# Coat Change- How long will this last????????



## aprhj (Jun 16, 2009)

Poppy had such great puppy hair, smooth combing once per week and she was good. Enter the coat change, ugh!! I noticed it starting a few weeks ago, she is 8.5 months old now, so I had her cut into a shorter/summer cut. My mom has had her for the last week because we were on vacation. I come home to a messy poodle. I spent about 2 hrous combing her out and she still has some matts. She has a grooming appointment Thursday and I was just going to do fft, but now I think I may have her cut even shorter than she is now. Will that help?

How long will this last???

thanks for attending my pitty parti


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## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

Get used to the hours of dematting. \: 

It feels like Desmond's coat change is never gonna end. I thought we were done a while back, but evidently not. His puppy fur was awesome low maintenance, and then at Christmas time it was like BAM matting! I didn't want to shave him short since his hair had JUST gotten long enough to play with, but I had no time to groom him anyway since I was spending all my time dematting. Ughh, looking back on it, I should have shaved him short. It saves a lot of trouble and pain for the dog. If you don't mind losing all that pretty long hair, I say definitely shave her short for her own comfort (and your hands!! I have callouses from the intense combing!) 

It's been 3 months for Desmond's coat change, and he's still matting around the back of the neck/underarms/legs/rump a fair amount. He still loses lots of soft cottony fur when I brush him, and I mean LOTS. Sometimes I can just reach into his hair and pluck out loose fluff. It's almost like he's shedding. He has SUPER thick hair, and it's a huge pain to brush out and dematt. I'm not sure if his hair is done changing and he's just destined to mat for forever or if he's at the tail-end of his change... I don't know. I hope we're almost done. 

Hopefully someone who's been through the entire ordeal can tell you a good time frame.


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## Paris-London (Mar 2, 2010)

I hate puppy hair! Too hard to work with. Like maltese hair ugh!

I am keeping my puppy in a miami, short all over with poms on the legs. With topknot and tail of course.

It helps speed up the transition if you start early enough


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Olie is the same age and I have his body very short, but his legs still have not been clipped - I can't bring myself to trim them down but if the matting get's bad I will. It's not only a pain for is but them toohwell:


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## aprhj (Jun 16, 2009)

A miami clip is how I think I will get her done. Was going to let her grow out some and then get the miami done once she was a little longer so the pom poms would be easier to see, but after last night I think I will have it done now. Someday I'll let her grow out again, I love her long, but not enough to deal with the matts. She gets groomed on Thursday, I'll post some pics afterwards.

thanks for the info

Anyone else want to chime in on how long it will last?


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

The coat change is a horrendous nightmare!! They will mat if you look at them the wrong way or speak in the wrong tone of voice. It generally begins somewhere around nine months old, and can last long past fifteen months. Jenny is still going through it and she will be two in September.

The miami clip should certainly be easy for you to maintain. I advise my puppy people to not clip their puppy down too soon, because once it is gone, they'll never look like pups again. But I also tell them, they will likely want to get rid of the bulk of the body hair once the coat change begins, because it is sooooooo much work to maintain. 

Good luck and keep us posted!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> The coat change is a horrendous nightmare!! They will mat if you look at them the wrong way or speak in the wrong tone of voice. It generally begins somewhere around nine months old, and can last long past fifteen months.


Niiiiiice!!! Guess how old Lucybug will be when we come visit this summer?? Nine months old!! :doh: You can help me comb her out every day that we're there!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> Niiiiiice!!! Guess how old Lucybug will be when we come visit this summer?? Nine months old!! :doh: You can help me comb her out every day that we're there!


BWAH, HA, HA!!!!!!! Isn't it going to be great??? I will help you, but if you have her to the groomer just prior to coming, a lot of the coat will be off so that will be a big help....


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## calidani (Nov 22, 2009)

Ivy (10 mts on the 13th) is in the middle of her coat change right now and I hate it!!
I had her in a CC and she looked so cute, but spending an hr and a half a day dematting her was horrible for both of us. I wanted to keep her in a CC, but my hands have issues and Ivy was beginning to dislike being groomed. It wasn't fair to her so I ended up putting her in a Miami last week and am so happy I did. 
So much more practical for a dog who spends her days roughhousing with another Spoo, a lab, GSD, Great Dane puppy, and 2 Mini Schnauzers.


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## Thracian (May 11, 2009)

> The coat change is a horrendous nightmare!! They will mat if you look at them the wrong way or speak in the wrong tone of voice. It generally begins somewhere around nine months old, and can last long past fifteen months.


It's a little comforting to know I'm not the only one going through this. Clayton is 15 months old now. What is the coat like when the change is done?


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## puppylove (Aug 9, 2009)

I brush and demat Jackson every day. As long as I keep at it and go gently it's not a problem. He's almost 15 months. Will the day come when there will no longer be any matting? The soft hair on his lower legs and between his front legs on the chest is always the worst. I admit that he's way too long and he will be getting a summer cut. I just love that huge soft fluffy coat though!


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## bluespoomommy (Feb 25, 2010)

uggghh i think Mochi just started her coat change :-/ 

She's 8 months old in a few more days...she just went to the groomer on Sunday. It's only been 2 days since and I've already found a few mats in her hair! Even when I comb out the mats with a poodle comb very carefully trying to avoid pulling out the good hair, a whole chunk of hair still comes out. I hope that's normal...


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## frostfirestandards (Jun 18, 2009)

aprhj said:


> Poppy had such great puppy hair, smooth combing once per week and she was good. Enter the coat change, ugh!! I noticed it starting a few weeks ago, she is 8.5 months old now, so I had her cut into a shorter/summer cut. My mom has had her for the last week because we were on vacation. I come home to a messy poodle. I spent about 2 hrous combing her out and she still has some matts. She has a grooming appointment Thursday and I was just going to do fft, but now I think I may have her cut even shorter than she is now. Will that help?
> 
> How long will this last???
> 
> thanks for attending my pitty parti


FOR-EV-ER at least it feels like it LOL 

If you arent showing her or anything I would just get her pretty short all over. 
In fact this is what I did with both Brian and Willow when they went through "The Change" 

It lasts a couple months, but should be done by the time she is a year- one year and 4 months. I think its just an individual dog thing. 

Gotti didn't even really have much of a coat change , Kaden, Jamie, Willow and Brian were horrendous! Izzy (my toy) didn't really seem to change much, the only way I knew she went through it is because I actually noticed her coat getting hicker and coarser.


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