicon conditioner will help with the matting and once coat change is complete they usually do stop matting so quickly.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think coat change may be less obvious if you are not trying to grow coat at the time - I didn't notice any major changes on Poppy, although it is true that while her body anf topknot have a reasonable texture, her leg hair is still very soft. It's so much easier to brush a toy everyday, too - far less time consuming than a standard. The people who report the biggest problems on here seem usually those who are trying to maintain a show clip on a large dog.


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## cindyreef (Sep 28, 2012)

pgr8dnlvr said:


> Cindy, are you saying coat change for you is occuring at 18 months or do you mean that you put your pup in pattern at 8 months and only 2 months later (at the age of 10 month) is when you started experiencing coat change?
> 
> Also, I'm confused. I thought poodles hair just grows and grows. So does the hair just end up with two textures on the same shaft or does the puppy hair gradually work its way out and new adult hair will grow out of the same folicle?
> 
> ...


I meant that I clipped him at 8 months because his hair was SO long. He looked like a sheepdog more than a poodle. I believe he was starting his coat change. But now at 11 months tomorrow, he is in full coat change. I think the top of his back to his tail is adult hair. Its so curly and dense. On the rest of his body, I would brush him out (with a comb) down to the skin and the next day he has palm sized matts right next to the skin. His neck, his hind hips are the worst. Thank heaven for detangler spray. I would clip him down but Im scared I wont like it. His body has about 2" of length and his neck and legs still has baby fluff 5" long. I just couldn't part with all of it. But now Im rethinking having him clipped down. I feel guilty but it really is a lot of work. 
From reading Shirlee Kalstones book I understand the adult hair comes in the same follicle. Its much curlier so it tangles with the fine baby hair at the skin. That's why it matts so fast.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Here is Jazz at 7 months old never having been clipped except FFT regularly. He is blown pretty straight here. I wouldn't have wanted to go one second longer with him. It was really shapeless and a lot of work even without matts. I did love burying my face in it, but I wanted to see his shape! When he was finally trimmed, he looked so nice, not like a boxy fluffbucket. 
Tail is down, but the best I had showing full fluff:









After his trim he was SOOOOO happy! It looked like ten pounds of weight had been lifted off of him. Here is after. 









Regular bathing helps the hair. I am not sure about trimming except they do get a lot of thin wispy things all over if you never trim them.


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